Story
This summer, I have the opportunity to travel to Panama and volunteer with the amazing charity Floating Doctors.
Floating Doctors is based in Bocas del Toro, a rural archipelago off the east coast of Panama, and provides healthcare and health promotion to remote communities who would otherwise have no access to medical treatment.
They run regular health clinics, support a local government nursing home, visit remote villages and stay there for up to a week at a time, run health education programmes about hand washing, dental hygiene, disease prevention and contraception and also provide emergency medical care and extraction to mainland hospitals if it is required.
I will be there for 6 weeks after my finals exams, fully immersed in the programme with my role being really hands on and varying from basic health checks, taking medical histories and running health education sessions.
The charity survives on donations, and as such anyone who volunteers with them is required to pay a fee. For my 6 week stay this totals £3280 to cover the cost of my boarding at base and the resources necessary to provide exemplary healthcare in this remote setting.
I have managed to save up over the past couple of years by working over the summer with Joules, however any donations to help me reach my target would be greatly appreciated and going towards a great cause. I am funding my travel, insurance and vaccinations with the support of my wonderful family, so anything raised will be going straight to Floating Doctors Inc and more information about their wonderful work can be found on their website below or their 2018 Annual Report.
