Medical students hosted the fourth annual Hope Alliance fund-raising event to provide care for impoverished people in Peru.
The Hope Alliance, a humanitarian relief organization, works with U medical students to provide care for less privileged people in underdeveloped countries.
First- and second-year students will spend more than a week in ?Peru, donating their time and giving medicine to families who can’t afford it.
“Unemployment is higher than 50 percent and if you don’t have money, you don’t get medicine,” Monty Eggett, executive director of Hope Alliance, said.
The program benefits the people in Peru who lack medical care and also gives the students skills.
“The students get life-changing experiences and residents of ?Peru receive much-needed medical attention-everybody wins,” said Sam Guevara, chief of staff for Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson.
U medical students went ?around to the business community getting donations for an auction and raffle. The money raised goes directly for transportation, plane fare and medical ?supplies that the students can use to help Peruvians.
Hope Alliance also ?works with pre-med students at Weber State University and business students at Westminster College for projects in Peru.
The U students receive actual experience as doctors and learn about the culture in South America.
“It’s ?made me think differently about why I want to be a doctor and that I’m doing it ?for the right reasons,” said Kristi Rose, a second-year medical student who went on one of the trips last year.
Christmas Box House shelter founder Richard Paul Evans talked about the benefits of the Peru ?trip for U students.
“What a great opportunity. We’re always trying to fuse humanity into the medical program,” he said.
Some students went to Peru last year and are excited to be going back.
“I’ve been on two trips so far, and I just ?keep wanting to go,” said Dan Ericson, a first-year medical student at the U. “It’s fantastic.”