I plan to participate in the Guatemala Service Learning experience, a unique opportunity to provide direct patient care in rural communities near San Lucas Tolimán in Guatemala. Alongside medical students and faculty from the University of Wisconsin, I will help staff temporary clinics organized by the San Lucas Mission in collaboration with local health promoters. Each day will involve preparing supplies, traveling to clinic sites, treating patients, and teaching and working alongside medical students. I will also engage in evening educational sessions on global health, social determinants of health, and other relevant topics. As time allows, I hope to participate in community development projects such as stove building, reforestation, or coffee processing.
This grassroots approach has already led to major improvements since the beginning of the program, resulting in an 80% reduction in childhood deaths due to malnutrition. However, ongoing support is critical. Our project helps expand these efforts by offering temporary clinic services in partnership with health promoters, addressing acute needs while reinforcing sustainable, community-led care.
The primary beneficiaries of this project are the residents of the 16 rural communities that make up the municipality of San Lucas Tolimán in Sololá, Guatemala, as well as those living in the surrounding villages, 90–95% of whom are indigenous Highland Maya. Many of these rural populations lack regular access to medical services due to geographic isolation, limited resources, and shortages of trained healthcare providers. By offering temporary clinics staffed by supervised students and faculty, we aim to fill critical gaps in care while supporting long-term health promotion through collaboration with local health promoters. This population is especially deserving of focused attention because of their resilience in the face of systemic inequities and their openness to partnership. Working with them allows us to provide meaningful, sustainable support that respects local knowledge while addressing urgent health needs in a culturally sensitive and community-centered way.
The expected impact includes both improved access to care for patients and valuable cross-cultural clinical experience for myself and other participating students. Our presence helps alleviate immediate medical needs, strengthens local health capacity, and reinforces preventive care efforts led by the San Lucas Mission and its health promoters. Beyond this, the experience will profoundly influence how I view healthcare delivery by teaching resourcefulness, cultural humility, and the importance of sustainability in global health work. These lessons will carry forward into my future medical practice, deepening my commitment to underserved populations, whether at home or abroad. Understanding how community-based care can drive real change will help shape how I approach systemic health disparities and advocate for equity in all healthcare environments.
Volunteering in Guatemala was an incredibly rewarding experience, as I had the chance to collaborate with Friends of San Lucas and local community health workers to support health initiatives in rural areas around San Lucas Tolimán. Through this work, I gained valuable insight into Guatemala's healthcare infrastructure while also helping to strengthen local residents' ability to access and utilize available health services.
