MSU students go to great lengths in order to serve impoverished communities around the world, and MEDLIFE MSU is no exception.
MEDLIFE, which stands for medicine education development for lower income families everywhere, works in developing nations to provide basic services, like education, to those in need, said Vaishali Kapila, president of MSU’s newly restarted chapter.
MEDLIFE helps bring plumbing, medical clinics and education for sustainability to countries and families that wouldn’t otherwise have access, Kapila said, adding that even something as simple as teaching people to brush their teeth can make a huge difference in their lives.
MSU’s chapter does fundraisers for the international organization and spreads awareness about helping impoverished families, said Kapila, who is a neuroscience graduate student.
She said the funds raised then go towards providing supplies in these countries and flying doctors overseas.
“It’s something I would want to do when I become a doctor,” Kapila said.
Evita Moody, vice president of MEDLIFE MSU, said she hopes the organization will grow in the next year.
Moody, who is also a physiology sophomore, said they have made giant strides via social media and having advertising tables around campus.
She said whether or not she decides to continue on a pre-med track, MEDLIFE is an organization that she wants to continue to work with because she has seen poverty first-hand.
“The least we can do as college students is go down there and help them develop it more,” she said, adding that she was looking forward to doing service abroad in the next year.
Morgan Rice, genetics pre-med sophomore, said she found out about MEDLIFE during her search for a service trip abroad. MEDLIFE offers a service trip to Peru over spring break and in the summer, said Rice, who is excited about attending this summer.
“I would love to spend at least a couple years of my life going out of the country and serving,” Rice said.
MEDLIFE MSU invited guest speaker Terry Mulligan, MEDLIFE director of Tanzania and mobile schools, to its meeting Tuesday evening.
“For MEDLIFE, our work isn’t done and isn’t even possible without students, without volunteers,” he said. “Just empowering young people to do something and help people, that’s what it’s all about – at least for me.”
Kapila said she hopes to bring opportunities and resources from initiatives abroad to those in need at home.
“We’re hoping to have a mini clinic in Lansing (in the future)…so we can affect the people here as we do in the overseas clinic,” Kapila said.
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