Guatemala Health Initiative

GHI offers its belated warmest congratulations to Tai Bendit (GHI ’14) and Mia on their wedding. A beautiful celebration in Antigua Guatemala, a place that has clearly become part of their story.

Tai first came to Guatemala with GHI in 2014 as part of the University of Pennsylvania Summer Community Health Internship. He spent his time listening, conducting interviews with Tz’utujil Maya community members about their experiences with Hospitalito Atitlán Atitlán, and working with hospital leadership to better understand how care is perceived and accessed.

At the time, it was a summer of learning, work, and new perspective. No one could have known how that experience would continue to shape his life.
Over the years, Guatemala remained part of Tai’s path. Time spent in Antigua, relationships formed, and now a wedding that brings that journey full circle.
GHI has been fortunate to witness moments like this before. Alumni who meet partners through this work, who return, who build lives that continue to connect across places and communities. Erin and Ricardo. Shannon and Andre. And now Tai and Mia.

Summer internships end. Relationships continue.

GHI is so happy for you both as you begin this next chapter.

GHI. Just Life Shared.

Happy . Every summer, it seems every single GHI student finds their way to the same storefront in Santiago Atitlán.

It sits on the Parque Central, next to the bank, with a view of the basketball court, in a building owned by the Chávez family, known throughout Santiago for their artistic legacy. At first glance, it looks like a simple shop. Frozen fruit. Chocolate. But by evening there is often a line out the door.

Years ago, it was primarily a school supply store. Then someone had the idea to dip bananas in chocolate.

People liked them.

So they added more fruit.

Then a freezer.

Then another freezer.

Then more options.

Then a system.

Over time, a simple idea became a destination.

Every year our students gather there. Some are discussing maternal health. Others are talking about electronic medical records, disability, trauma and injury, breastfeeding, or antibiotic resistance. Some are simply taking a break after a long day.

The little shop on the square reminds us that meaningful things often grow from simple beginnings. A good idea. Consistent effort. Paying attention to what people value.

Or maybe this story is not about entrepreneurship at all.

Maybe it is about choco-bananas, choco-fruta, summer evenings, and the friendships formed over a shared snack in the center of town.

Perhaps that is what really matters.

GHI. Just Life Shared.

Penn Global of Pennsylvania

There is something remarkable happening in Guatemala, and across much of Latin America.

For generations, blood donation was often a response to a call from family or friends. You gave because someone you knew needed help. The relationship came first.

Today, a new culture is growing.

Guatemalan Students, health professionals, scientists, community leaders, and volunteers are encouraging people to donate blood for someone they may never meet. To give because an UNKNOWN patient needs it. To recognize that the health of a community depends on people caring for one another, even when there is no personal connection.

That is how strong communities are built.

Congratulations to long time partners Hospitalito Atitlán and the Facultad De Ciencias Médicas USAC, for helping build a culture of voluntary blood donation and reminding us that one act of generosity can save many lives.

Just Life Shared.



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🩸 ¡Gracias por donar vida! ❤️

La Dirección de Extensión y la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas agradecen a todos los estudiantes y docentes que, con su compromiso y solidaridad, participan en las Jornadas de Donación de Sangre realizadas en conjunto con el Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social (MSPAS).

Cada donación salva vidas. ¡Gracias por ser parte de esta noble causa! ❤️🩸

Sharing clean water.

This summer, GHI interns had the opportunity to attend the annual celebration of the Hospitalito Atitlán Maternal-Infant Sponsorship Program. Families gathered to celebrate healthy pregnancies, healthy children, and the community that helps make both possible.

This year, each mother-child dyad received an Ecofiltro.

At first glance, it is a water filter. But it is also a remarkable example of how innovation, entrepreneurship, and public health can work together. Ecofiltro, led by Philip Wilson (Penn MBA '94), uses locally produced clay, pine charcoal, and colloidal silver to provide safe drinking water without electricity or complex infrastructure.

One of the most inspiring aspects of the ecofiltro model is that it is designed to serve everyone. Premium products purchased by higher-income families help subsidize basic models for families with fewer resources. You are just as likely to find an Ecofiltro in a beautiful home in Antigua as in a modest home in the rural highlands.

