Take the First Step

I have always considered volunteering because I know how beneficial this could be. Now, I know that the results are much more impactful than I thought. Medical organizations function and grow through the assistance of medical volunteers and basic support of medical organizations.

Source: http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2008/11/T1/1617394/BWAttachment1617394-13.jpg

According to an article entitled,”Medical Volunteer Programs Abroad: Top 9 Countries in Need” that was provided by a volunteer organization called "Go Overseas", Peru is the number one country in need of medical assistance. When people volunteer there, they usually provide medical assistance themselves by flying overseas to help these people. According to the same article, “volunteers can work in villages and clinics to help provide care, such as basic check-ups for low-income Peruvian families while also learning about village life and the Peruvian culture.” Volunteering in Peru not only benefits the people who need help, but it also greatly benefits the people providing this help. For example, in addition to medical experience in the field, volunteers are also immersed into different cultures of the people that they assist. This may be caused by speaking the language of the country that they are working in or even simply eating the food of that region.

I would definitely consider volunteering in the future because I now understand that I can greatly benefit from these experiences. I think that learning about new cultures is especially beneficial because it is important to know and understand other people in order to help them.  This knowledge can also help volunteers in the future. In addition, it is also interesting to learn about a different way of life and explore new things.

People generally volunteer through different organizations. One of the most principal health organizations is Project HOPE. It all began when William B. Walsh, a former medical officer aboard a ship during World War II, felt that the people living in the South Pacific needed help because of the poor medical conditions there. It was because of this that he turned the U.S. Consolation ship into the S.S. HOPE, which would serve as a naval ship providing medical assistance to those in need. This was the beginning of an organization that would soon help people everywhere. According to Project HOPE’s official website entitled "History", “Today, the spirit of the SS HOPE lives on through Project HOPE’s partnership with the U.S. Navy which sends medical volunteers around the globe to provide health care and health education.” Not only has Project HOPE provided medical assistance, but it has managed to grow and expand into something larger and more beneficial with the support of more people.

It is important to note the impacts that organizations such as Project HOPE have caused. Millions of people today are provided with medical care that they may not have been able to receive or afford before these organizations were established. All it takes for these organizations to be established is support from others who can provide it. In my opinion, I do not understand why people wouldn’t at least try to find a way to support these organizations in the first place. If all it takes to potentially save lives is to donate to an organization or volunteer, then why not try? If anything, volunteering and supporting medical organizations are both essential for these organizations to survive and prosper.

FUTURE RESEARCH: For my next blog post, I will focus on a specific medical issue or outbreak and focus on how American organizations responded and provided care.