Join AidJoy and Project Amazonas in the Amazon Rainforest!

Come! Join us aboard a medical expedition in the Amazon!

There will be two back to back medical expeditions:
May 15th – 21st
May 22nd – 28th

You’re welcome to join us for one week, or both!

There are not many openings for these trips. If you are interested please let me or Dr. Devon Graham know before the boat fills up.

Devon is Project Amazonas’s President & Scientific Director
devon@projectamazonas.org

Availability:
4 non-medical volunteers
2 doctors
2 nurses
1 dentist
1 midwife

BIG PICTURE:
The medical boat will launch from Iquitos Peru; the largest city in the world with no road access. We’ll be traveling through the Amazon jungle aboard the Nenita (Little Baby Girl), a 74-foot river boat constructed of local hardwoods. The Nenita is piloted by a seasoned crew who has been managing medical expeditions in the Amazon for the last sixteen years.

These expeditions have proven to be extremely positive experiences for everyone involved; medical staff, crew, volunteers, and patients alike. Every year Project Amazonas provides health care to some 8,000 rural villagers while giving volunteers the chance to appreciate an exciting culture in the world’s greatest jungle.

WHAT WE’LL SEE:
The Amazon always offers an extraordinary world of exotic wildlife including wooly monkeys, sloths, capybaras, pink dolphins and agoutis, to name a few. However, the real attraction is getting to meet the colorful people who have carved out lives in this remote corner of the world for many generations. On this expedition we will introduce you to the friendly families that live in the village of “flowers”, the village of “hope”, and one of our personal favorites- the “electric eel” village.

OUR WORK:
Isolation, poverty and a general lack of healthcare education or medical supplies available to these communities contribute to an overall poor level of health. Malaria, yellow fever, hepatitis, tuberculosis, bacterial infections, intestinal parasites and snake bites are commonly encountered and treated during medical expeditions. Additionally, Project Amazonas provides training for village health promoters and equips them with the necessary supplies to care for their communities in our absence.

PLAY TIME:
After everyone’s medical needs have been met some people play an impromptu game of soccer, others relax with a cold beer, and personally I love to go swimming with kids in the village.

After sunset we meet-up in the mess hall for dinner. Chef Danilo Amasifuen serves up the finest meals we’ve had anywhere in Peru. We’ll enjoy a meal of fresh fruit and fish provided by local fishermen who attended the day’s medical clinic.

Each evening we’ll lay in our screened-in quarters listening to the sounds of the jungle and wondering what adventures await us tomorrow.

COST:
The cost is $750 a week ($375 for medical students) and covers all expenses while aboard the Nenita. (A good chunk of this money goes to medical supplies and gasoline to get where we’re going– the rest goes to food and other operating expenses.)

NOTES:
A. Neither Spanish nor medical training are necessary though both are helpful.

B. Check out the Medical Civil Action Program (MEDCAP) manual for more info on the region: http://www.aidjoy.org/docs/medcap-manual.pdf

C. If you can’t make it to the Amazon with us not to worry– this is just the first of a series of emails we’ll be sending out over the next couple of months so keep an eye out and we’ll update you as everything unfolds.

AidJoy’s FaceBook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/AidJoy/439077415530?ref=ts

* Without the support of foreigntranslations.com and generous individual donors this work would not be possible.

Huge Hug,
Jonathan, Mike, and Jim