HLD 4 life

I’m so glad to have come across this program and these past 21 days have been an amazing experience of a lifetime for me. I really did get to experience all three components of helping, learning and discovering. My group spent a week in Jama volunteering for a local community that was affected by the earthquake in April. We were able to interact closely with them as we worked along side by side from morning to evening, as well as play soccer and other games. Even though there was an obvious language barrier, we were still able to connect and understand each other. This week in Jama gave me an opportunity to look at things from a different perspective, and taught me how to appreciate everything in life. We were also taken on a tour around Ecuador - from the markets of Otavalo to an incredible 6 hour hike in the Amazon rainforest and even camping in the bottom of a volcano crater! I got to see and do things that I never imagined were even possible, and it was an amazing experience. For all you students interested in medicine or science, this program offers pre-medicine, pre-dental, bio-medicine and physio programs where you get a chance to experience what those professions are like and do on a daily basis as you shadow doctors and surgeons. I did the pre-med program and got to shadow many surgeons’ surgeries, participate in patient rounds with doctors in the ER, learn how to draw blood from patients and stitch wounds, visit the radiology department and learn how to read scans, and so much more. If you are interested in medicine I recommend this program as it gives you an introductory to working in hospitals!! I really do recommend this program to everyone and anyone - even if you’re not interested in med school, they also do offer volunteer programs, ranging from 17 days all the way to 31 days with extra travel weeks to Machu Picchu and Galapagos! During my visit, HLD has consistently put our best interest and safety first, and I can assure you that if you do decide to travel and volunteer with HLD, you will have the most amazing, incredible experience of your life.