Global Health in Tarija, Bolivia

Choosing CFHI for a global health experience was the best decision I could have made for my personal and professional growth. The cultural exchange aspect of the program was profoundly impactful. Living and learning within the community allowed me to understand that healthcare is inseparable from culture. Interacting with the local population and learning from the incredible healthcare workers on the ground taught me the true meaning of cultural humility. From navigating daily routines to observing patient care, I learned how to connect with people holistically. As an aspiring clinician, I have found that this internship has given me an invaluable foundation for providing compassionate, culturally competent care to diverse patient populations in the future.

Visiting Tarija for 2 weeks with CFHI has been one of the most meaningful summer experiences I could have had. Living in a new country, fully immersed in the culture, leads to growth that's difficult to find otherwise. After completing the program, I better understand the health challenges faced outside of the US. I feel more able and inclined to work to resolve them and discuss potential solutions. In addition, I believe I’m better prepared to help immigrants navigate the US health system now that I understand how their experiences with healthcare might differ from those who were born in the US. Overall, the experience helped me be a more well-rounded person and prepared me to serve diverse populations as a physician.

My CFHI elective in Bolivia was one of the most meaningful parts of my medical training so far. I rotated through surgery, primary care, infectious disease, and psychiatry. Each showed how medicine is practiced when resources are limited in a country with a completely different health system than in the US. The CFHI team was responsive throughout the whole process (before, during, and after) and the local team was extremely supportive and flexible. The medical coordinator went so far to coordinate a new rotation for me when I asked to rotate with a psychiatrist. This was especially meaningful, as I was able to connect with patients and learn from physicians in my preferred specialty. The local team also helped me organize weekend trips to other parts of the country or locally, such as the Uyuni Salt Flats. I walked to clinic almost every morning, which is something I love about Tarija. At midday I went home for almuerzo with my host family. Being able to live with a family added a rich layer to the experience as well—they made me feel like part of the family, exchanged life experiences with me, and we have remained in contact since I left. My Spanish classes were unique and significantly improved my confidence in the language. We discussed Bolivian history and culture, reviewed grammar, medical Spanish, differences between U.S. and Bolivian medical care, Chagas prevention, toured museums, and even visited a folk medicine ‘curandero’ to learn about traditional healing practices. Something that stood out to me about CFHI is that the program addresses the history of global health. They talk openly about how the field has been shaped by colonization, racism, and elitism, and how those patterns still show up now. They also shared how they actively counter this in their organization with concrete examples. Overall, this elective pushed me to think more deeply about health systems, culture, and communication. It made me more comfortable caring for diverse patients and reminded me why cultural humility is essential. I’m grateful I had the chance to learn from local clinicians, families, and patients, and I’ll carry these lessons with me into my training and future work. I hope to return to Bolivia one day and find ways to participate in global health as a resident physician.

I had a wonderful experience with CFHI in Tarija, Bolivia. Just right before the program, I earned a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics. I chose Tarija due to my interests in communicable diseases and also because the description of it being a small, tranquil city appealed to me. I initially felt nervous about the program since I wasn’t pre-med and thought I might not gain as much as my peers, however, I soon found myself deeply engaged in learning about the community’s public health in ways that genuinely interested me. I did rotations in family medicine, surgery, and gynecology, exposing me to different areas and levels of patient care. Through this, I gained a wide understanding of how social and structural factors shape health outcomes in Tarija. Moreover, each week we met with the medical director, where we learned more about the Bolivian health system, providing essential context to better make sense of what we were witnessing in our rotations. The medical director and local coordinator are wonderful people who I’m grateful to have had supporting me throughout the program. My favorite part of the experience was definitely my homestay. My host mother was so sweet and hospitable. I absolutely loved getting to chat with her every day over almuerzo and updating her on all of my program experiences, all the while practicing my Spanish. It felt so special getting to know Tarija and the Bolivian culture through living with her. My Spanish skyrocketed throughout my time there. In addition to practicing at home and on my rotations, there were also afternoon Spanish classes that I was attending. The Spanish teacher truly believes in immersion, so every day for class we would meet at the main plaza and then do different cultural activities together, such as ordering at cafes and visiting museums, to improve our conversational skills. I felt very comfortable in Tarija and was able to reach pretty much anywhere I needed to by foot without worries. Beyond this, I also took a weekend trip with a few of my peers to the Salar de Uyuni. We did a private tour with Sur Bike, which our local coordinator had recommended to us—so worth it! We had such an amazing time, and it was a great opportunity to explore Bolivia beyond just Tarija. Overall, I’m so glad I did this program. I really love what CFHI stands for, and they provided us with a great course on global health ethics to go through beforehand. This was my first time in South America, and it was also my first time doing a global health education program. I cherish the experiences I had and the connections I made there, and feel I found this program at the perfect time in my life as a recent graduate. CFHI’s slogan is “let the world change you,” and I didn’t realize how true that would be until I found myself learning not just about healthcare, but about people, resilience, and community.

