Our Health Pillar Grew Up To…

When IEP sent its first volunteer medical team to Guatemala in 2017, it was a foundational year — a proof of concept that care could travel. One team, one week, 1,640 patients. It was more than anyone expected. And it was just the beginning.

What started as a single annual clinic has become something far bigger: a year-round health presence across Guatemala, with multiple teams deploying every year across clinic and surgical programs, patient records carried forward between visits, and a local team holding continuity between trips.

In 2025, IEP's medical teams ran six clinic trips and two surgical missions — caring for patients across 12 specialties including primary care, dental, pediatrics, OB-GYN, orthopedics, and ophthalmology. The surgical program alone changed the direction of hundreds of lives in a single year.

What makes this model work is what happens between visits. Patient records carry forward. Referrals are closed out, not abandoned. A consistent local team handles intake, translation, and follow-up. Trust is built mission by mission, year after year — so a clinic week becomes part of a relationship, not an isolated event.

Team Joy — 4th Clinic of 2026

We keep expanding. Team Joy just completed the 4th clinic of 2026, and the year is not over. 2026 is on track to surpass last year's record. Every trip brings care to communities where there is no other access to it.