About VAW@UCSC

Volunteers Around The World (VAW) is a social enterprise and national organization devoted to improving the standard of living within poverty-stricken communities worldwide through means of medical outreach.

Our focus is to provide communities with access to medical treatment, medication, nutritional security, and clean water. VAW runs mobile clinics in underserved communities around the world, creating humanitarian initiatives that provide free primary health care and health education. This chapter at UCSC will continue to expand these projects by recruiting volunteers that are interested in visiting different countries to experience a new culture, shadow doctors, and teach public health classes to children in vulnerable communities.

VAW at UCSC emphasizes that members who go on trips will gain exposure to new cultures and experiences while helping those in more vulnerable parts of the world. As club members– including those who may choose to not go on the trips– we will always continue to spread awareness about these countries not having the medical necessities that we are capable of providing and raising money for. This does not in anyway devalue the imperative for medical assistance in communities around the United States, as we recognize that disparities in the healthcare system are ubiquitous. In addition to medical outreach abroad, VAW at UCSC extends its efforts into the local health care system here in Santa Cruz by reaching out to local hospitals and clinics.

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The Goal:

When local and global perspectives are juxtaposed, a true image of health care as a whole is illustrated. We highlight in our club's purpose that as a community and club, we strive to better our understanding of cultures and knowledge needed in order to make positive change.

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