A great experience

Hi – we are Jennifer and Jessica, two pediatric residents from the United States.  We were fortunate to meet Jan and Monika during our international rotation in Ecuador in January 2012.  During this time, we worked at the Futuro Valdivia medical clinic, and met many patients who have benefited from the wonderful services that this organization provides.  In addition, Futuro Valdivia supports the local villages by promoting tourism, helping distribute locally made handicrafts, and providing micro-loans to local citizens in hopes of improving their community.

Jan also brought us on a “behind the scenes” tour of local villages, and showed us all the amazing work that they do.  This included learning about how paja toquilla is produced (raw material used to make Panama Hats), in addition to seeing how hand-made jewelry and handicrafts are made.  Jan’s knowledge of Ecuador extended beyond San Pedro and local villages, which was extremely helpful for us in terms of exploring the country.

Jan, Monika and Futuro Valdivia empower the people of Ecuador, representing hopes, dreams and a brighter future.  We recommend that anyone who wants a great medical volunteering experience, in addition to a “behind the scenes” tour of Ecuador, contact them for more information.  Thank you Jan, Monica and Futuro Valdivia for enriching our experiences in Ecuador, and forever impacting our lives.