Medicine, education and development are the services MEDLIFE Nevada brings not only the Reno community, but to impoverished communities in other countries such as Peru, Ecuador, Tanzania and India. They actively promote awareness of inequality in global healthcare within these communities. This winter, three members of MEDLIFE Nevada, one of the 250 clubs offered through the Associated Students of the University of Nevada (ASUN), took a trip to Peru to provide MED's (Medicine, Education and community Development) for the pueblos jovenes, or poor communities, of Pamplona Alta; a mountainous region located 45 minutes from the capital.

Lucia Sanchez, president and co-founder of MEDLIFE Nevada, said, "While working in the medical station of my mobile clinic, I was able to directly communicate with the families who came to see us and see how much they appreciated us being there."

This organization strives to give students the best experience while in college through volunteerism in both local and national communities. What makes MEDLIFE Nevada unique is the knowledge they provide about cultures outside of familiar cultures within the United States. Those who take part in a mobile clinic, even without knowing the native language, experience the culture and have the opportunity to help people in developing nations.

"There really is nothing greater than seeing a smile on the face of a child or an adult that expresses so much gratitude and happiness, and knowing that you were a part of changing not one life but hundreds all over the world," Sanchez said.

The next mission will send a group of students to a mobile clinic in Peru and/or Ecuador this August.

For more information about MEDLIFE Nevada or how to donate, contact Sanchez at medlife.unr@gmail.com or visit the MEDLIFE National website at www.medlifeweb.org.

Join MEDLIFE or find out more about any of the 250 ASUN clubs on campus. MEDLIFE Nevada's club meetings are held bimonthly at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.