Caroline Clements remembers how stoic the children of the Anchuar tribe were. They didn't flinch or cry as she administered sometimes-painful shots.

She remembers the heat and humidity of Ecuador's Amazon rain forests, where average temperatures reached 100 degrees and above.

She also can't wait to go back.

"I really miss being there, and if I could, I would do it all the time," Clements said. "It was very satisfying. The people are so appreciative."

Clements, a Marietta pediatric nurse, volunteers with Medical Expeditions International, a newly formed nonprofit organization that provides free medical care to people in remote communities in poor countries. Her last — and most memorable — trip was to the Amazon rain forest to provide health care to indigenous Anchuar tribesmen.

"I am a registered nurse in pediatrics and have always wanted to do some sort of volunteer mission work," Clements said. "In Ecuador, we provided very basic care. They have nothing, and the government rarely goes in there. We had a lot of infants with fever, adults with upper respiratory problems and malaria. Parasites are a big problem."

Although Clements was the only nurse to go to Ecuador, the volunteer medical team included an orthopedic surgeon, a general surgeon, a physician's assistant and a psychologist. Interested participants must pay their own way and often bring their own medical supplies.

Nurses — or any medical professionals who sign up for these trips — must be ready for anything, she said.

"You definitely have to expect the unexpected, with weather and political situations," Clements said.

Clements' first experience with a medical aid program was with Flying Doctors of America, a nonprofit that also provides free medical care in foreign lands. Rachel Friday, a registered dietician with a master's of public health degree, was in charge of organizing Flying Doctors trips for more than two years, Clements said.

The two met last May during a Flying Doctors mission to provide medical care to indigenous tribes in the Andes mountains of Peru. When Clements learned that Friday was going to form MEI, she jumped on board the new organization.

Because of her experience with Flying Doctors, Friday already has established relationships and connections with the areas targeted for health care, Clements said.

Clements' enthusiasm for the program led her to quit her job as a nurse with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. She started working in travel nursing with an agency, so she could have more time to help MEI.

Upcoming MEI efforts include trips to Ecuador Sept. 11 to 18, and to the province of Quinghia in China and Tibet July 23 to Aug. 8.

For information about MEI, call 404-815-7044 or go to their Web site at www.medexinternational.org.

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