Photo By Maj. Shamika Hill | Student volunteer Mario Contreras, an education major at the Catholic University of El...... read more read more
EL COCO, El Salvador – Students from the Catholic University of El Salvador are volunteering their personal time to assist with translation and learn new medical terms during the Medical Readiness Training Exercise portion of this year’s Beyond the Horizon.
BTH is a humanitarian and civic assistance exercise in partnership with the government of El Salvador that lasts from March to June meant to provide construction and medical assistance to the people of El Salvador.
The student volunteers, who are currently studying medicine and education, enjoy the opportunity to not only train with medics of El Salvador, United States, Brazil and Canada, but to practice their English skills and to help others.
“It’s a way to learn new things about medicine and other languages,” said Leonardo Valenzuela, a native of El Salvador and a medical student at the Catholic University of El Salvador.
“It’s an opportunity to help people that really need help,” said Liliana Mendoza, a native of El Salvador and an education major at the Catholic University of El Salvador.
The students get up early each morning to travel two hours one-way in order to be at the MEDRETE site by 8 a.m. to translate. Once they are done for the day, they travel two hours home in order to attend classes.
“This is something to be proud of,” said Valenzuela. “To say that you helped other people and that you work with the Americans.”
“They [volunteers] are a very big help,” said Army Capt. Harjund Sidhu from Los Angeles, California and a dentist with the 185th Dental Company based in Garden Grove, California.
The volunteers sit in-between the provider and the patient to ensure they understand each other’s needs.
“It’s a great way to help people that really need help,” said Dayana Interiano, a native of El Salvador and an education major at the Catholic University of El Salvador.
The MEDRETE site sees over 400 patients daily and has been smooth with the help of the volunteers, providing medical, dental and optometry care to Salvadorans.
“They [Salvadorans] tell you they have tons of illnesses but you still care about them and help them,” said Karla Alvarez, a native of El Salvador and a medical student at the Catholic University of “That is something you should be proud of.”
| Date Taken: | 04.17.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.22.2015 17:47 |
| Story ID: | 160879 |
| Location: | EL COCO, SV |
| Hometown: | GARDEN GROVE, CA, US |
| Hometown: | LOS ANGELES, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 219 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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