Freddy Alvarez is a mechanic who lives and works in Ecuador. He volunteers with the outreach teams conducted by longtime CMMB partner, Hospital San Juan de Dios (HSJD).
Freddy was born and raised in the scenic city of Cuenca, nestled in the Andes mountains of Southern Ecuador. It is rich in history, both from the Spanish Empire and the Incan Empire that preceded it. Cuenca now draws tourism from all over the world. The city itself is prosperous, and it was here that Freddy began a successful career as a mechanic. Unfortunately, Ecuador suffers from uneven development. Small rural villages are incredibly isolated by the rugged, mountainous geography. This negatively impacts many aspects of rural citizens’ lives, not the least of which being health. Few rural villages have a readily accessible health facility, with many community residents foregoing regular checkups or care for minor ailments altogether.
This disparity in access to healthcare motivated Hospital San Juan de Dios to start planning regular outreach trips to rural parts of the country. You can read more about their work and CMMB’s support here. Freddy was likewise struck by the realities of the difficult life rural Ecuadorians were forced into. He started volunteering with HSJD’s outreach missions six years ago. At first, he was only involved in religious activities for the poor. However, his advanced skills as a mechanic came in handy as the teams had to navigate long journeys through difficult mountainous terrain to reach patients in remote areas. His responsibilities soon expanded to organizing clothing drives, acquiring needed medicines, and repairing what he can at the village schools and churches while the medical team members were seeing patients. He is thankful all those generous people that he works with, and those who support the work of HSJD. He also expressed gratitude for the partnership of CMMB in order to bring medical care to those who would have no other place to go.
