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Service Opportunities
Phi Chi is proud to have an affiliation with Foundation for the International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC). Members of Phi Chi can set up one or more weeks of service with one of the FIMRC projects occurring in El Salvador, Haiti, India, Uganda, and Costa Rica. The costs are tax deductable but are afforded by the members themselves. For more information visit the FIMRC website. For coordination of volunteer opportunities please contact the and we will be more than happy to help.
| For our Costa Rica site, the program donation is $699 per week, with a homestay fee (including meals) of $25 per day paid directly to the homestay family. Transportation costs range from $6-10 per day and are paid directly to the driver in Costa Rica. Transportation to and from the airport is included. | For our El Salvador and Nicaragua sites, the program donation is $525 per week. An accommodation fee of $400 per week includes lodging in a hotel, meals, transportation to and from the airport, and local transportation between the hotel and clinic site. |
| For our Peru site, the program donation is $525 per week. An accommodation fee of $400 per week includes lodging in a homestay, meals, transportation to and from the airport, and local transportation between the hotel and clinic site. | For our Uganda site, the program donation is $500 for a volunteer mission of up to two weeks. Lodging in the on-site guesthouse is $20 per day and includes meals. Transportation to and from the airport totals $250. |
Service Stories
A
group of medical students at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine
traveled to Huancayo, Peru during the summer between our first and second years
to participate in a weeklong mission trip in conjunction with the Foundation for
the International Medical Relief of Children.
Before our actual workweek began, we were allowed to visit the historic Machu
Picchu. While in Huancayo, we stayed with a local host family who provided us
with three daily meals. Each day, we would visit a local hospital that treats
patients without health insurance. While we worked in various departments, we
spent the most time in pediatrics. One of the most surprising things was the
staggering difference in the health care available to patients, compared to the
US.
In the afternoons, we participated in various activities that included visiting an orphanage and providing supplies and vitamins to them, as well as playing sports and teaching them English. While we spent most of our time in the urban area, we also visited an extremely rural community with very limited access to health care. We conducted a skit for the community’s children about the importance of oral hygiene, and distributed toothbrushes, toothpaste, fluoride rinse, and toys.
If possible, we strongly recommend going on a trip with FIMRC. While it is
helpful to know and speak the basics of the language spoken in the country, it
is not essential, as three of our members weren’t fluent in Spanish. There are
other FIMRC locations in Peru, as well as in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador,
Uganda, and India. The FIMRC offers a month-long Summer International Health
Fellowship Program in Huancayo, as well. For more details, visit FIMRC.org.