Impacting Health

Healthcare that goes
where it's needed most.

Teams of passionate medical volunteers travel to Guatemala throughout the year — setting up clinics and surgical centers that bring quality care to communities with no other access.

Support the Mission Volunteer as a medical professional
Guatemala. A volunteer medical team provides care during a one-week clinic.
16,631Clinic patients servedLifetime total
1,158Life-changing surgeries performedLifetime total
2,984Clinic patients in 2025Most recent full year
227Surgical patients in 2025Most recent full year
The Context

Where access to healthcare is not a given, it becomes transformative.

In the highlands of Guatemala, many families live hours from the nearest medical facility — and even farther from the specialists, surgeons, and diagnostic equipment they need. For generations, conditions that are manageable elsewhere have gone untreated.

IEP's health program doesn't import a solution from the outside. It builds a consistent, year-round presence that meets people where they are — with real care, real teams, and real outcomes that last long after the week is over.

Health is not an isolated service. It is a foundational condition — the starting point from which people can build everything else they hope for.
IEP Mission · Strengthening Communities
How We Serve
01 / PROGRAM
Medical Clinics

One week. Hundreds of patients. Real care.

Volunteer physician teams travel to Guatemala throughout the year to run fully operational one-week clinics — providing primary care, diagnostics, dental, maternal health, pediatric care, and chronic disease management to hundreds who would otherwise have no access.

  • Primary care and acute illness treatment
  • Dental extractions and preventive care
  • Pediatric and maternal health services
  • Diabetic screening and chronic care management
  • Vision and eye health screenings
  • Medication distribution and follow-up coordination
02 / PROGRAM
Surgical Centers

Surgeries that change the direction of a life.

IEP's surgical teams bring board-certified surgeons, anesthesiologists, and perioperative nurses to Guatemala to perform life-changing procedures — often for conditions that have gone untreated for years — in a setting built on dignity and clinical rigor.

  • General and abdominal surgery
  • Orthopedic and musculoskeletal procedures
  • ENT and head and neck surgery
  • Gynecological and urological procedures
  • Pediatric surgical care
  • Pre- and post-operative support and follow-up
03 / THE MODEL
Year-Round Presence

Not a single trip. A sustained commitment.

IEP's health program is defined by continuity, not a one-time mission. Multiple volunteer teams rotate throughout the calendar year, creating a consistent, anticipated presence that builds relationships, enables follow-up, and supports patients over time.

  • Multiple teams deploy annually across clinic and surgical programs
  • Coordination with local community health workers ensures continuity
  • Patient records and follow-up tracking support long-term outcomes
2,984Patients — 2025
16,631Patients — Lifetime
1,158Surgeries — Lifetime
Impact by Year
1,640Clinic Patients2017
144Surgical Patients2017
1,784Total Patients Served2017
8.1%Surgical Share of Total Care2017

2017 marked the early years of IEP's health program — clinic and surgical services established, laying the foundation for scale.

3,029Clinic Patients2018
114Surgical Patients2018
3,143Total Patients Served2018
+85%Clinic Growth vs. 20172018

2018 saw clinic patient volume nearly double, reflecting expanded team capacity and growing community awareness of available services.

2,974Clinic Patients2019
184Surgical Patients2019
3,158Total Patients Served2019
184Highest Pre-COVID Surgical Year2019

2019 was a peak pre-pandemic year, with surgical volume reaching 184 patients — the highest in IEP's history to that point.

0Clinic Patients2020 — COVID-19
0Surgical Patients2020 — COVID-19
0In-Person Programs2020
—Planning & Recovery Year2020

Like health missions worldwide, IEP's medical programs paused in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — time used to plan, strengthen systems, and prepare for a safe return.

0Clinic Patients2021 — Limited Return
0Surgical Patients2021
—Continued Recovery & Planning2021
2022Full Return YearProjected

Health missions remained limited in 2021 while safe international travel and on-the-ground conditions were carefully evaluated before full return.

1,300Clinic Patients2022
127Surgical Patients2022
1,427Total Patients Served2022
ReturnFull Restart After Pandemic2022

2022 marked the full restart of IEP's health programs after the pandemic, re-establishing the continuity of care communities had been waiting for.

2,037Clinic Patients2023
124Surgical Patients2023
2,161Total Patients Served2023
+57%Clinic Growth vs. 20222023

Momentum returned strongly in 2023, with clinic volume up over 57% from the 2022 restart year — a sign of renewed engagement and expanded volunteer capacity.

1,728Clinic Patients2024
140Surgical Patients2024
1,868Total Patients Served2024
140Surgeries Performed2024

2024 maintained strong surgical output while clinic programs continued rebuilding post-pandemic momentum.

