Currently Recruiting for Primary, Preventative and Dental Care Participants
Overview
MMI’s work began in Peru in 1999 when Director of Field Operations Brian Piecuch moved to Arequipa in the south of the country with his family. The first project was held the next year. The work expanded quickly and now over 250 volunteers annually travel to the country. Tania Catacora has been MMI’s national director for Peru since 2010 and she continues to develop new projects and disciple local and international leadership.
New young leaders are being developed with the help of an innovative scholarship program. An ophthalmic technician from Peru has been trained at another MMI Health Center and now works for MMI in Lima, Peru. Annual courses in Physical Therapy have been offered to local PT’s for the past 5 years. With the arrival of Jodee Fortner, a PT from Pennsylvania, MMI’s fledgling permanent center in Arequipa is now providing both optometry services and physical therapy care.
MMI’s vision for Peru is to further develop it’s one and two week program, especially in Lima and the north of the country. Additionally, we would like to further develop our permanent center by finding/building a larger facility and train one or two Peruvian doctors in Ophthalmology. An alliance with universities in the USA and Peru is being explored as well for the launching of a certificate program in advanced physical therapy studies for Peruvian Physical Therapists.
Project Location:
Lima is the capital of Peru and one of the most important cities in South America. This Project will serve the poor in the south part of Lima. Shantytowns surrounding Lima now contain half the city’s estimated population of nearly 10 million. After decades of hard work, some have turned into pleasant districts. Many others remain desperately poor, lacking electricity, running water or paved streets. In these communities, health care is not universally available and is often substandard. Many Peruvians living in “pueblos jovenes” are forced to resort to folk treatments provided by traditional healers rather than seeking proper medical treatment.
Population:
10,000,000 (approx.) Made up Mestizos of mixed Amerindian and European ancestry, European Peruvians, Chinese, Japanese.
Climate:
desert terrain; warm and humid due to the close proximity to the Pacific Ocean; the average low temperature in January is 18° C (64° F) and the average high temperature is 28° C (82° F)
Language:
Spanish; Quechua dialects
Airport:
Lima International
Visas:
none required
Immunizations:
none required to enter Peru. Please check with a travel medicine physician/clinic, local health department, or Center for Disease Control (CDC) for other recommendations.
Accommodations:
very basic hotel
Clinic:
the team will work in partnership with the local municipality to set up mobile medical and dental clinics in the communities of south Lima.
