PeaceHealth and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace (CSJP) sponsor an opportunity for their employees and members to volunteer in health care services in El Salvador. Both sponsors encourage and make available this service believing that it will further the mission of both. Financial support of the program is shared equally between the two sponsors and volunteer participation is encouraged from members and associates of the Sisters' Congregation and from PeaceHealth staff.

 Volunteer Center
Mary, PH volunteer, with patients and CALMA staff in Mantazano

Volunteer projects take one of two forms: short-term and long-term.

  • Short-term projects are based on a campaign model, where volunteers serve for one to two weeks, focusing on specific health issues. Some examples include: ophthalmologic surgery, dental care, pediatric care, cervical cancer screening, orthopedic surgery, diabetes care, and gastroenterology.

  • Long-term projects involve volunteers spending three to six months in El Salvador, focusing on health education, the education of health promoters, and community health care issues. Some examples include: drinking water quality and sanitation improvement projects.

For more details about getting ready for and going to El Salvador, read Preparations, Logistics, Necessary Information.

For Prospective Volunteers

The El Salvador Health Mission is only accepting volunteers who meet one of the following criteria:

  • PeaceHealth employees
  • PeaceHealth affiliates
  • Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace members
  • Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace affiliates

If you are interested in volunteering either at the U.S. office in Oregon or in San Salvador, please e-mail Kathy Garcia, El Salvador Health Mission Coordinator, at kgarcia@peacehealth.org.

Find out about current Volunteer Opportunities.

Read our Volunteer Reflections for first-hand accounts of the volunteer experience.

For Current Volunteers

There are two important documents for you to read as you prepare to serve with us in El Salvador. For your convenience, we have made online copies readily available for you to view and download to save on your computer's hard drive.

Both the Volunteer Manual and Volunteer Application Form are PDF files. You must have Adobe Acrobat to open these files and save them to your computer. Click here for a free download of Adobe Acrobat.

Print-out, sign and mail ALL 3 PAGES of the Volunteer Application to:

Kathy Garcia
P.O. Box 1479
Eugene, OR 97440
USA

© El Salvador Health Mission