Country: Guatemala City: Quetzaltenango Project: Healthcare
Duration: 10 Days Group: New England Medical Missions Club
“When you see a team of people working together it is far superior to an individual; you can accomplish a lot!”
– Steve, Spanish professor at University of New England
The University of New England sent a group of students to Guatemala to volunteer in an orphanage. We were able to catch up with a student, Kate LeGrand, and Spanish professor, Steve, to get their thoughts and experiences.
In January of 2012, The New England Medical Missions Club sent a group of students from the University of New England to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala for ten days. They worked in an orphanage and in schools providing the children with education on proper dental hygiene and dental treatment. In the short amount of time spent there, they worked with 500 to 600 people and were able to accomplish a lot for a population in need.
Quetzaltenango is a very rural area, which was a big change for some of the students who had not experienced anything like it. Kate described it as, “a camping experience and I really enjoyed it a lot. We are not used to that kind of environment and this makes the experience very interesting.” This environment provided them with a better understanding of the people and culture they were surrounded by.
They entered their project with open minds and were eager to help in any way possible. A few days were spent assisting in the clinic in the morning and then spending some down time with the kids in the afternoon. They took the children for walks, played games with them and did various arts and crafts activities. Some days they were working with the doctor and others were spent helping with various projects, like painting at some local schools.
Although some of this work may seem minuscule other tasks, like performing physicals on the children, had a huge impact on the community. If the group from the University had not been there, it would not have been done.
Two out of the ten days in Guatemala, were spent in local elementary schools. Between the two schools, there are about 300 kids ages 3-15. Their impact here was similar to that of the orphanage, teaching the students about oral health, helping out in the classroom and spending time with the kids.
The kids were not the only ones who learned something from this trip! The volunteers learned how to preform a physical, concentrating on aliments commonly seen in the children there, and by the end of the trip that had improved their Spanish and even picked up a few medical terms.
The volunteers were able to see how any small gesture, like teaching a child the proper way to use a toothbrush, can positivity impact a whole community. Kate recalls one child who came in with a stomachache and was in a lot of pain:
“Even though physically we could not have helped him, being there was important to me because I realized that people need help. No matter if you teach them how to brush their teeth or give a donation from home, what matters is to help them in some way”
United Planet is a non-profit organization with a mission to create a global community, one relationship at a time. Established in 2001, United Planet offers volunteer abroad, virtual internships, internships abroad, gap year volunteering, and global virtual exchange in more than 40 countries.
United Planet is an international non-profit organization with a mission to create a global community, one relationship at a time. We connect people who want to make a difference in communities across the world through overseas volunteer travel programs, global virtual internships & volunteering, and project-based virtual exchange programs. With opportunities in more than 40 countries, you will learn, teach, work, engage and immerse yourself in a culture outside your comfort zone. For many, volunteering abroad is the most fulfilling experience of their lives!
©2001-2023 United Planet. All rights reserved.