Medical Volunteer Programs in 14 countries from $18/day

I had a great experience visiting Vietnam for the first time and volunteering in Ho Chi Minh City thanks to this fantastic program. This is a perfect program if you're traveling by yourself, with some friends, and even if it's your first time traveling. It's a very good blend of fun, tourism, and service to the local community.
This was my first time traveling on my own so I was a bit wary at first. But when I got to Vietnam, the staff at Green Lion was incredibly friendly and accommodating. Right when I got to the airport, Jenny was there to pick me up and bring me to the Saigon Tourism College where I was hosted for two weeks. The room and accommodations are fine - I had my own bunk with another 4 guys in the room. The most important thing was that I had A/C, which kept our room very cool. The first week was Culture Week and consisted of exploring Ho Chi Minh City's main sights of interest, markets, museums, the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, and even a cooking lesson. Our guide Leah was always cheerful and fun; you can tell she loves Vietnamese culture and introducing people to it. The Culture Week is organized enough to where the days are filled with activities but there's enough time and freedom at night to go out and do more activities. The cool thing about this program also is that you get to meet so many interesting people from around the world - I met Australians, Dutch, English, German, and it was quite fun hanging out with them and enjoying an exotic country for the first time together. We even rented out a field and played soccer! Green Lion also has a wonderful travel agent Quyen on staff as well - she was able to book us tours and tell us of the interesting places to go for cheap. And it's so cheap to travel within Vietnam! We had our weekends to travel to different cities.

I volunteered in the medical placement at the local hospital in Tan Binh District. I was able to rotate in different wards like acupuncture, surgery, physiotherapy, and wound care. My goal going in was just to see their healthcare system and interact with the patients and healthcare professionals there. It definitely helps to know Vietnamese! Only a few doctors knew some English and it was difficult for some of my friends to communicate with them. However, all the healthcare professionals appreciated when we taught them English. They all desire to learn. The program didn't involve too much specialized, hands-on procedures, which was fine for me. As far as the volunteering experience, I think what you put in is what you'll get out of it. I tried my best to talk to the patients and also the therapists and doctors and I feel like I gained some insight into their lives and culture. My favorite ward was the physiotherapy ward because it was the most interactive one - I was able to help toddlers with cerebral palsy perform leg strengthening exercises. It was amazing to see their joy despite their condition. All in all, the medical placement was well-rounded - you get to see a lot although not everything is hands-on. This is understandable considering the specialized nature of medicine.

To conclude, I think this program is organized and fun, and will give travelers a fantastic intro to Vietnam. The staff are incredibly helpful and friendly. They really do take care of you. I highly recommend it for people who have never traveled on their own but want to. Believe me, you will learn so much about yourself and the world. Just give in and do it!

I participated in the week long orientation and then one week of health placement volunteering in Delhi, India.

For orientation, the local program director provided a morning information session about India's culture, customs, religion, food, dress, etc. It was a nice introduction to the country. For the rest of the week, we received Hindi lessons from a local staff member, spent one day sightseeing in New Delhi (transportation and lunch provided), spent another day seeing Old Delhi (transportation and lunch provided), and then I also attended the option Taj Mahal tour (transportation, breakfast, lunch, and local guide provided.) This was a great way to get to know the other volunteers and local staff members.

As for suggestions during this time, definitely try to take the opportunity to explore Delhi as much as you can during free time because it becomes more difficult to do so once you're in your placement. Also, swap contact information with the other volunteers before orientation ends. That way, you can still communicate and coordination times to meet up on afternoons or nights after your placement.

For the project, I was in the medical volunteer program for one week. During that time, we hosted health camp in the slums. On those days, we had breakfast (roti/chappatti and chai) before being driving to our placement by the family's driver. We set up tables and provided health screenings to any community members between the hours of 10am and 1:30pm. The services we provided included checks of blood pressure, glucose level, pulse, oxygen saturation, upper body examination, and lower body examination. Then, we made a probably diagnosis based on the aforementioned findings and the patient's reports. After compiling this information, we passed the patient on to the doctor. The doctor then confirmed or changed our diagnosis, discussed the patient case with us, and provided treatment (including some medications such as antibiotics, nutrition supplements, cough suppressants, etc.).

Professionally I gained a lot of hands on experience. Personally, I was very humbled and inspired by the work we did.

After volunteering, we returned to the home stay for lunch which was cooked by our host mom and was always delicious. Then, we had the afternoons free. We had some difficulty going into the city to explore during this open slot because it took roughly an hour to get into the city and required us to take a tuk tuk prior to taking the metro. Therefore, we usually enjoyed down time during our afternoons and travelled to local markets. One volunteer even joined a local gym for a small month membership fee.

Curfew was at 8:30pm, and dinner was served shortly after.

I loved my program with IVHQ. I spent two weeks in Guatemala with IVHQ and their partner, Maximo Nivel. I would take the local transportation (chicken buses) to my placement in Sumpango each morning and work at a medical clinic there from 8am-12pm. My job there included taking blood pressure, temperature, height, weight, and symptoms of the patients. In addition, I was able to shadow the doctors and assist with some things, such as giving injections. I absolutely loved my placement and all of the staff there who were so welcoming, kind, and helpful. In my free time I could explore the exciting city of Antigua and do things such as hiking Volcano Pacaya, going to Lake Atitlan, visiting Monterrico Beach, and spending time at an orphanage on Christmas Eve. My house stay was also wonderful, with great staff, comfy accommodations, delicious food, and awesome other volunteers. This was one of my greatest travel experiences and I could not recommend IVHQ more!

Loved it! I was placed in a clinic in Kajiado for 8 weeks, which is in Maasailand. The staff at the clinic were very accommodating, hard working and dedicated. Together with another international volunteer we lived with a host family who tried very hard to make us feel welcome in their home - including giving up their own bed (they slept on the couch). There is much to see and do in East Africa (including going over the border to hike Mount Kili - Mount Kill Me). IVHQ staff are supportive - your safety and happiness with your placement are of their utmost concern. I highly recommend this placement with IVHQ. I am currently investigating another placement with them in Central America/South America. And will go back to Kenya next year!