Location:

Arusha, Tanzania, United Republic of; Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, United Republic of

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Year Round

Program Overview

Program Description:

Medical interns without credentials are not allowed to work in this program because of the potential liability risk. Job re-sponsibilities of interns vary with education, skills, expe-rience, and qualifications. Interns measure blood pressure, temperature, height, weight, as well as assist doctors. Interns may also help in health camps, distribute medication, advice patients about health, nutrition and sanitation as well as council patients and possibly participate in the treatment of minor injuries and wounds or maintain journals. Work is from 20-30 hours per week. Volunteers are accom-modated in a separate room at the orphanage or with host families, with local food three times a day. You may have to share room with another volunteer. On the first day of the project you will meet a project coor-dinator, who will explain your role as a volunteer. The orien-tation will cover all the relevant information about your project, including safety issues. An individual timetable will be worked out for you based on how much time you want to commit to volunteering. You will select a particular area of interest related to medi-cal/healthcare issues and explore the issue further with the help of an assigned supervisor. Please note: the project su-pervisor DOES NOT develop internships. It is up to the interns to get as much as possible out of their projects.

If you are looking for valuable hands-on medical experience, there are possibilities in the hospitals in Arusha. As a medical intern, you will also be able to work at rural health posts and community clinics. Participants spend the majority of their internship working as an assistant to a doc-tor/healthcare professional. Work responsibilities vary with your education, skills, and previous experience. Interns in-terested in joining this internship must have health care cer-tification, such as an ID as a medical student, EMT or para-medic certification, or nursing or physician's credentials.

It is a big challenge to live and work in a poor country. It de-mands courage, some experience and the ability to adapt. It can be overwhelming, especially at first, to have to adjust to completely new conditions, communicate in a foreign lan-guage etc. Things are not as you are used to, the climate, the food, the atmosphere – everything is different. During your work you will be faced with a harsh social reality and experience things a tourist would never see. To take part in the voluntary work program, maturity, flex-ibility, independence and the desire to do social work are ne-cessary. Your stay is an experience you will never forget. Volunteering in Tanzania enables you to experience this great country up close and personal.

Setting Description:

Arusha is one of the bigger cities in the north of Tanzania at the base of Mt. Meru, not far from the border with Kenya. It is well known as an African congress center containing the site for the International Tribunal for the Rwandan Genocide. Climate The climate varies from tropical along the coast to temperate in the highlands. The coastal region is tropical with relatively high humidity. The average temperature is moderated by the sea breeze, especially on the islands, and ranges between 27 and 29 degrees Celsius. In the mountainous areas of the Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Mara regions the temperature occasionally drops below 15 degrees Celsius at night during the months of June and July. There are two rainy seasons - from mid March through May and in November – December, when it rains only a few hours during the day.