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If you're a pre-med student looking to gain real-world global health experience while also exploring a beautiful, culture-rich part of the world, I highly recommend CFHI’s program in Tarija, Bolivia. I spent four weeks rotating through different hospitals and clinics, shadowing doctors in specialties like gynecology, anesthesiology, and general medicine. I even got to observe surgeries and learn how healthcare teams work together under resource constraints. But the program was so much more than just shadowing. I took Spanish classes each week, which really helped me communicate and better understand the patient-provider dynamic in Bolivia. My favorite part, hands down, was living with my host family. They were incredibly kind and made sure I felt safe, comfortable, and immersed in Bolivian culture—from shared meals to local traditions and conversations about life and healthcare in Tarija. This program helped me grow in ways I didn’t expect. It challenged me to think critically, step outside of my comfort zone, and develop soft skills like empathy, patience, and cultural humility. I came home not only more confident in my career path but more inspired to advocate for healthcare equity wherever I go. It was an unforgettable experience that I’ll carry with me for a long time.

Spending five weeks in Tarija, Bolivia for CFHI’s Global Health Internship was one of the most enriching and transformative experiences of my public health and medical career journey. I have traveled a lot previously and done a similar program in Spain, but the experience with CFHI stood out due to the ability to live with a host family and experience the culture of Tarija, while also having access to multiple different clinical sites where I could learn from physicians, patients, and technicians in a way that is very hard to find in other programs. I had rotations in a primary health center, a clinic just for Chagas patients, a big teaching hospital, and an entomology lab in the departmental health service. This variety of experience allowed me to learn in depth about the health system, public health initiatives, and the experiences of both physicians and patients. I was able to see firsthand how the physicians and technicians worked in resource-limited settings to provide compassionate care and worked tirelessly to improve the health and well-being of members of their communities. In addition to these rotations, I was able to complete a practicum where I could combine this hands-on experience with a review of literature on the Bolivian health system and vector-borne disease to devise recommendations to improve vector-borne disease control in the department. I was also able to present these recommendations after working with the health coordinator and the head technician of the entomology lab in the department. While having this enriching experience learning from physicians and technicians, I was also able to learn the culture in depth and improve my Spanish fluency. Our Spanish lessons were delivered in a dynamic fashion where we had classes both in the classroom and out in the city in areas such as museums and cultural sites. This allowed me to really learn about the history and culture of the city. I was also able to go on weekend trips to La Paz and Uyuni, where I was able to further learn about the history and culture of Bolivia. All of these experiences were done while living with a host family in the city who always made every effort to make me and the other students feel comfortable and at home. I spent time with my host family every day during meals and formed a close bond with them. We also lived in the center of the city where we could comfortably walk to clinics, coffee shops, restaurants, or stores. This was a great experience, and I would highly recommend it for anyone who wants to gain more experience in medicine/public health!

