Guatemala
Volunteer in the Central American country of Guatemala to participate in sustainable medical clinics provided to residents in rural communities with limited access to healthcare.
Indigenous and rural populations in this country often have difficulty gaining access to healthcare services due to:
- Scarce health infrastructure (including lack of health professionals, medicines, and technology)
- Economic and geographical barriers
- Weak intercultural understanding
For these reasons, the Medical Brigades program is working to close the health inequality gap in partner communities.
What You’ll Do During a Brigade in Guatemala
When your Brigade Chapter travels to Guatemala, you’ll participate in preventative healthcare clinics in small, under resourced, rural communities with limited to no access to medical care. Clinics are conducted with the local Department of Health and Global Brigades’ local healthcare professionals who provide follow-up services to partner communities year-round.
To develop an understanding of community needs and healthcare access, you’ll first be provided with introductions to Global Brigades’ Holistic Model and the medical program.
For the majority of the Brigade, you will work with healthcare professionals during mobile medical clinics, providing assistance to hundreds of patients. Clinics consist of:
- Intake
- Triage
- Consultations
- Dental stations
- Educational workshops
- A vision station (during some, but not all, Brigades)
- A pharmacy station
At the end of the Brigade, you’ll have the opportunity to support medication inventory and ensure all data from the clinic days are inputted into the OpenMRS system.
Before returning home, you’ll even have a chance to learn more about Guatemalan culture.
7-Day Sample Brigade Schedule
Planning your Brigade in Guatemala? Check out this sample schedule outlining the typical 7-day trip your Chapter will attend.
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | ||
| 8:00am | Airport Pick up and Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Community | Transport to Community | Transport to Community | Transport to Community | Free Time | Breakfast |
| 9:00am | Clinic Day | Clinic Day | Clinic Day | Research Day | Cultural Activity | Depart for Airport | |
| 10:00am | |||||||
| 11:00pm | |||||||
| 12:00pm | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | ||
| 1:00pm | Clinic Day | Clinic Day | Clinic Day | Research Day | Cultural Activity | ||
| 2:00pm | |||||||
| 3:00pm | Settle In | ||||||
| 4:00pm | Introduction to Global Brigades | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | Free Time | |
| 5:00pm | Free Time | Free Time | Free Time | Free Time | |||
| 6:00pm | Free Time | Medical Spanish Packet Practice | |||||
| 7:00pm | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | |
| 8:00pm | Holistic Model Overview | Medical Program Introduction | Kaqchikel Class | Healthcare System in Guatemala | PA Talk | Cultural Activity / Bonfire |
| Day 1 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | |
| 8:00am | Airport Pick up and Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 9:00am | |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | Settle In |
| 4:00pm | Introduction to Global Brigades |
| 5:00pm | |
| 6:00pm | Free Time |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Holistic Model Overview |
| Day 2 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Clinic Day |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Clinic Day |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Free Time |
| 6:00pm | Medical Spanish Packet Practice |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Medical Program Introduction |
| Day 3 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Clinic Day |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Clinic Day |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Free Time |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Kaqchikel Class |
| Day 4 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Clinic Day |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Clinic Day |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Free Time |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Healthcare System in Guatemala |
| Day 5 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Research Day |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Research Day |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Free Time |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | PA Talk |
| Day 6 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Free Tme |
| 9:00am | Cultural Activity |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Cultural Activity |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Free Time |
| 5:00pm | |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Cultural Activity / Bonfire |
| Day 7 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | |
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am | Depart for Airport |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | |
| 8:00pm | |
*Itinerary subject to change
Costs and Fundraising
In order to participate in a Medical Brigade, all volunteers must meet a Donation Goal by fundraising as part of their commitment to a Brigades Chapter. This is not considered a payment for a specific trip, but support towards Global Brigades’ Holistic Model.
Donation Goals for Guatemala Brigades start at $2,540 USD*
Once you meet a set Donation Goal, you’re eligible to join us on the ground to see your fundraising efforts put into action by participating in a Medical Brigade.
