Frequently Asked Questions

We are so excited you are thinking of volunteering on a Smiles Movement Service Learning Trip! To register for a trip, visit our Upcoming Trips page, select your preferred dates, fill out your personal details, and pay the $200 non-refundable deposit. Your spot on the Service Learning Trip will be reserved!

Volunteering on a Smiles Movement SLT provides the opportunity to make a direct impact on underserved communities by offering essential dental care. Volunteers gain hands-on experience in global health and dentistry, while also developing cultural awareness and teamwork skills in a collaborative environment. It's a rewarding experience that combines professional growth with the chance to give back.

Our Service Learning Trips are available in Peru, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Tanzania.

Smiles Movement offers several different Service Learning Trip options during students’ winter, spring, and summer breaks. A list of upcoming Service Learning Trips can be found here.

Anyone can volunteer on a Service Learning Trip! Please note that participants under 18 years of age must have the consent of their parent/guardian to participate and must be chaperoned by parents or school staff members over the age of 21. One chaperone is required per 6 minors.

For standard Service Learning Trips, MEDLIFE requires a commitment from a minimum of 15 volunteers to confirm a trip.

We can arrange trips for smaller groups, but pricing will vary. Alternatively, we may be able to join your group with another group. If you have a group of less than 15 and would like to travel, please contact info@medlifemovement.org to discuss your options.

Smiles Movement volunteers are not required to speak Spanish nor to have any previous medical experience. That being said, we encourage volunteers to familiarize themselves with basic phrases in the local language, as well as the medical and cultural landscape in the country they plan to visit.

Smiles Movement is a partner organization of MEDLIFE, working together to provide essential healthcare services to underserved communities. While MEDLIFE focuses on broader healthcare and development projects, Smiles Movement specifically addresses dental care, offering volunteer opportunities and treatment to those in need. Both organizations share the mission of improving access to healthcare and empowering communities through sustainable solutions.

A Smiles Movement Service Learning Trip (SLT) focuses specifically on providing dental care to underserved communities, offering volunteers hands-on experience in dental clinics alongside local professionals. In contrast, a MEDLIFE SLT encompasses a broader range of healthcare and community development projects, including medical care, infrastructure building, and education. Both trips combine service with cultural immersion, but Smiles Movement SLTs are tailored for those with an interest in dental health.

If you arrive within the scheduled timeframe that was specified to you in the flight email sent out to all volunteers, a Smiles Movement staff member will be waiting to pick you up at the airport to transport you to your hotel. Look for someone in a Smiles/MEDLIFE t-shirt and/or with a Smiles/MEDLIFE sign. If you arrive before or after the specified timeframe, Smiles Movement can still coordinate to pick you up from the airport, but you will need to cover the transportation costs. This varies by location, so please contact info@medlifemovement.org with your trip dates and location for specific transportation costs.

If for some reason you cannot find the MEDLIFE representative or your flight has been changed, please call our Lima or Riobamba offices or your respective Service Learning Trip staff members. All contact information will be provided to volunteers via email and is available on our website.

If your flight is delayed or canceled, contact the Lima office as soon as possible at 844 633 5433. Also, please send an email to info@medlifemovement.org with the subject line “Flight Change/Cancellation.”

When our Mobile Clinic doctors identify a patient who requires treatment that the Clinic itself is unequipped to provide, Smile’s in-country staff then follows up with that patient individually after the Clinic ends to ensure they receive whatever additional care they need. Click here to read more about patient follow-up care.

Smiles Movement ensures that all Service Learning Trip volunteers are accommodated in clean, safe, and reputable hotels, along with at least one MEDLIFE staff member. All the hotels where we stay have basic amenities like electricity, running water, hot showers, internet access, clean linens, and safe-lock boxes for valuables. Water and healthy food are always available at the hotel or nearby places. A Smiles Movement representative will provide you with the updated details regarding your accommodation in advance of your trip.

Breakfast is provided at the hotel, typically juice/tea/coffee, fruit, bread, and eggs. A bag lunch that includes a sandwich, a piece of fruit, chips, and cookies is provided during volunteer days. However, the contents may vary depending on the destination.

Dinner will be provided on weekdays at the hotel or a restaurant (depending on the destination). Water is provided daily, but volunteers are required to bring their own water bottle. Smiles Movement employees work to ensure that all food and facilities are safe for consumption by travelers. Additional food and drinks may be ordered for an extra cost by the volunteer.

Meals are provided Monday-Friday of the Service Learning Trip. Volunteers are responsible for financing their meals on weekends. However, Smiles Movement staff often coordinate with the group to visit restaurants or other dining options.

When registering for a Service Learning Trip, you will be asked to select your meal preferences. Options include regular, no lactose, no gluten, vegan, and vegetarian. When selecting the “regular” option, meat and chicken will be included in your meals.

There will be a “Medical Notes/Allergies” box to add any dietary restrictions not included in the list. Smiles Movement will accommodate food allergies, religious observances, and choices like vegetarianism or veganism as long as we have advance notice. However, please do not list food items you do not like to eat.

Service Learning Trips would not be possible without the support of our volunteers! Volunteers have the opportunity to work closely with and learn from our medical professionals as they identify individual patients who require further treatment. They work with our staff at patient intake, triage, consultations, and in the pharmacy. Volunteers also help run our educational programs and shadow the local dentists.

Smiles Movement staff place the most outstanding value on the safety of our volunteers. We meet all incoming volunteers at the airport and accompany them to the hotel via private transportation. Volunteers use solely private transportation throughout the entire week (to/from the airport, clinic sites, and tourist activities).

Volunteers are advised to leave the hotel only during the day, preferably in groups, and not to leave at night unless accompanied or given authorization by Smiles Movement staff. Our team is always present in the communities where we conduct Service Learning Trips.

During our Mobile Clinics, we welcome all members of the local communities. As expected, some patients may arrive already ill and possibly contagious. While MEDLIFE does not intentionally operate in outbreak zones or high-risk areas, it is still possible that volunteers may encounter patients with illnesses such as, but not limited to, Tuberculosis, Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Zika, Hepatitis B, and HIV among others. To protect ourselves from unnecessary risk and to protect the communities from the pathogens that we as a group are bringing to the area, we ask that volunteers adhere to the following indications:

Every volunteer will be provided with a mask. Its use is mandatory at all times. Please remember to take it with you every day to the clinics. Likewise, the use of protective gloves is also required. We encourage volunteers to change gloves between patients when necessary.

Smiles Movement has a specific and intricate emergency protocol process. All of our staff is completely briefed on what to do in case of an emergency in every location. We are also covered by emergency medical insurance.

If you have specific questions, please reach out to trips@medlifemovement.org.

If a volunteer needs to return home at any time, Smiles Movement will help coordinate any arrangements needed as much as the circumstances allow us to. Unfortunately, there is no reimbursement if a volunteer needs to leave early as the donation goes towards covering all Mobile Clinic expenses ahead of time.

The majority of our volunteer opportunities are in South America and Africa. If you live close to our volunteer locations, you have the unique opportunity to get to participate in a Service Trip and not have to travel very far. However, if you’re located in North America, Europe, Asia, or another part of the world and are unable to travel, we do occasionally offer virtual Service Learning Trips. Click here to learn more.