I’ve had the opportunity to travel abroad throughout my life, but my time with CHFI on a global health trip to Tarija, Bolivia stands out as one of the most rewarding experiences as a pediatric resident in training. After arriving, I was warmly welcomed by the medical director and local coordinator, who provided a comprehensive orientation. My host family was also incredibly kind and hospitable. My host mother went above and beyond to ensure my comfort, even accommodating my dietary restrictions throughout my stay. Once I began working in the hospital, I met weekly with the medical director, who connected me with local specialists in my areas of interest including pediatrics, pulmonology, and infectious disease. During my first week, I focused on the pediatric floor, where I had the unique opportunity of working with residents in the same field and year of training. Together, it was interesting to compare similarities and differences in our medical practices. In the following weeks, I worked one-on-one with a pulmonologist, learning about infectious diseases and teaching medical students how to read chest films that we taped up to windows each day. In addition to my medical rotation, I attended Spanish classes every afternoon which were unlike any I’d taken before. These lessons combined classroom instruction with cultural immersion, as we visited local museums, cafés, and shops to practice Spanish in real-world settings. Despite having studied Spanish for seven years, I learned more during these lessons than ever before and even hope to continue them virtually. During my time in the hospital, I encountered medical conditions I had previously studied in school but had not seen during residency. It was a valuable opportunity to observe how these conditions are managed in a different healthcare setting. At the end of my rotation, I delivered a presentation on respiratory diseases in Bolivia, which served as a meaningful culmination of my experience. This opportunity allowed me to deepen my understanding of respiratory disease management within a different cultural context while fully immersing myself in Bolivian culture. My time in Tarija was an enriching experience that I will always treasure. My host family was truly amazing—and even after the trip, they continue to feel like a second family. I am also deeply grateful to the medical director and program coordinator, who thoughtfully tailored my clinical experience to align with my passions. I will always have close friends and lasting connections in Tarija, and I’m incredibly thankful to CHFI for making it all possible.

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Several years ago, I spent two years living in a rural village in the Dominican Republic as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Immersed in a different culture, language, and way of life vastly different from my privileged upbringing, I experienced immense personal growth and gained a perspective that informed my path in public health and medicine. Now in my 4th year of medical school, I had the opportunity to spend a month living in Tarija, Bolivia through Child Family Health International, rotating in clinics and hospitals, improving my Spanish language skills, and immersing once again in a vibrant culture and community. While these two experiences were different in many ways, what ultimately remains etched into my mind and my heart remains the same - the people I met and the relationships I built. I lived in a 3 generation household consisting of my host mom, her son (host brother) , and her 6-year-old grandson. My host mom does it all. She works as a dentist, is the chef of the household (cooking not only for her family but also for her fiance and his daughter), attends to her plants, and keeps everything in order. The more time I spent with her, discussing everything from the weather to cooking to U.S. and Bolivian politics, the more it felt like a genuine friendship, similar to that which I have with my own mom. In addition, we realized that we both have a second stomach for sweets, which came in handy when we went to dinner and could back each other up on wanting to order dessert. It also made teaching her how to bake tres leches (my host brother’s favorite cake) a no-brainer. It lasted less than 2 days! My host mom created the sturdy, comfortable envrionment that made me feel like I had a home away from home. She had a genuine curiosity to get to know me as well as teach me about the aspects of her life and Bolivian culture that she loves and appreciates. It was her delicious, traditional meals that kept me energized during my month there (well that and the coffee I enjoyed multiple times a day). Some of my favorite memories in Tarija were the times we spent in the kitchen/dining room, preparing food, eating together, or talking over tea and snacks. The previous student was right when she said that our host “is the best host mother!” Then there was my host brother, who is around my age. When he’s not taking care of his son, working as a dentist, or taking online courses to become a professor, he runs with a local running club. During the first two weeks as I was preparing my residency application, we’d sit together at the living room table after dinner, doing our respective work. The companionship during this somewhat stressful time was unexpected and quite calming. More unexpected, however, was when he invited me to sing-up for a 5k race that he and his running club were participating in. I ran cross-coutry and track in college (over 10 years ago), and it had been a hot minute since I participated in any competition. But as soon as we arrived in the early morning, doing warm-up experciese together, I had the familiar nervous excitement that always comes with racing competitions. After the race was over (I came second in my age group with the prize of a botte of wine made in Tarija!), we joined the rest of the running club members for a celebratory brunch. The following week we ran in another, more low-key 5k, and afterward I chatted with some of the same running club members as the week prior. They tried unsuccessfuly to get me to join the triathlon the following week. Though brief, I felt I was part of this energetic and supportive community. The day before leaving Tarija, my host brother brother messaged me: “You’re not leaving yet, and I’m already missing you ?.” This sentiment alone describes what I find most valuable about my experience: the ability to connect with people, to compartir (share) parts of your lives, even if briefly, in a way that leaves a positive mark.

