stories from our participants

As soon as I was introduced to MedTreks by a friend, I knew this was the company that I wanted to join to help fulfill this dream. I feel extremely privileged to have been chosen to be a part of the MedTreks and HopeCore project this past July 2018. Even with my research prior to arriving in Kenya, I could not have prepared myself for the rush of feelings and emotions I experienced while being a part of such a great mission. The HopeCore staff was extremely welcoming and so open in showing me their daily lives and how selflessly they work with the Kenyan people in providing such an invaluable service. I am amazed at the connections that the HopeCore staff makes every single day with so many people throughout Kenya, whether it is with the mothers, the children, the community workers, or the villagers we came across in our travels throughout the week. The dedicated work that Hope Core provides and the vision that Dr. KK has are so important on not only a local but a global level, and I cannot wait to further my experience with both of these amazing organizations.  

What a blessing to be able to join Village HopeCore as a MedTreks volunteer!  Every single HopeCore staff member was so welcoming and caring. We truly experienced Kenyan hospitality at its finest.  I was extremely impressed with the knowledge of the nurses, community health educators, and community health volunteers and how they took care of their communities.  The nurses of Hope Core are very smart and taught me many valuable things about rural healthcare in Kenya, and public health in general.

As a nursing student interested in public health/global health, underserved populations, and direct patient care, Village HopeCore was a perfect volunteer experience for me. The exemplary staff led in teaching the foundational education which included understanding microfinance businesses, observing community health education, viewing clean water/hand washing initiatives, visiting the teen center, and lectures on healthcare in the Kenyan village, Africa, and global health impacts. I gained a comprehensive grasp on where HopeCore had grown from, how they are working to best serve the community, and their importance as a sustainability model for healthcare in developing nations. The clinical experience gave practical perspective of rural healthcare. As medical volunteers, we were paired with excellent HopeCore nurses, teams seeing 15-70 patients a day.

Training Village Hope Care staff in the Helping Babies Breathe Program was the purpose of my trip, yet only a partial highlight.  A glimpse into the work of Village Hope Care staff demonstrated a strong commitment and passion to the health of the people of Chogoria and its surrounding vicinity.  It was enlightening to learn about the different roles everyone performed to holistically address the health of the people – from their microfinance programs, youth groups and various health clinics.  Time spent in the outreach clinic and school health clinics were the highlights of my trip. I learned so much from working alongside the Village Hope Core staff.  I was humbled by the nursing care and health education they provided – giving compassionate and skilled care with limited resources.   Their joy and compassion was infectious!  The combination of learning and recreational experiences organized by MedTreks provided an experience that I will always remember. 

"During our stay were able to observe and have the opportunity to participate in each facet of HopeCore's approach to philanthropy. We went with the healthcare team on their mobile health clinic to local schools, where we witnessed the following programs: health education, hand washing stations, well child checks and education for mothers and young children. The microenterprise team within HopeCore educated us on their involvement with the local community and were able to join them on home visits to see how their loan program has changed their financial situation and provided them with now a steady income. The level of participation and dedication displayed by the employees at HopeCore was impressive. We had an incredible time with this team and can't wait to see their growth in the future."

"I can only say that MedTreks is amazing. I went to Kenya with them and it was one of the best trips I have ever been on. Everything was well planned and executed. When I had an unexpected need to change plans they were able to make a seamless transition and get me well taken care of. The opportunity to experience another culture's daily life and bring the medical training and supplies to help HopeCore sustain basic health habits, was an honor. MedTreks' goal to provide sustainable practice in community health management is like no other organization."