CFHI Ecuador Program Projects

Child Family Health International (CFHI) is the leading nongovernmental organization (NGO) placing health science students on global health education programs in ways that are socially responsible and financially just. We model best global health education practices which demonstrate a priority commitment to community engagement and local integrity.  

Donate to CFHI Ecuador Program Projects and make a direct and tangible impact on healthcare in Ecuador.  Donations for CFHI Ecuador Program projects go directly our CFHI partner sites and benefit local hospitals and practitioners as well as community health initiatives.  In addition to your contribution CFHI continually supports local healthcare systems and economies through its global health education programs, micro grants, and medical supply recovery.  The following is a sample of some of the sites and projects your donation will help to sustain.  

Community Health Initiatives:  CFHI has a number of targeted, effective community health projects that benefit our host communities. These include the Children Living in Jails project, Healthcare for Remote Jungle Communities, and Cervical Cancer Prevention in Oaxaca, to name a few.  These projects cost between $2,5000 and $4,000 to run and support community-driven projects devised by the doctors and other community leaders themselves.  For more details on project descriptions and updates see CFHI’s Community Health Projects page.  

Professional Development Opportunities: CFHI supports our global partners in pursuing professional development opportunities. Whether it is a request for funding to attend an international conference or training in specific surgical procedures, CFHI assists whenever possible. CFHI has also provided collaborative programs for global partners focusing on management, skill building, and leadership strategies useful in administering CFHI global health education programs.  For more details visit CFHI’s Professional Development page.  

The following is a list of some of the hospitals and clinics representing just a portion of the many this project aims to support:

Jatari
Jatari is a small (30 inhabitants) mixed community (Shuar and Kichwa) located about 1 1/2 hours by bus from Puyo. Participants learn about the health of the Shuar/Kichwa cultures, the importance of medicinal plants, the jungle and river for the local population, as well as learn basic concepts of the Amazonian indigenous philosophy, how they survive in the jungle and continue their way of life. Jatari is an entirely self-sustaining community, where inhabitants, in the words of the Medical Director of the program, "live in harmony with nature so as not to alter the sensitive equilibrium of the jungle ecosystem."  

Servicio Nacional de Erradicacion de Malaria (SNEM)
This is a small, under-funded center charged with combating malaria in three provinces, including Pastaza, covering a vast area of the Ecuadorian Amazon. At this site, students help in compiling malaria statistics and research outbreaks in the Amazon. Students studying for a Masters in Public Health are welcome to participate in research projects if they are interested.  

Maternidad Isidro Ayora
Only clinical level students (medical and nursing) rotate at this location. This public hospital located in the center of Quito is where the majority of the deliveries take place and where high-risk pregnancies are managed.  

Centro de Salud Comite del Pueblo
A community family planning clinic located in one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in Quito, the Centro de Salud Comite del Pueblo offers participants a chance to rotate in OB/GYN and ambulatory pre-natal care, from the beginning of the pregnancy until birth.  

Hospital Tierra Nueva
Hospital Tierra Nueva, an NGO, serves the poorest citizens in the southern part of Quito, comprised of approximately 500,000 residents. All specialties can be found at this hospital. In addition to other community health programs they offer, free cleft palate surgeries are available at this hospital.  

Students of CFHI’s global health education electives rotate through many of the above mentioned clinics to gain a deeper understanding of the context of illness and healing in foreign settings.  CFHI Ecuador Global Health Education Programs include:
Amazon Indigenous Health, Ecuador
Amazon Community Medicine, Ecuador
Urban & Rural Comparative Health, Ecuador
Reproductive Health in Quito, Ecuador
Andean Health in Quito, Ecuador