Global Brigades is an international non-profit that empowers communities to meet their health and economic goals through university volunteers and local teams.

The world’s largest student-led movement for global health

University students make a lasting impact

University students partaking in Global Medical Brigades volunteer programsPre-med student volunteers work with on-site community health workers to empower community members with sustainable public health clinics.

We offer students at universities across the US, UK, and Canada the chance to participate in our sustainable development efforts. As students prepare for health professions careers, they’ll work with in-country staff to help our partner communities reach their health and economic goals.

Chapter Presidents also get unique opportunities to develop leadership and other skills vital for a future medical career. Students who volunteer as Chapter Presidents will spearhead initiatives on their campuses from fundraising to organizing regular meetings.

Find out if your school has an existing chapter on our University Map.

University MapBecome A Chapter Leader

Medical Brigades Map

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Global Medical Brigades Chapters

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Global Brigades Volunteers Since 2004

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Patient Consultations

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Empowered Communities

A distinguished leadership opportunity for aspiring medical professionals

Dr. Duffy Casey

Get Involved

Abroad

Participate in 7-9 day Medical Brigades to Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, Ghana, and Greece. Volunteers support licensed health care providers in rural mobile clinics.

Learn about Medical Brigades

Virtual

Join the largest student-led movement for global health as a Medical TeleBrigades volunteer by bringing healthcare to rural communities in Honduras.

Learn about Medical TeleBrigades

A division of a 3-part holistic model

We’re one part of a holistic model to support empowered communities to permanently rise out of poverty.

The holistic model of Global Medical Brigades

Our aim is to provide regular access to affordable healthcare services and medication and daily access to trained Community Health Workers in underserved communities.

These principles drive us:

  • We support only sustainable systems. Everything we do is thoughtfully designed to empower the communities we partner with. Unlike many “mission-oriented” organizations, the short-term trips we help students to organize are all structured as part of a model created for sustainability and community ownership.
  • We are transparent. Our impact and financial performance is highlighted every year in our annual reports. Support of Global Medical Brigades does not just go toward the one-week brigades, but primarily toward hiring local doctors and professionals who provide year-round access to health care.
  • We don’t perpetuate harmful practices. Each person involved with our international efforts is educated about the harms of white saviorism, international “missions,” and voluntourism. We partner with communities to help them overcome economic disparities that impact their quality of life, but we are not their saviors. Our medical clinics and Brigades provide impartial humanitarian assistance.
  • We’re changing our language. As a leading international volunteering organization, we seek to use only language that empowers and educates. Global Medical Brigades is intentional about the words we use to support our model of empowerment.

Learn More About Our Model

In addition to sustainable healthcare, programs sponsored by Global Brigades seek to support underserved communities by developing WASH infrastructure and economic development efforts.

Our mission is to inspire, mobilize, and collaborate with communities to achieve their own health and economic goals.

Global Brigades’ Holistic Model and Empowered 300 initiative are aligned with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals.

Volunteers are a critical engine behind GB’s holistic model, which goes beyond access to healthcare to address the root causes of a cycle of poverty.

GB’s water & sanitation and economic development programs, along with year-round health interventions, have been recognized and rewarded by the most established names in sustainable development, including the UNDP, World Bank, Red Cross, and many more.

About Global BrigadesRead Our Financial Report

1 “Global Medical Brigades” is a program of Global Medical Brigades, Inc. and fiscally sponsored by Global Brigades, Inc., a California non-profit organization exempt under IRC 501(c)(3).

This DONATION is non-refundable

This DONATION is non-refundable Global Brigades, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Your donation will be used to further Global Brigades' mission and will be allocated toward the program you selected. This donation will not be utilized to fulfill a chapter or a volunteer's fundraising goal. Read Global Brigades, Inc's full Donation Refund Policy here.

Looking to donate to support a volunteer's fundraising goal? Find their Global Brigades Chapter by searching our Chapters map and then selecting their upcoming brigade. If you need help finding their chapter, you can ask the volunteer to send you their brigade's specific website link or you can contact us.

By making this donation, I agree to the no-refund policy


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