My name is Jenna Frantz, and I am a fourth-year medical student (just weeks away from graduating as an MD) at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. As I am preparing for my residency and career in emergency medicine, I am continually inspired by my foundational goal: to serve Hispanic patients facing barriers to healthcare, both domestically and abroad. When I found the rotation to Tarija, Bolivia, through Child Family Health International (CFHI), it was a great fit with my goals to obtain further education and experience in global health. I had previously rotated in Peru, Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Puerto Rico for service-learning opportunities (not affiliated with CFHI), and I could tell my experience with CFHI would be different. I was so excited for the stellar learning experience and cultural immersion provided by CFHI. While still stateside, CFHI made sure I was well prepared for my trip logistically, culturally, and educationally. To facilitate this, there were multiple required online modules about the program, Bolivian culture, cultural sensitivity, and global health ethics. Additionally, the team remained in close email contact with me, and there was even a virtual orientation session to ensure I was prepared prior to takeoff. Once I arrived in Tarija, I was immediately received with warm, kind smiles from Fabricio – the local program coordinator – and my host family. I got to live with a lovely host family for 8 weeks. The family had 3 daughters about my age, and they took me under their wing immediately, inviting me to hang out with their friends, to walk around the town, to go to the local cultural festivals, and so much more. Aside from the amazing experience I had with my host family, I had a very comprehensive medical rotation. I rotated for 2 weeks in internal medicine, and 1 week in each of the following: rural primary care, urban primary care, Chagas’ disease clinic, emergency medicine, general surgery, and OB/GYN. I quickly found that the rotations through CFHI are not the same as my medical rotations in the United States – despite being fluent in Spanish, it is difficult to be fully-integrated into the care team as a foreign student where the documentation and work-flow are entirely different from the system in the United States. Furthermore, the local students had to start pre-rounding on their patients at 4-6am; as my scheduled arrival time to the rotation was at 7-8am each day, it was hard to be as fully-involved in patients’ care, since much of the decision-making took place in pre-rounds prior to my arrival. Despite this, it was not at all a barrier to my learning experience, but rather a shift of focus. My learning on this rotation was much more focused on cultural influences in medical decision-making, the influence of government in healthcare in a universal healthcare system, and navigating barriers such as broken equipment and out-of-stock medications. Another amazing part of this rotation was the extreme kindness and generosity of the local physicians and medical students. Although they had absolutely no obligation to do so, they frequently invited me out to experience the beautiful nature and the lovely culture and customs in Tarija. While rotating in the rural clinic in San Andrés, the physicians took me to the river in the countryside after clinic to enjoy the gorgeous views and to take a dip in the water. At the urban clinic, the physicians invited me to hang out with them during the Carnaval Chapaco, as they wanted to ensure I could experience this great cultural tradition. While rotating in internal medicine, I became good friends with a local medical student, and she and I learned more about the local cultural importance of wine while we toured the local vineyards together. During my experience in general surgery, the residents invited me to get coffee, dinner, and to take a hike to the Chorros de Marquiri, the most beautiful waterfall I’ve seen in my life. All of these people went above and beyond, helping me to have an amazing time in Tarija, and it was truly one of the best parts of my CFHI experience. My experience with CFHI was valuable and enjoyable learning experience, and I knew I had the constant support of my caring host family and the local team. I would highly recommend an experience through this organization for any students in the medical field who plan on having a career in international medicine.

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I participated in this program because it focused on primary care and rural medicine. I am currently pursuing an MPH and with the help of CFHI, this program was more tailored towards me due to the community outreach it had and its global health components. My program consisted of a one week orientation in La Paz, Bolivia followed by a shorter orientation in Tarija. Most people that I met in the La Paz program rejected the idea of spending 4 weeks in a “rural” setting. Actually, Tarija is a hidden gem. You will be able to live with an amazing family and get to meet so many friendly locals, and to understand the culture as well. My program consisted of clinical/hospital rotations. The physicians and med-students that I encountered were very helpful and were willing to answer our questions during the rotations. Also, we had weekly meetings with our medical coordinator and spanish classes. Not only, that you will have the option to volunteer at youth center to serve as an after school tutor for children. We also had the opportunity to do weekend trips like for example the Salar de Uyuni. CFHI welcomes students from different backgrounds and give us the opportunity to live in another country a see their healthcare system. I appreciate the resources that CFHI provides before, during and after the program. Thus, take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!