Over the years, GHI students have visited the Ecofiltro production facility to understand how thoughtful engineering and sustainable business models can improve health at scale.

This week's celebration reminded us that improving health is rarely about one person or one organization. Donors share resources. Programs connect those resources to families. Companies create innovative solutions. Communities embrace them. Students learn from the process.

And afterward, everyone shared tamales, atol or tamarind(?), stories, and laughter.

GHI. Just Life Shared.
Hospitalito Atitlán Ecofiltro University of Pennsylvania Penn Global

Faculty on a boat.

Over the years, many Penn faculty members have helped shape GHI.

Judith Fisher. Mamie Guidera. Brian Strom. Charlie Branas. Glen Gaulton. Terry Richmond. Charlene Compher. Claudia Valeggia. Rudy Roth. Nathan Smith. Fran Barg. Kent Bream. Saad Siddiqui.

And many others.

Some taught students in clinics. Some developed research projects. Some opened institutional doors. Some simply said yes when a student needed a mentor.

The photos in this post span nearly twenty years. Different generations. Different moments.

Yet they all share something in common.

At some point during the trip, the work slows down. The lancha pushes away from the dock. The wind comes across Lake Atitlán. The volcanoes sit quietly in the distance. For a few minutes there is nothing to do except sit together and absorb where you are.

Those moments matter.

Years ago, one faculty member looked across the lake and said, "This is probably the most profound and impactful teaching of my career."

That statement has stayed a part of GHI.

Faculty come to Guatemala to teach. What surprises many of us is how much we learn.

We learn from students. We learn from colleagues. We learn from community leaders. We learn from patients. We learn from friends.

Twenty-one years later, GHI remains a story about partnership and learning. Not just for students, but for all of us.

And sometimes, it is also a story about faculty on a boat.

GHI. Just Life Shared.
University of Pennsylvania

Twenty years can change alot.

Twenty years ago, Rebeca Chiyal helped Penn students and local leaders conduct one of the first Community Health Surveys in Santiago Atitlán. The information gathered helped inform the development of the Red de Salud de Santiago Atitlán, a network of organizations and community partners working together to improve health.

She was also helping families improve environmental health through projects such as improved cookstoves with chimneys, reducing smoke exposure inside homes.

Fast forward to today.

Dra. Chiyal is now a physician and the Director of MSPAS in Santiago Atitlán. She is leading the public health system through challenges such as measles prevention and response. She is expanding access to care. She is strengthening accountability. She is supporting final-year medical students through a revitalized EPS program that brings care to rural communities. She is building educational partnerships and advancing primary care.

For those of us who have had the privilege of knowing Dra. Rebeca over the years, none of this is surprising.

What is inspiring is seeing how one person can grow from community volunteer, to partner, to leader, while never losing sight of the community she serves and the future.

The photos tell a story. A young woman helping build a healthier future. A leader continuing that work twenty years later.

Simply amazing.

GHI. Just Life Shared.
University of Pennsylvania

Class picture day!!

In Guatemala, if a group comes together, there will eventually be a group photo. This summer's GHI interns are no exception.

This May we welcomed seven Penn students through the Penn Global GRIP Summer Internship and the Field School in Global Health. They are joined by interns from Denison and Columbia, and a new PILA/JUNAM Fellow (Penn MPH '2026) beginning a year of learning and service in Santiago Atitlán.

Over the coming months, these students will work with Asociación K’aslimaal, Hospitalito Atitlán, MSPAS, ADISA, USAC, and URL on projects ranging from maternal health and breastfeeding to electronic medical records, antimicrobial resistance, trauma, and disability.

What is most excitingt is not just the research. It is the .
Students from different universities, professions, cultures, and backgrounds will learn together. Community members will help identify the questions. Students will help develop the methods. Partners will work together to improve care and strengthen programs.

Twenty-one years into GHI, this remains one of our favorite moments. A new group as the summer begins, not yet knowing how much they will learn, how many friendships they will form, how much they will grow, or where they will go.

Welcome to Guatemala!

GHI. Just Life Shared.
University of Pennsylvania Penn Global Hospitalito Atitlán URL, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Facultad De Ciencias Médicas USAC Adisa