UPDATE ON OUR 1st EXPEDITION TO INDIA

Our experience was wonderful. We learned a great deal and we think we helped some people. Partnering with our friends at Arunodaya Charitable Trust (ACT), we visited 4 villages, and 2 orphanages. The result? over 400 patients were screened, given medication, lenses, or surgery as needed. In total, over 20 people got their sight back. Cataracts are correctable, and thanks to to the talented surgeons at ACT, these people  can now see again. It was incredible to witness. In addition, we began the 1st phase of our nutrition research. It will continue in subsequent expeditions, and as we add data and gain understanding of the lives of the people of rural India, we will be able to implement community specific plans designed to decrease malnutrition in each of the target communities. What our review of literature has shown (we will post a summary of this review soon) is that many cases and causes of malnutrition can be reversed, often by simple intervention programs, mostly education based. We will continue to work on this. Whats more, we want you to be a part! We are now accepting applications for volunteers on all subsequent trips, beginning with our 2nd expedition, MARCH of 2014!

It will be a Spring break trip, from 8 to 11 days. We will tour the Golden Triangle, visiting some of the best sights India has to offer. It begins in the Capitol of New Delhi, a city unlike any other, and then moves to Agra, site of the famous Taj Mahal, and then proceeds to Jaipur, the “Pink City,” with its majestic pink sandstone “indiana- jones-esque” temples and landmarks. The rest of the time will be spent in the service of people who truly need our help. We will work with ACT and other partners to bring access to medical professionals, and volunteer at an orphanage for developmentally challenged children. We hope you will be able to join us and play a part in the lives of the wonderful people we have met and will meet. This yearly expedition will be a way for us to maintain contact with our friends in India, while exposing more and more people to the joys of volunteering and international travel, as well as raise money for future projects, such as the schools we are anxious to build in Mali, West Africa.

If you are an ISU student, you can get college credit for participating in an expedition abroad. If you are a pre-health major, we strongly encourage you to come with us, as it will add an incredible gem to your resume, and your life, as you shadow physicians from the US and India, and do your part to bless the lives of others.

Check out the EXPEDITION APPLICATION page to begin the process!

While you’re here enjoy the video below from our trip. Credit Amy Johnson.