2,984Clinic Patients2025
227Surgical Patients2025
3,211Total Patients Served2025
+73%Clinic Growth vs. 20242025

2025 was a landmark year: 2,984 clinic patients — the highest since 2019 — and 227 surgical patients, the most ever recorded in a single year.

939Clinic Patients — YTD2026 Jan–May
98Surgical Patients — YTD2026 Jan–May
1,037Total Patients — YTD2026
MultipleTeams Still Scheduled This Year2026

2026 is underway — data reflects January–May activity. Additional clinic and surgical teams are scheduled throughout the remainder of the year.

Clinic Patients by Year — All Time

2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Clinic patients
COVID-19 program pause
How It Works

A model built on access, dignity, and continuity.

Each team that comes to Guatemala is part of a larger, consistent system — not a one-time event. Here's how the program works, from recruitment to outcome.

01

Volunteer Teams Recruited

Physicians, surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, dentists, and support staff are recruited and vetted into teams. IEP coordinates scheduling, logistics, and composition so every clinic and surgical week is fully staffed and equipped.

02

Travel to Guatemala

Teams travel to Guatemala, where IEP's established presence ensures a trusted environment for care. Local staff and community health workers provide coordination, translation, patient intake, and follow-up support.

03

Clinics Open & Care Begins

Each clinic team opens to the community for a full week. Services may include general medicine, pediatrics, dental, obstetric care, ophthalmology, and prescription distribution — serving hundreds of patients across the week.

04

Surgical Centers Operate

Surgical teams set up operating theaters, anesthesia, sterile processing, and recovery support — performing procedures that may have been needed for years, giving patients an outcome they couldn't otherwise access.

05

Follow-Up & Continuity

Care doesn't end when a team departs. IEP's local team follows up for monitoring, medication management, and referrals. Patient records are maintained across returning teams, so continuity is built in — not bolted on.

06

Year-Round Cycle Continues

Multiple teams deploy each year across both programs. Each visit builds on the last — reinforcing trust and turning healthcare from a rare event into a reliable part of community life.

What This Looks Like in Practice
A Note from the Field

The difference a week can make — when access finally arrives.

A woman traveled three hours by bus to reach the IEP clinic during a volunteer week in Guatemala. She had lived with a hernia for four years. She had sought care before, but the nearest surgical facility was beyond reach — geographically, financially, and logistically.

Within 48 hours of arriving, she had been evaluated, scheduled, and operated on by a board-certified surgeon. Five days later she returned home — not simply treated, but free of pain, free of limitation, and free to plan ahead.

"She told us she hadn't slept comfortably in years. When she woke up after surgery, her first words were about what she'd do when she got home. That's what access to care looks like."
IEP Medical Volunteer, 2024

This is not an exceptional story. It is a representative one. Across more than 16,000 clinic visits and 1,158 surgeries, this is what IEP's health program does — week by week, team by team, patient by patient.

Support Access to Care
One of thousands. Every team visit creates hundreds of encounters that would otherwise never happen.
Medical Volunteers

Your skills can go where they're needed most.

IEP's health program depends entirely on the generosity of medical professionals who give their time, expertise, and care. Whether you're a surgeon, a nurse, a dentist, or a support specialist, there's a team and a role that can use what you bring.

Teams depart multiple times each year, and all experience levels are welcome. IEP coordinates logistics, in-country support, and team structure so you can focus entirely on the work of care.

Express Interest in Volunteering Learn more
Clinic Teams

Physicians & Internists

Primary care, diagnostics, chronic disease management, and acute illness treatment — the backbone of every clinic week.

Surgical Teams

Surgeons & Anesthesiologists

Board-certified surgeons and anesthesiologists performing life-changing procedures in IEP's fully-equipped surgical center.

Clinic Teams

Nurses & NPs

RNs, nurse practitioners, and PAs provide clinical support across every team — triaging, treating, and caring through every stage of a visit.

Clinic Teams

Dentists & Dental Staff

Dental teams provide extractions, preventive care, and oral health services many patients have never had access to before.

Both Programs

Support & Logistics

Non-clinical volunteers handle patient intake, medication management, supply coordination, and team logistics that keep everything running.

Surgical Teams

Perioperative Nurses

Scrub techs, circulating nurses, and recovery-room nurses enable IEP's surgical teams to operate safely and efficiently each day.

Also Part of the Mission

Health is one of three pillars. Together, they strengthen the whole.

Program Pillar

Impacting Homes

Smoke-free stoves and clean-water filters create healthier living environments — 60% less wood, zero smoke, and safe drinking water for families in Guatemala.
Program Pillar

Impacting Education

From Montessori to high-school graduation, plus vocational training and the BookTuk® Mobile Education program — IEP educates hundreds of students annually.