Thinking About Applying?

Two CAMTA teams travel to Quito in late February/early March each year. Each team is in Quito for 10 days, with a 3-day overlap in the middle of the mission for transitioning between teams. The dates for the 2020 mission are Friday, February 21st to Monday, March 2nd for Team One and Friday, February 28th to Monday, March 9th for Team Two.

Each member of the team is responsible for a portion of the fund-raising that makes our mission possible.  Your minimum responsibility is a $275.00 membership fee ($200.00 is tax deductible) plus $3,200.00. The latter amount helps to pay for your airfare, hotel, meals, and transportation to and from the hospital.  How you raise that money is your choice.  You can write a personal cheque to CAMTA for the $3,200.00 but we urge you to remember that active fund-raising by many individuals spreads the word about CAMTA. Any individual who writes a cheque to CAMTA on your behalf for $20.00 or more is eligible for a tax receipt. If you write a personal cheque to CAMTA for the $3,200.00 and travel directly to and from Ecuador, you will be eligible for a tax receipt.  If you stay behind and travel on your own after the mission, we cannot issue you a tax receipt.  These are Revenue Canada rules.

Although the thought of having to raise $3,000.00 may seem onerous, the experience of those who have raised funds in the past is that many people are happy to donate CAMTA and to receive the tax receipt for doing so.

CAMTA provides fundraising tools and resources that will help you get started with your fundraising efforts.

Apply here. We urge you to get your application in as early as possible. The teams are generally chosen  a good six months before the mission.

An employer, co-worker or a long-term friend

The reference letter should indicate how the referee knows you, how long they have known you, and in what capacity. They should indicate what they think you can offer to CAMTA’s mission and why they believe you would be a good addition to the team.

We will have our team in in place by September of each year at the latest, so you will know by then. If you have been accepted for a team, we will notify you by email and your profile status will be changed to “Approved”. You will then be given full access to your profile where you will be asked to complete additional forms and begin your fundraising campaign.

We encourage you to apply when you are interested, even if you don’t think you will be able to join a team for a year or so. This serves two purposes. First, it makes it more likely there will be a spot for you when you are able to go and second, it gives us a list to work with if we find ourselves close to departure with some empty spots on the team.  CAMTA emails everyone on the list each spring asking them to indicate their intentions. If you are still interested, CAMTA will keep you on the list. If you are no longer interested, CAMTA will remove you from the list

Each annual mission consists of two teams of 45 to 50 volunteers each.

Team members are chosen based on what they have to offer the team, whether or not their skills are skills that we currently need, and when their application forms are received. You are encouraged to send in your application as soon as possible as all applications are time dated. If we have two equal applicants, the decision is based on additional skills such as Spanish language fluency and/or time of application. If you are not chosen for the current mission, your application will be retained for consideration next year.

Yes. CAMTA has a core team of medical professionals who have participated in every mission as well as many people who have come to Ecuador for several years. Each year the team is made up of roughly 2/3 returning members and 1/3 new members.  The returning team members offer their experience and knowledge and the new members contribute excitement, and fresh ideas. Those who volunteer as “lay people or general students” usually only participate once, as there is always a demand for these positions. There are some lay people or students who have had special skills to offer the team and those people have been asked to join the team more than once.

CAMTA performs pediatric othorpedic surgeries to repair club feet, hip dysplasia,and  injuries due to accidents as well as total hip replacements for adult patients.

Many people hear from former CAMTA patients and their friends and families.  For example, a woman from Provincia Orellana, a 12 hour bus ride from Quito, was at Tierra Nueva Hospital with her daughter in 2006. She asked the social worker about all the different groups that come to help at the hospital. She returned to her province with posters and went door-to- door to ask if anyone was suffering from problems that could be helped by any of the groups. The next year, she brought eight people from her province.

CAMTA started its medical mission to Ecuador in 2001. Since then, the need has been so great that we return every year. As well, we have established very positive relationships with the hospitals and the community. CAMTA may move beyond Ecuador someday, but for now it takes all the resources we have to provide our services to Ecuado