Help, Learn & Discover is an organization offering educational programs in Ecuador, South America. We strive to offer a fulfilling life experience which combines volunteering with those less fortunate while learning about a specific academic area of interest, and discovering the paradise of different ecosystems that Ecuador has to offer.

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Overview

Help, Learn & Discover is an organization which offers a four week Bio/Pre Medical Program in Ecuador, South America. This program is three-fold and provides students the opportunity to Help those who are less fortunate, Learn about the biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands and gain first-hand experience in a variety of areas in the medical field, and Discover the diversity of Ecuador during a tour of the country.

Help

This program contains a volunteer component which enables students to offer help to communities in rural villages of Ecuador. Students fundraise in Canada and United States and then travel to Ecuador in the summer to participate in a specific large-scale volunteer project. This year approximately 150 students will travel to Ecuador over a five-month period and help finance and build homes for twenty underprivileged families.

Students work alongside local families and are able to watch the homes develop and become an integral part of the community.

Learn

The Bio / Pre Medical program is ideal for those interested in the biology field and also desire a future career in health-care.

For the biology component of the program, students will visit the Galapagos Islands alongside a biologist who will explain the diversity and origins of the animals and plants that inhabit these islands. Students will explore Darwin’s Theory in three main Galapagos Islands: Puerto Ayora, Isabela Island and Floreana Island.

For the pre-medical component of the program, students will work alongside leading surgeons and other health-care professionals, shadowing through five different experiences within a hospital setting.

The five wards are:

- Surgery
- Emergency
- Rehabilitation Therapy
- Internal Medicine
- Medical Labs and Conferences

Discover

To conclude this amazing journey, students will tour for 11 days through the jungle, rainforest, highlands and coastal beaches of Ecuador, enjoying many exhilarating activities including waterfall rappelling, tubing and surfing. In turn, students will discover more about themselves while learning all this beautiful and exciting country has to offer.

>> View tour

Info Sessions

BRITISH COLUMBIA VANCOUVER	Monday, March 9th, 2015 SFU Harbour Centre 1510 Xerox Conference Room 5 -7 PM

ALBERTA CALGARY	Thursday, March 5th, 2015 KMB 131 6-8 PM

ALBERTA EDMONTON	Friday, March 6th, 2015 ED 177 5-7 PM

NOVA SCOTIA HALIFAX	Monday, March 2nd, 2015 Student Union Building Room 307 5-7 PM


OTTAWA ONTARIO	Wednesday, March 4th, 2015 Room 407, Morrisset Library 5:30-7:30 PM

Itinerary

Day 1 - Monday	Arrival of students to Quito
Day 2 - Tuesday	Briefing
Day 3 - Wednesday	Banos
Day 4 - Thursday	Banos/Misahualli
Day 5 - Friday	Misahualli/Quito
Day 6 - Saturday	Mindo
Day 7 - Sunday	Mindo/Quito
Day 8 - Monday	Medical Rotations
Day 9 - Tuesday	Medical Rotations
Day 10 - Wednesday	Medical Rotations
Day 11 - Thursday	Medical Rotations
Day 12 - Friday	Medical Rotations
Day 13 - Saturday	Volunteer/Quilotoa
Day 14 - Sunday	Volunteer
Day 15 - Monday	Volunteer
Day 16 - Tuesday	Volunteer
Day 17 - Wednesday	Volunteer/Cotopaxi
Day 18 - Thursday	Canoa
Day 19 - Friday	Canoa
Day 20 - Saturday	Canoa/Quito
Day 21 - Sunday	Galapagos
Day 22 - Monday	Galapagos
Day 23 - Tuesday	Galapagos
Day 24 - Wednesday	Galapagos
Day 25 - Thursday	Galapagos
Day 26 - Friday	Galapagos/Quito
Day 27 - Saturday	Otavalo
Day 28 - Sunday	Departure

*Note: The order of the program may vary depending on the particular group selected.

Program Dates

Acceptance for the program is competitive. Selection for admission is based upon review of an online application and interview. Approximately 60% of participants are selected during the early bird admission, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Trip Dates*

Bio / Pre - Med Program 1 May 4th to May 31st, 2015 (IF + MP or MP/BOL optional extra weeks)	Bio / Pre - Med Program 3 August 3rd to August 30th, 2015 (MP or MP/BOL optional extra week)
Bio / Pre - Med Program 2 July 7th to August 3rd, 2015 (MP or MP/BOL optional extra week)

*Machu Picchu = MP / Galapagos = GP / Iguazu Falls = IF / Bolivia = BOL

Prices

Early Bird $3,900 (US Dollars)

General Admission $4,100 (US Dollars)

Spot Reservation Deposit

The spot-reservation is a non-refundable and non-transferable deposit. This deposit secures your participation in the program. The remaining balance is due 15 days before departure.

Spot Reservation for Bio Medical Program: $2,500 US

Your program of interest plus one extra week: $3,000 US

Your program of interest plus two extra weeks: $3,500 US

Price Includes

- Transportation: Round trip airfare from Quito to Puerto Ayora (Galapagos Islands). Land and water tranportation in the Galapagos.

- Accomodation: All hotels and hostels are included in the tour package.

- Meals: All breakfast and lunches. A goodbye dinner is also included in the package.

- Activities: Entrance fees to selected educational museums, attractions, venues and scheduled outdoor recreational activities during the tour.

Price Does Not Include

- Dinners
- Airfare to South America
- Charges for inoculations
- Medical expenses
- Transportation fee: $200
- Mandatory National Airport fee: $10
- Mandatory Park Permit fee: $100
- Mandatory Isla Isabella Entrance fee: $6