Remote Volunteer Opportunities for Students, and What FIMRC Offers Now

Originally published March 2021. Updated November 2026.

FIMRC no longer offers virtual volunteer programs. If you came here looking for a way to volunteer in global health from home, the remote option today is FIMRC's self-paced Virtual Courses. If you're ready to travel, FIMRC's in-person programs are open to students with no clinical experience.

If you're a student looking for volunteer opportunities in global health, you probably want more than a line on your resume. You want to see how healthcare actually works in communities with limited resources, learn from the people delivering it, and find out if this is the path for you.

FIMRC offers two in-person programs built for exactly that. The Global Health Volunteer Program (GHVP) runs one to two weeks, year-round, in Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Uganda. The Summer International Health Fellowship (SIHF) is a four-week summer program in Peru and Uganda. Neither requires prior clinical experience.

Here's how each one works, and how to choose.

Can You Still Volunteer Remotely With FIMRC?

Not as a volunteer placement. FIMRC offered Virtual Volunteer Programs starting in March 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic made travel impossible for most students. Those programs have since ended, and FIMRC now focuses on in-person work alongside local health teams.

If you're not able to travel yet, FIMRC's Virtual Courses offer self-paced global health learning built around real health issues from FIMRC's project sites. They're a good way to build your understanding before you go. 

If you're ready for hands-on experience, that happens in person: meeting patients, working beside local providers, and seeing the realities of community health for yourself.

Global Health Volunteer Program for Students

The Global Health Volunteer Program is FIMRC's most flexible option. Trips run one to two weeks and are open all year, so you can fit one into a winter break, spring break, or summer. You can go on your own, join a short-term internship, or travel with a student-led group from your university.

Volunteers work under the guidance of local healthcare professionals, in roles matched to their skill level. Each site has its own focus:

• Peru: Hospital and operating room shadowing in Huancayo, a suturing class, health campaigns, and children's health and nutrition workshops.
• Ecuador: Home visits and community health campaigns in Anconcito, a fishing town on the Pacific coast, plus child nutrition and anemia screening and school health education.
• Costa Rica: Clinical observation and vital signs at FIMRC's clinic in Alajuelita, women's health services, a mobile clinic, and the weekly Mujeres Valientes support group.
• Uganda: Work in Bududa, a remote district on the slopes of Mount Elgon, centered on FIMRC's health center, which offers outpatient care, a maternity ward, immunizations, malaria treatment, and HIV testing and counseling, along with the Community Health Educator program and an HIV support group.

The program includes homestay housing with local host families, three meals a day, local transportation, travel insurance, on-site mentorship, cultural immersion activities, and a program donation that supports local health initiatives. International flights and optional excursions aren't included.

Summer International Health Fellowship for Pre-Health Students

If you have more time and want a deeper, more structured experience, the Summer International Health Fellowship (SIHF) runs for four weeks during the summer, with two sessions each year. It takes place in Huancayo, Peru, and in Bududa, Uganda, on the slopes of Mount Elgon.

The fellowship is built around a weekly curriculum. Each week focuses on a different global health theme: nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), infectious disease, and maternal and child health. Fellows combine clinical shadowing, public health education, and guided health projects, with mentorship from local professionals throughout.

The SIHF is designed for pre-med, nursing, and public health students, as well as early-career healthcare professionals. Fellows live with host families, which turns cultural immersion into part of the learning rather than something that happens on the side.

GHVP vs SIHF at a Glance

Both programs give you real clinical and public health exposure, mentorship from local healthcare professionals, and time living inside a community rather than just visiting it.

How to Choose the Right Volunteer Opportunity

Start with your calendar. If you have a week or two during a school break, the GHVP fits. If you can commit a full month in the summer and want a guided curriculum, the SIHF is built for that.

Then think about what you want to learn. Want to see surgery up close? Peru gives every volunteer access to the operating room. Drawn to community outreach and nutrition? Ecuador's work happens almost entirely in neighborhoods and homes. Curious about how a community clinic runs, or about women's health and mental health? Costa Rica is a strong match.

Whatever you choose, you'll come home with something a remote experience can't give you: the memory of real patients, real communities, and the local health workers who showed you how this work gets done.

Explore FIMRC's Global Health Volunteer Program to find your site and dates.

Frequently Asked Questions About Volunteer Opportunities for Students

Does FIMRC still offer virtual volunteer programs?

No. FIMRC offered Virtual Volunteer Programs starting in March 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, but those programs have ended. FIMRC now offers self-paced Virtual Courses and focuses on in-person programs where students work alongside local health teams in Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Uganda.

What volunteer opportunities does FIMRC offer for students?

FIMRC offers two in-person programs. The Global Health Volunteer Program runs one to two weeks, year-round, in Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Uganda. The Summer International Health Fellowship is a four-week summer program in Peru and Uganda with a weekly global health curriculum.

Do I need medical experience to volunteer abroad as a student?

No. Neither the Global Health Volunteer Program nor the Summer International Health Fellowship requires prior clinical experience. Students work under the guidance of local healthcare professionals in roles matched to their skill level.

Can pre-med students shadow doctors abroad with FIMRC?

Yes. In Peru, every Global Health Volunteer Program participant has access to hospital and operating room shadowing. In Costa Rica, volunteers observe clinical care at FIMRC's clinic in Alajuelita. Summer International Health Fellowship fellows also take part in clinical shadowing as part of the curriculum.

How long are FIMRC's volunteer programs?

The Global Health Volunteer Program lasts one to two weeks and is open year-round, so it fits into winter, spring, or summer breaks. The Summer International Health Fellowship lasts four weeks and runs only in the summer.

What's included in a FIMRC volunteer program?

The Global Health Volunteer Program includes homestay housing with local host families, three meals a day, local transportation, travel insurance, on-site mentorship, cultural immersion activities, and a program donation that supports local health initiatives. International flights and optional excursions are not included.

How much does it cost to volunteer with FIMRC?

The Global Health Volunteer Program starts from $1,499, and the Summer International Health Fellowship starts from $3,499. Final cost depends on the site and the length of your program. International flights and optional excursions are not included.