When you participate in a Medical Brigade, your airfare, ground transportation, food, lodging, and emergency insurance are all covered. The funding you raised also supports all the necessary costs for program implementation, such as medications, equipment, local doctors, pharmacists, translators, and support staff.
Global Brigades’ travel team will work with your Brigade to book airfare**.
Once a volunteer meets their Donation Goal, they have up to 1 year to participate in a Medical Brigade.
*coming from outside the US, Canada, or the UK? Talk to our team about donation goals.
** for UK Chapters, airfare is not included in your Donation Goal
Donation Goals for 2025 Guatemala 7-Day Medical Brigades
| Volunteers | Donation Goal (USD) | Donation Goal (CAD) | Donation Goal (GBP) |
| 14+ | $2,540 USD | $2,985 CAD | Talk to our team about GBP donation goals |
*Chapters with 5-13 volunteers must be paired with another chapter.
Sustainable Health Fund
A portion of each Donation Goal supports our Sustainable Health Fund, which enables year-round healthcare in partner communities carried out by our local teams. Specifically, the Fund supports initiatives of the medical program that enable sustainable transitions toward the goal of becoming an Empowered Community.
These include the Community Health Workers, Patient Referrals, Community Pharmacy, and the on-going impact evaluation of the program.
Scholarships
Scholarship opportunities are available for volunteers to meet their Donation Goal by starting or referring a new chapter. These scholarships may cover a portion or all of the Donation Goal.
Safety
Volunteer safety will always be our absolute top priority. Global Brigades recently engaged Askari International Security, an industry leader in international risk assessment, to complete a comprehensive risk/safety assessment of all brigade operations.
A full explanation of safety precautions and procedures can be found on our “Safety & Insurance” page.
A Quote from Askari International Security
“I was asked to review Global Brigades safety and security procedures for their operations in Central America. I always use a “litmus test” by assessing whether I’d be happy to send my own daughters (late teens early 20’s) on one of their events. The answer was a resounding yes. I hope I was able to help them improve their processes and procedures, but what was already in place was good, but better still was the culture of safety and security. All the staff were concerned with safety and security and keen to improve. Nothing can ever be 100% secure or safe, but with Global Brigades I can genuinely say they care and take things very seriously.”
– Bryan Hemmings, Managing Director, Askari International Security
Safety Highlights in Guatemala
- Global Brigades is an active member of OSAC (the Overseas Security Advisory Committee) and receives up-to-date security and safety briefings from the U.S. State Department.
- We have established relationships with local community authorities to gain trust and access into communities.
- We have established relationships with local police in the Tecpan Region to provide monitoring of volunteer activity in country.
- Full-time local Global Brigades medical personnel are on-call at all times.
- We adhere to the IVPA standards of international volunteering.
Lodging Facilities
Global Brigades does an annual safety review of all lodging facility partners each year. Lodging facilities provide pillows, bedsheets, and towels. Facilities have showers, toilets, and sinks with running water (no hot water) as well as filtered clean drinking water dispensers onsite.
24-hour security is provided at all facilities. Conditions are most similar to a comfortable summer camp, with dormitory-style sleeping and shared bathrooms.
Medical Brigades are assigned to lodging facilities based on proximity to the partner community they will be working with.
Centro de Capacitación Maya Uleu
The Centro de Capacitación Maya Uleu lodging facility is located approximately 2 hours northwest of Guatemala City. Here, brigaders enjoy a beautiful view of a landscape full of lush greenery and distant mountains.
Centro de Retiros Jireh
The Centro de Retiros Jireh lodging facility is located in the city of Chimaltenango, approximately 2 hours northwest of Guatemala City. The facility includes a dining area, outdoor patio, and swimming pool.
Join a Medical Brigade in Guatemala
Get in touch with our team to start a Medical Brigades Chapter or join an existing group traveling to Guatemala. Talk with our experienced staff about the impact you can make in under-resourced communities, available scholarship opportunities, and how this opportunity will connect you with other passionate students on your campus.
After filling out the form, we will be in touch to provide you with the next steps.
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
I am cancelling my donation to support Global Brigades