“Shelter and access to medical care are basic necessities that are often in short supply in Guatemala. When Pediatric Hospitalist Lavanya Shankar, MD, learned of an opportunity to volunteer at medical clinic and build houses around Guatemala City with her teenage daughter, Sanjana, she jumped at the chance.
 
“I’ve always wanted to get involved in global health to help others in need,” says Dr. Shankar. “I’m getting a graduate degree in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety, and it goes hand-in-hand with this effort.” I also want to teach the next generation what the world is about and to help them recognize they have so much to offer.”
 
Last August, Dr. Shankar, Sanjana and two dozen other volunteers spent one week providing medical care, delivering food and replacing tin shacks with cinder block homes with Hope’s In, a nonprofit community development organization focused on providing aid to families in Guatemala City. Volunteers work in “garbage dump communities” where residents make a living from picking and selling discarded items.”

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