Rural Public Health Volunteering in Ecuador

What is the Rural Public Health Volunteering project in Ecuador all about?

If you are interested in community development, join our rural public health volunteering in Ecuador. The project is based in the highland region and focuses on supporting the community’s understaffed health center. This center faces a constant shortage of personnel, limiting its ability to meet the healthcare needs of the local population, many of whom are from underserved communities with restricted access to medical services. By providing additional assistance, the project aims to enhance the center’s capacity to deliver essential healthcare, addressing the critical gaps in care and offering support to those who would otherwise have little or no access to these vital services.

As an intern you will also support outreach programmes such as home visits and community vaccinations, and help design and deliver public health workshops in the local school, such as nutrition and or reproductive health. 

Why choose this Rural Public Health Volunteering project?

• Help provide vital healthcare services to the local community.
• Assist with the devising and delivering of preventative health workshops. 
• Gain invaluable insight into the problems facing Ecuadorian healthcare and also understand how public health education initiatives are integrated.
• Support the local project team with the challenge facing them in helping to educate the youngest about important health issues.

Role of the Health Education Volunteer

Volunteers will work with the local project leader who is responsible for organizing and running the center and the public health awareness sessions that are delivered to the local school. Nearly 30% of the population lives in largely poorer and rural communities, where access to health care is very limited. As a volunteer on this project, not only will you gain invaluable insight into the problems facing impoverished communities you will also understand how public health education initiatives are planned and implemented.
If you have a specific area of study that you wish to focus, for example nutrition, please discuss this with a Kaya advisor. 

What skills do I need to be a Health Education Volunteer in Ecuador?

Participants with a health interest, premed students, nutrition or other related fields are the perfect match for this placement. If you are interested in studying medicine or nursing in the future and are passionate about community development you may also be considered for this placement. Volunteers must be resilient, enjoy working with people and be able to cope with situations that are outside of their comfort zone. You will be working in poor communities and the language barrier can be difficult at times. All volunteers must speak Spanish (level B1 Intermediate User of CEFR) to get the most out of this placement and to contribute effectively to the outreach programme. Those of you who need to improve your Spanish there is the possibility of adding on the Medical Spanish Course at the beginning of your placement in Quito.

You will be asked to send your CV/resume and attend a Skype interview before being accepted onto this placement.

REQUEST MORE INFO   RESERVE YOUR PLACE