Volunteers Around the World is a humanitarian organization and social enterprise devoted to improving the standard of living for those in poverty stricken communities. In August 2019, they, along with several sets of FIGS, set out to establish mobile medical and dental clinics in the Dominican Republic.
We spoke with student leader Sameer to get more details on their trip.
WHO WAS ON YOUR TEAM?
19 clinical volunteers (students), 5 physicians and 1 dentist
WHAT WAS THE MAIN GOAL OF THE MISSION?
The goal of the mission was to establish clinics in six different areas of the Dominican Republic and treat as many patients as possible, directly giving back to the community.
WHERE DID YOU TRAVEL?
Dominican Republic (La Vega, Santiago, La Joya, San Bartolo, Jima Arriba, Constanza)
WHAT WORK DID THE TEAM DO DURING THE MISSION?
The team did full consultations for all patients. We had volunteers working in the intake (medical history) stations, triage (vitals) station, consultation station and pharmacy stations. We were able to treat over 400 patients throughout the duration of this trip.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR OVERALL EXPERIENCE ON THIS TRIP.
This trip was heartwarming, to say the least. All of us students were able to experience clinical medicine in action, further reinforcing our passions to enter the medical field. Furthermore, we were able to give back to those in need, which was an immensely gratifying experience.
HOW DID FIGS HELP YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY?
Our team is eternally grateful to FIGS for their generous donation of comfortable, classy and professional scrubs for us to use. The scrubs kept us working at our best, and very comfortable in the hot, humid Dominican Republic climate. Additionally, the scrubs unified us as a team and allowed us to focus on our mission. Thank you, FIGS!
DESCRIBE YOUR TRIP IN THREE WORDS.
Gratifying, inspiring, impactful
When we started FIGS, we created our Threads for Threads initiative to donate scrubs to healthcare professionals who work in resource-poor countries and lack the proper uniforms to do their jobs safely. By providing clean scrubs to these individuals, we aim to empower them and improve the quality of care they provide. We also partner with amazing organizations and Awesome Humans who help us deliver the scrubs — as well as donate their time, expertise, and care.