EcuaExperience: Pre-Medical and Volunteer Programs

This experience absolutely changed my life for the better.This program made me grow and allowed me to enjoy and be thankful for the little and the large things in my life, it made me want to spend more quality time with my family. This is only referring to the volunteer portion. Volunteering with HLD is something you can not experience any where else. You get the opportunity to make friendships with the families you are helping.The medical portion truly helped me decide where I want to take my life and how I want it to be shaped. The things I saw, such as looking through the microscope during an eye surgery, and do still make me smile with joy every time I am able to tell someone new. Finally, the Ecuador tour was incredible, I truly feel like I saw a a great portion of what Ecuador has to offer. My favorite experience was tubing down the amazing river and staying in the middle of the amazon jungle. The next morning we all woke up and went on a hike where I got to see all different kinds of bugs and swing from tree vines. If you get the chance, definitely take the extra week in Galapagos, it is a habitat you will never be able to experience any where else. HLD sure takes care of you there and makes sure you get the most out of the Islands through snorkeling, volcano hiking, and more. As a result from what I have learned, experienced, and saw on the trip my only hope is that other people can do what I did.

I have always wanted to travel and explore other places in the world. I never thought I would get the chance to do that especially with such a great group of people. What was even better was being able to see the impact HLD makes and meeting the individuals whose lives we help change for the better. I also really enjoyed the adventurous detours, activities and beautiful landscapes such as the view from the "swing at the end of the world", the horse riding at Cotopaxi, exploring Moussaoui and going on a tour of Quito. Looking back at my experience with help learn discover I know I chose the right program and I would do it all again.

From the second I got of the plane I knew I had found a new home. I was welcomed warmly by Juan and one of the tutors and brought to 593 hostel where I made immediate friends. The following week in medical rotations I learned so much about current medical practice and techniques and how to talk to patients. It was educational an educational and fun environment where I saw so many different aspects of the medical field and even participated in patient examinations.
The following weeks volunteering was just as amazing! Seeing the happiness of the children every day and how hard the families worked was truly inspiring. The community greeted us with open arms and shared so much with us. We truly felt like part of the community and leaving was the hardest part of the trip.
Traveling was done mostly on weekends and brought us around all of Ecuador. From the Amazon Jungle, to Canoa beach, to Mindo rainforest and of course Quito, there was no path too far away for us.
Leaving Ecuador at the end of my five weeks was like leaving home. I have no doubt I will be returning one day!

HLD provided me with an incredible experience. José and Juan, along with the leaders went out of their way to make every single one of the 28 days we spent in Ecuador amazing. Even though the medical rotations stood out to me in particular, volunteering and exploring Ecuador did not fall short. Working on the houses in Pujilí and getting to give them to the 20 families was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. While exploring Ecuador we went from swinging at the "End of the World" to waterfall repelling in the jungle to surfing at beach. Every single aspect of the program exceeded my expectations. Food was great and so were accommodations. This will be a trip I will never forget.

Whenever people ask me about how my trip to Ecuador with HLD went, I always find it hard to come up with words to fully describe the experience.This is because one word cannot do justice to the brilliant work that is put together by the company, Help, Learn & Discover, to make sure that your 28 days in Ecuador are incredible.

From being able to witness a hip replacement surgery, to riding horses next to an active volcano, tubing down the Amazon River, and being able to spend time in the diverse Galapagos Islands, this experience truly is amazing.

You are also given the opportunity to change the lives of 20 beautiful families by building and providing them with new homes and being able to see the impact that we had on the children and their parents are memories that I will forever cherish and never forget.

I want to thank Juan and Jose and the entire staff associated with HLD for the fantastic experience.

HLD is a life changing, eye opening, once in a lifetime opportunity! I have done this trip for two years now and both times my experiences were amazing! The great work this program does for the people and villages in Ecuador is so amazing, as they give the families a chance for much better lives with access to much more necessities. The learning portion of the program is a great experience as well difficult to find anywhere else, as students are able to go through medical rotations and view the scenarios the doctors go through each day from things such as childbirths to surgeries. The discover portion of the trip as we travel through Ecuador is a ton of fun and great experiences from doing things like waterfall repelling to surfing the beaches of Canoa! There are so many great activities I never thought I would get the chance to do and am very grateful that HLD was able to help me cross these certain things off my bucket list! I highly recommend this trip to all people and can guarantee they will all have an amazing time!

This trip was amazing. It exceeded my expectations and I would recommended it to everyone. I learned so much about the medical field, as well about myself during medical rotations. In the help portion of the trip, we had the opportunity to work along such deserving families and hang out with the sweetest children. And I will never forget giving the houses away, it was such an incredible feeling. Ecuador is a beautiful country and this trip does an great job of exploring and showcasing it. But if you have the chance, go to the Galapagos, it is a trip of a life time. This trip is worth the cost, you get to meet and build great friendships with students all over Canada and the States. Best trip of my life!

I spent a month in Ecuador over the summer this year with HLD and it was the best decision that I had ever made. Everyone that made HLD possible were the most caring, kindest, and lovable individuals that I've ever met. If there was a problem or something that you weren't satisfied with, they made an effort to fix whatever that was wrong. Moreover regarding the trip itself, instead of volunteering for the entire month, along the way we stopped at all the major tourist attractions in Ecuador. It was all carefully planned out. If something unexpected were to happen, there would always be a backup plan. Even if it meant stopping at a different city that was not on the itinerary due to unforeseen circumstances, the hotels/hostels were always safe and the best the town had to offer.

At the end of the trip, I had a tough time saying goodbye to the country and everyone that I met there. I definitely recommend going with HLD especially if it your first time travelling alone. The trip help me grow as a human being, and i wouldn't hesitate to go back next summer.