2015
Trip Members: Matt Ogbeide, Ellecia Rainwater, Virginia Barak, Danika Peterson, Michelle Marieni, & Sarah Bridge
The Ecuador team will be headed to Guayaquil, Ecuador during the month of June. We will be travelling throughout different villages in Ecuador serving in medical clinics in rural communities that struggle to have or have never had access to healthcare. We will get the opportunity to serve with the Fundación Agustín Tomalá (see below) This Foundation supports children and women of Guayaquil, Ecuador and surrounding areas affected by HIV/AIDS helping to propel their vision of improving the quality of life for those affected by HIV/AIDS by simply providing them opportunities to be productive for themselves and their community. (see description below) We have a very exciting and humbling role. We will get the opportunity to help advance Fundación Agustín Tomalá’s ministry by serving in any way needed, helping to facilitate medical clinics, and loving on and connecting with people in hopes of demonstrating the love of Christ in a tangible way.
Trip Members (L): Julie Ma, Christine Kwon, Jasmine Jou, Mark Castera, Aaron Fried, & Mandi Marsh
(R): Michaela McCarthy, Karen Lehan, David Maas, Emily Lowry, Kevin Klee, & Hannah Van Galder
As we have finally narrowed in on the communities we will be serving during our time in Guatemala, our team is ecstatic to begin what will undoubtedly be a one-of-a-kind experience. The opportunity to cultivate new partnerships and revisit old ones can only add to the excitement we have for Project CURA, 2015.
Project CURA Guatemala is becoming increasingly more excited about all the fantastic and immersive opportunities that the communities we will be visiting in Guatemala are offering us. We are incredibly grateful to be working with these communities as they assist in our medical education and growth as individuals.
Trip Members (L): Mollie Walton, Ali Lai, Tommy Williams, Kathleen Salt, Nathan Dewey, Krista Shaw, & Kiki Field
(R): Danny Munley, Caitlin Billingham, Katie Dougherty, Priya Patel, Andrea Decino, Aleah Bond, & Leo Yamaguchi
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." -Ghandi
This simple, yet profound idea is the foundation upon which our team is building our mission abroad. As we continue to collaborate with each other, and with our brothers and sisters in India, our team's excitement for this journey continues to grow! The opportunities to absorb the culture and health care practices of a foreign land, as well as foster lasting relationships with our partners in India, will make for a truly profound adventure!
Trip Members: Megan Smith, Lee Weiner, Johnny Taylor, Turna Mukherjee, & Sean Typher
In Peru, students will be working with the locals in a small Andean town called Quillabamba, a few hours drive north of Cusco. During our time there we will lead health presentations, work in local clinics, and learn as much as we can from the people we hope to serve. At the end of our stay, we will shadow Peruvian medical students in Lima and gain insight into their healthcare system.
Trip Members: Biz Bell, Daniela Iliescu, Liz Null, Lauren Sevcik, Katie Barta, Katherine Karubus, & Colby Sharlin
Project CURA 2015 will hopefully fall into the steps of previous trips to Romania which allowed the members to rediscover how meaningful it is to touch other's lives, even for a few days. We are excited to serve in Romanian orphanages, run clinics for elderly, and assist teenagers with disabilities, in hopes to gain an appreciation for a different culture and to serve the people on both physical and emotional level.
Trip Members: Brian Dang, Margaret Tierney, Jasmine Scripp, Kiana Block, & Santi Karnam
This year, our Southeast Asia trip will be traveling to Cambodia and Thailand. We are incredibly excited to continue Project CURA's relationship with Solaid, a non-profit NGO that works in the Kampot region of Cambodia providing healthcare and educational aid to the rural population. Additionally, we will be heading to the Chiang Rai province in northern Thailand to work with Burmese migrant hill tribes. This incredibly isolated area has no access to healthcare apart from doctors that come visit their villages. Our group is looking forward to experiencing a completely different way of life and having the chance to put our newly learned medical knowledge to use. Let the adventure begin…
Trip Members: Amanda Krantz, Jake Traxler, Christina Murray, Charlie Bettag, Travis Merritt, Nathan Dewey, Sanjali Kumar, Mark Castera, & Jeannie Ngo
We will be traveling during spring break to the Pine Ridge Reservation in Southwest South Dakota. Throughout our week there, we will be working with children at the reservation schools, teaching them about basic concepts of healthy living. In addition, we will have the opportunity to witness social disparities and gain insight as to how they may be rectified in the future. Our goal is to promote healthy choices for better living, and to understand how we as future physicians can impact lives on a regional scale.
