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The Festival of the Sun: What FIMRC Volunteers Experience During Inti Raymi blog community stories ecuador fimrc global health volunteer program peru professional development public health summer international health fellowship travel volunteer experience Jun 26, 2026

Every June 24, something extraordinary happens across the Andes.

Everything begins very early, when the entourage of the Inca and the Qoya set out in procession. In the gardens of Qoricancha, a ceremony greeting the sun is held with the music of quenas and drums, the most spiritual moment, with the...

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Why Blood Donation Matters, A Global Health Perspective blog costa rica ecuador fimrc fimrc programs ghvp global health volunteer program medical professional medical student peru public health summer international health fellowship travel uganda volunteer Jun 12, 2026

A woman delivers her baby in a rural health post in Bududa. There are complications. She is hemorrhaging. The nearest blood bank is hours away, and even if a vehicle were available right now, the roads make the journey uncertain.

This is not a hypothetical. It is a scenario that plays out across lo...

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World Hypertension Day: The Silent Killer FIMRC Volunteers Face Daily blog community stories costa rica ecuador fimrc ghvp global health volunteer program medical professional medical student peru professional development public health sihf summer international health fellowship travel uganda volunteer volunteer experience May 22, 2026

A woman in Bududa has had headaches for months. She assumes it is exhaustion, she wakes before sunrise, tends to her crops, cooks, cleans, and cares for four children. She has never had her blood pressure checked.

In Huancayo, a man in his forties has not seen a doctor in years. The nearest clinic ...

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What Global Health Volunteers Learn From the World’s Nurses blog costa rica ecuador fimrc fimrc programs ghvp global health volunteer program maternal & child health medical professional medical student nursing peru primary care professional development public health summer international health fellowship travel travel nursing uganda volunteer volunteer experience May 15, 2026

712 women die every day from preventable pregnancy-related causes. Most of them never saw a doctor. Many of them saw a nurse — or saw no one at all.

In most health systems, nurses are the first point of contact — the ones who assess, triage, educate, comfort, and follow up. In low-resource communit...

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World Health Day 2026: Health Is Not Equal Everywhere blog costa rica ecuador fimrc fimrc programs ghvp high school student medical professional medical student peru professional development sihf summer international health fellowship travel uganda world health day Apr 03, 2026

Every April 7, the World Health Organization marks World Health Day, a global reminder that health is not a privilege, but a fundamental human right.

This year’s theme, “Together for Health. Stand with Science”, calls on governments, organizations, and individuals to recommit to a shared goal: univ...

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Holy Week Abroad: Experiencing Semana Santa as a FIMRC Volunteer blog community stories costa rica ecuador fimrc fimrc programs ghvp global health global health volunteer program medical professional medical student peru professional development summer international health fellowship volunteer volunteer experience Mar 27, 2026

Global health volunteering is rarely just about the time in the clinic.

It is about showing up, fully, in a community– learning its rhythms, its traditions, and the way people come together. Some of the most meaningful moments happen outside of structured programming.

Holy Week—or Semana Santa—is ...

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Eid al-Fitr and Global Health Volunteering: Carry Your Values Into the Field with FIMRC blog careers in global health costa rica ecuador fimrc global health volunteer program maternal & child health medical student peru professional development summer international health fellowship travel uganda volunteer volunteer experience Mar 20, 2026

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, a month defined by patience, self-discipline, and deep reflection on the lives of those who go without. These are also the foundation of meaningful global health work.

As Muslims around the world celebrate the close of Ramadan, many ask the question: how do we ...

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World Water Day: What Global Health Fellows Learn in Peru and Uganda blog community stories fimrc global health global health volunteer program medical professional medical student peru primary care project bududa project huancayo sihf summer international health fellowship uganda volunteer Mar 20, 2026

Every March 22, the world observes World Water Day, a United Nations initiative to raise awareness about the global water crisis and accelerate action toward universal access to safe water and sanitation.

While often framed as an environmental issue, access to clean water is fundamentally a public ...

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From Classroom to Clinic: How SIFH in Uganda Transformed a Healthcare Student blog careers in global health clinical observations community stories fimrc fimrc programs global health volunteer program medical professional medical rotation program medical student peru professional development public health sihf summer international health fellowship travel uganda volunteer experience Feb 13, 2026

Understanding global health takes more than lectures and textbooks. It requires immersion, humility, and real-world experience.

For Tea Sweeney, a Global Public Health and Africana Studies student at Binghamton University, the Summer International Health Fellowship (SIFH) in Bududa, Uganda became t...

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Fighting Childhood Anemia in Peru: How Medical Volunteers Transform Lives in Huancayo blog community stories fimrc fimrc partnerships fimrc programs global health volunteer program maternal & child health medical student peru professional development project huancayo public health summer international health fellowship travel volunteer Jan 23, 2026

Nestled high in the Peruvian Andes, Huancayo faces a silent health crisis affecting its youngest residents. Nearly half of all children under five in the Junín region struggle with anemia—a preventable condition that threatens their development, education, and future.

But there's hope. Global healt...

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