The opportunity to volunteer with CINTERANDES is an experience that I will always treasure. From the very beginning, the CINTERANDES staff was extremely helpful and accommodating, ensuring that my peers and I had the best learning experience possible.

My first experience with Cinterandes was during the summer of 2010, when I spent two months living at a homestay in Cuenca, improving my Spanish and gaining a wealth of clinical training and exposure. I joined the team on two mobile surgery trips: one to the coastal fishing town of Palmar and another to the small mountain farming town of San Jose de Minas.

When I came to Ecuador for a 4th year medical school rotation I didn't know what to expect or what to do when I got there. The staff of the foundation were incredibly helpful and became fast and close friends by the end of the experience.

My experience in Ecuador with Cinterandes was invaluable. The mobile surgical trip was an obvious highlight, and it was easy to see how much of an immediate impact Cinterandes was making in the lives of people who otherwise would have had to wait an unknown period of time before they could be considered for surgery.

My trip to Ecuador with the Cinterandes Foundation was a memorable experience. Going into the program, I expected to learn a lot about medicine and surgical procedures but the experience was much more emotive and influential than expected.