Short-term Health Programs

Our Mission: Extraordinary International Volunteer Programs

International volunteer programs offer an experience of a lifetime. Choose a program wisely, and you’ll change the world – yours and global society. Join us! We’re an internationally recognized and respected non-profit leader. Since 1984 we’ve provided:

Genuine human and economic development
Short-term assignments on long-term projects
Sustained community-based partnerships

You’ll help deliver essential services uniquely and personally. With your teammates, you’ll contribute to the physical health and intellectual development of the world’s future leaders – its youth.

Can one or two weeks truly make a difference? Yes! We know that when properly managed, international service projects offer an infinitely renewable resource of expertise, energy and compassion. We’ve seen the cumulative benefits international volunteers over more than three decades – helping children reach their full potential.

We listen to local people’s needs, dreams and plans. Then, we mobilize volunteers to work hand-in-hand with them on their community’s vision to serve youth and families. You’re part of that vision.

Our International Volunteer Program Partners: U.N. and UNICEF

Global Volunteers was granted Special Consultative Status with the United Nations in 1999, and formalized a relationship with UNICEF in 2008. Through high-level associations, our international volunteer service work protects children’s security and welfare as we address hunger, poverty and educational needs around the world.

For instance, we’ve taught English to entire villages, built schools and water systems where there were none, cared for children who had nowhere else to turn, supplied pregnant women and new mothers with household gardens and professional assistance, and so much more. Most important, we’ve proven that these people-to-people initiatives are successful where simply writing a check too often fails.

Measurable, positive outcomes in international volunteer service is our agenda. International volunteer service teams provide the resources enabling us to succeed. Engaging more than 33,000 international volunteers in more than 200 communities in 34 countries on six continents since 1984, we’re recognized by USA Today as the “granddaddy of the volunteer vacation movement.” Our international volunteer service expertise is our legacy – and your resource.

Health Care

Health care projects require professionals from all disciplines. We need your unique skills at our eight-bed health clinic in Ipalamwa, Tanzania. The facility focuses on maternal and child health care, and offers services to nearly 20,000 local residents, The vast majority of patients are children. A number of health care projects are operating year-round. Physicians and nurse practitioners are needed to diagnose, treat and prescribe. Health care projects by specialty include: Assisting at “well-baby” clinics; Administering health screenings and checkups; Demonstrations on basic health and wellness practices; Education on disease prevention, and more. Every health professional abroad makes a genuine and lasting difference on health care projects in the clinic and throughout the community.

For more information on Global Volunteers, please visit their website.

Student Journals

Ghana-Global Volunteers-2001

Ecuador-Global Volunteers-2008

What are Brigades?

Groups of passionate volunteers who mobilize toward positive social change.

Global Brigades coordinates skill-based 1-3 week brigades to Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Ghana. Each of these programs meet an aspect of our holistic model to strengthen the health and economic development of communities. Volunteers can join a brigade through a Global Brigades chapter on their university campus, start their own chapter, or participate as a small group.

A Holistic View

Global Brigades uniquely implements a holistic model to meet a community’s health and economic goals. Our model systematically builds community ownership and collaboratively executes programs with the end goal of sustainably evolving to a relationship of monitoring and guidance. Through our unique model, we are able to develop a system to provide sustainable healthcare to our community partners.

Mobile Clinics
Mobile medical clinics and preventative health workshops are implemented within partner communities through the utilization of student and health professional volunteers participating in 7-9 day volunteer trips called “Medical Brigades.”

Patient Referrals
Patients with severe diagnoses during medical brigades are referred to local health clinics and hospitals for more advanced treatments. In appropriate cases, Global Brigades provides financial assistance for treatments.

Community Health Workers
Volunteers living in the community are trained by our staff to become Community Health Workers (CHWs). CHWs provide basic medical care, monitor chronic conditions, and serve as point persons for urgent care cases year-round.

Regular Doctor Access
Supported by hired local doctors and Global Brigades alumni doctors, the program will provide access to consultations on a quarterly basis.

For more information on Global Brigades, please visit their website.

Please note that Global Brigades and Global Jefferson do not meet the Foerderer Award criteria.

*All information are from programs' respective website.