Please note this program is an unpaid global health education program. There is a program fee required to participate. This program fee pays for on-site services such a lodging, language classes (if relevant), 24/7 emergency support, coordination of rotations and/or placements, and on-site staff. CFHI is a nonprofit organization committed to fair-trade partnerships around the world. Please use the following code when applying for a program on the CFHI website “HandshakeCFHI” in order to have the application fee waived.
Visit Tarija, a tranquil city in southern Bolivia of about 200,000 people. This picturesque region is known as the “Bolivian Andalucia” for its vineyards and Spanish cultural influence. Tarija offers universal health insurance, which can create high demand for services and strains on the system due to lack of personnel and equipment. Understand cultural and socioeconomic barriers patients face in accessing healthcare services and witness treatments for pathologies not commonly seen in North America, including parasitosis, tuberculosis, and Chagas.
Join health professionals and become immersed in Tarija’s healthcare system, including community clinics, secondary and tertiary level hospitals, and a leading clinic for the treatment of Chagas Disease. Chagas, the “new AIDS of the Americas,” currently infects 1.8 million people in Bolivia alone, primarily in rural areas. Take part in patient consultations, laboratory analysis, and prevention efforts in surrounding communities, while learning from local experts about the latest developments in Chagas research. In addition to clinical rotations, participants can choose to volunteer at a local children’s shelter providing vocational training and social services for underserved youth.
Become immersed in Bolivian culture and language through conversational and medical Spanish classes while living with a local family in Tarija. CFHI participants may also organize weekend trips to nearby destinations including wineries and waterfalls in Coimata.
