Through the interconnected work of the dozens of individuals and several institutions involved in this 1-week mission trip, we managed to provide almost 50 surgeries! 

 In addition to our activities that support high-complexity surgeries we fervently strive to bring about inner healing and transformation to all who participate in this mission.

A reflection from our GSMT team on that moment in time that marks a before and an after. When something deep is about to shift. Transform. Grow in a new direction.

Ten years after our first General Surgery Mission Trip, our 12th team returns to Cochabamba to expand training in highly complex cancer surgeries and minimally-invasive general surgery cases.

In some countries in Latin America, each day in the month of January is carefully scrutinized to predict the weather for the rest of the year. The practice of using the first days of the year to plan life-giving agricultural activities is known as the cabanuelas. Our first mission trip this year was filled with a broad array of organizational and medical activities. If the cabanuelas hold true for the work of Solidarity Bridge, the year 2017 promises to be a year of teaching, healing, equipping and deepening our spiritual practice and celebration.

In 2016, US missioner Dr. Joseph Wu, an electrophysiologist from UCLA Medical Center, traveled to Santa Cruz to work alongside our Bolivian partners at San Juan de Dios Hospital. The trip helped to integrate St. Jude Medical, a new corporate donor, into our Pacemaker Program. Dr. Wu accompanied staff on home visits with patients and their families. Here are a few of their stories.

Our Benezet Intern, Gustavo, share his reflection at the end of the General Surgery Mission Trip. "Though this was my fifth mission with Solidarity Bridge, this week has been my first experience accompanying a general surgery team. Experiencing the operating room and the pace at which things function inside that room is quite a privilege." 

Our General Surgery Mission Trip has already completed seven surgeries in their first two days. Join us as we check in with them in Santa Cruz and learn more about the patients they will be serving this week. 

As our Multi-Specialty Mission Trip ends, we reflect on our experiences and strive to turn our calling into a strong foundation. 

As an organization rich in faith, we refer to those who travel with us as missioners. Today in our blog, we share a few reflections from our team in the midst of their mission experience.

In the clinic at Punata, adult cardiologist, Dr. Mark Ottolin, and pediatrician, Dr. Monica Joseph, worked together to assess a young boy with a congenital heart defect. 

Our multi-specialty mission team is working at the municipal hospital of Punata this week. Punata is a small city encircled by the Andes mountains, but thanks to the publicity efforts of the Puente de Solidaridad staff, patients from all over the region are travelling to our location to take advantage of our missioner’s expertise.