Hello! Welcome to the blog of Project CURA’s 2009 Southeast Asia service trip! For those of you looking for a little more information about CURA and the SE Asia trip in particular, here’s a quick run-down of who we are and what we’re doing.
Project CURA (Creighton Medical United in Relief Assistance) is an organization founded and run by students at Creighton University School of Medicine. Creighton has a long-standing tradition of commitment to humanitarian medicine and service. The school’s Jesuit heritage emphasizes the ideals of Magis – dedication to the idea of always striving to do more for God and for others – and Cura Personalis – the care of the whole person. Project CURA strives to put these ideals into action by providing first-year medical students with opportunities to serve the underprivileged in the local Omaha area throughout the school year and to aid underserved communities throughout the world by spending a month of our summer participating in a medical service trip.
Our goal for sending students to disadvantaged communities is twofold. Firstly, the need in these areas is very real, and we are able to make a significant difference in the lives of the people there, brief though our time there is. Secondly, we feel it is very important for medical students to develop an understanding and appreciation for the different cultures and problems that exist in the world around us. We look forward to the enrichment that our experiences will afford our personal perspectives. As physicians, people will be our life-long concern, and participating in CURA gives us a unique opportunity to improve our understanding of ourselves and of our fellow man.
This year, CURA will be sending groups to seven locations throughout the world: South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Lakota Reservation, Romania, Ghana, Peru, two different areas of India, and Southeast Asia. We of the SE Asia group are so excited about our opportunity to serve this summer! Our group consists of 6 first-year medical students and one doctor from the Creighton University Medical Center. We will be volunteering in three different countries: the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam. While there, we will volunteer with various organizations to provide healthcare, education, and community service to rural towns, AIDS villages, and orphanages for children who have been physically or sexually abused. Last year’s group got a lot of work done and had an amazing experience, and we are thrilled to have the chance to do the same!
As the summer and our departure date draw nearer, we will be updating this blog periodically with more details about our upcoming trip, and once we are there, we will continue to update in order to share some of our experiences with you. So feel free to bookmark our page and check in every once in a while! We are all very excited about and grateful for this opportunity we’ve been given and hope you enjoy reading about our experiences!
Also, I should mention that not only is Project CURA founded and run by students, but it’s funded by students as well, so we’re always appreciative of donations. We’re always very grateful for any size donation, since let’s face it, when you’re a student living on Ramen noodles and loan checks, any amount of money is fabulously exciting. If you would like to send a (tax deductible) donation to our group or to Project CURA in general, email us as CURA.SE.Asia@gmail.com and we’ll tell you how. And please remember that we value your thoughts and prayers just as much as financial support!
If you have any further questions about anything or want any additional information about Project CURA, please send us an email or check out CURA’s website at http://medicine.creighton.edu/Projectcure/index.html.
No comments:
Post a Comment