Support frontline healthcare services in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon while gaining valuable clinical experience in a rural medical setting.
This internship takes place in Codo del Pozuzo, Puerto Inca (Huánuco, Peru), where you’ll work alongside local healthcare professionals in a community facing limited medical resources, constrained facilities, and high patient demand. By supporting the local healthcare system, you’ll contribute to improving access to essential medical services while developing practical skills in a real-world clinical environment.
Ideal for medical and nursing students, public health students, and aspiring healthcare professionals, this placement offers a unique opportunity to combine meaningful community impact with immersive cultural and environmental experiences in one of the world’s most biodiverse regions.
Your responsibilities will be tailored to your level of training, qualifications, and clinical experience, ensuring you work safely and ethically while learning from experienced local healthcare professionals.
Learning Objectives
This is a conservation-focused NGO based on the outskirts of the Peruvian Amazon working to protect the rainforest through youth empowerment and community development. They have a series of goals aimed to reduce poverty and drive sustainable development in the local region including improving education for children for the area, teaching English skills, and creating infrastructure for tourism. They believe that by building skills and creating new job opportunities, they can curtail activities that harm the rainforest and incentivize its conservation.
Interns will assist with the day-to-day running of this rural community’s healthcare center. Depending on your qualifications, interests, and local needs, placements may be available in: General Medicine, Obstetrics & Women’s Health, Nursing, Dentistry
Pharmacy, Clinical Laboratory, Psychology, Environmental Health & Vector Control
Medical & Pre-med Students (under continuous supervision)
Participants may assist with:
Qualified Doctors & Licensed Healthcare Professionals
Licensed participants may provide more advanced clinical support appropriate to their qualifications, professional experience, and local authorization. Responsibilities are determined in consultation with the host healthcare team and always comply with local regulations.
To ensure patient safety and ethical standards, applicants must have verified medical or healthcare training. Participants without relevant qualifications or current enrollment in a healthcare-related field cannot be accepted.
Interns stay in one of the project’s cabins in Puerto Inca. You’ll have basic amenities including showers, long drop compost toilets, a bed with a mosquito net, Wifi, and a kitchen where you can cook for yourself. This is very basic accommodation with limited resources, so this program is best suited for interns prepared for a more stripped back way of life.
Make sure to visit your doctor and dentist for a check-up before yor internship and to get all the recommended vaccines and/or medications necessary to stay healthy.
The village of Puerto Inca has no running water. People use water wells to get water so we recommend bringing a portable water filter to make sure you are drinking clean water, particularly during trips to the jungle.
There is Wifi in the cabin but the connection can be a bit unreliable, so you can do video calls but streaming is not really possible. It’s recommended to buy a local SIM card with unlimited internet, especially if you also need to do online work. Be sure your phone is unlocked for international carriers before your arrival.
Breakfast and lunch are included during working days. You will need to cook your own food during the evening and weekends or you can go out for a meal. Generally for a few dollars you can get a nice meal consisting of an appetizer (soup or salad) and a main dish. A soft fruit juice is often part of the menu as well. You can also go fruit picking as there are plenty of fruits around the village for free.
You’ll be based in Puerto Inca in the Huánuco region of Peru. This is an area of stunning natural beauty situated along the Sira Mountains in the Amazon Rainforest and bisected by the Pachitea River. The majority of the population lives off farming but deep within the jungle native communities still upholding their customs and traditions can be found too. As well as its extraordinary biodiversity, the area is famed for a number of geological and archaeological sites that you can visit during your internship.
Internships begin on a Monday and it’s recommended to arrive on weekends, so you can explore Puerto Inca before your official first day. Start and end dates are flexible and will be discussed with you during the selection process.
Note: meals & Spanish classes are NOT included after week 12
What you’ll pay (2026 rates)
4 weeks USD 2,508
6 weeks USD 3,219
8 weeks USD 3,846
12 weeks USD 4,849
16 weeks USD 5,521
20 weeks USD 6,201
Some of our most commonly asked questions for programs in Peru.
You can expect to be in bustling cities or a completely remote jungle, depending on your internship of choice. Also, you’ll be collaborating with local professionals and volunteers that will offer you insights into Peruvian work ethics and practices. Beyond your internship, your weekends and free time can be spent discovering the overall breathtaking beauty of the country.
During your internship in Peru, you’ll be able to utilize your professional and personal skills, as well as develop those skills that you feel could use more work. Also, employers may see your CV as more favorable, since it’ll show that you were a part of a meaningful international grassroots project, which shows a variety of transferable qualities. If you want to know more about how doing a nonprofit internship is good for your career, make sure to check this blog out!
Yes, but you must check with your university supervisor that this experience qualifies. You can also buy additional transfer credits to add onto your internship.
Unfortunately, no. You can find other ways to fund your internship as you will not be paid while working with a nonprofit organization. Your internship experience will bring a wealth of new knowledge, along with opportunities for professional and personal growth which are both invaluable!
If you’re ready to apply for this internship, here’s what to do:
Fill in the application form and share your CV with us.
We’ll set up a call to get to know a bit more about you and your internship goals.
Your placement manager will confirm with the host organization that you are qualified for their current projects.
When your host site confirms that your application is being given strong consideration, verify your interest with a USD $250 deposit.
Meet with your host organization and move forward with your new role. We’re excited to help you plan your international internship!
If you’d like to ask us some questions about our internships, fill in the contact form below. We’ll be happy to assist!
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ABOUT US
At Roots, we create the perfect balance between meaningful work and valuable learning through internships with nonprofits & social enterprises in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
CONTACT
US: +1 617 500 6179
UK registered office:
Raleigh Expeditions Ltd, Unit 10 Kingfisher Park, Headlands Business Park, Ringwood, Hampshire, BH24 3NX, UK
US registered office:
ITG US LLC, 3015 E Franklin Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55406 USA
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ABOUT US
At Roots, we create the perfect balance between meaningful work and valuable learning through internships with nonprofits & social enterprises in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
CONTACT
UK: +44 139 269 0255
US: +1 617 500 6179
internship@rootsinterns.com
OFFICE: Cape Town, South Africa
SOCIAL
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
ABOUT US
At Roots, we create the perfect balance between meaningful work and valuable learning through internships with nonprofits & social enterprises in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
CONTACT
UK: +44 139 269 0255
US: +1 617 500 6179
internship@rootsinterns.com
OFFICE: Cape Town, South Africa
SOCIAL
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
