Student Jobs | Internships | Graduate Jobs | Freelance Work | Careers Advice

The Project

Volunteer in Africa and take part in a medical project based in Zambia working with home visit programs, clinical work, HIV education and health talks and old people’s homes to provide much needed assistance for understaffed medical facilities. Covering all aspects of medical care and home help you will be able to help out in a number of understaffed hospitals and clinics as well as helping to care for very ill people in their homes. This project also has an element of elderly care and support, HIV Education, training to help the locals care for the sick in their communities and also school refurbishment and building projects on some afternoons. With so many activities to get involved with, this is the perfect medical project for a complete beginner, a med student or a qualified practitioner as the project will be shaped by the volunteer’s skills and interests.

Why the project needs you

A lack of funding within the medical, hospice and home based care systems in Zambia has resulted in serious staff shortages in all areas of the medical and nursing field. Volunteers assist and support the trained staff at a level suitable to their experience in order that more people can be seen faster, that the needy are given attention and support that is difficult to provide and bring an invaluable helping hand in a system that is struggling to cope with rising HIV numbers, limited education and a lack of resources.

Role of the volunteer

The volunteer’s duties will vary depending on their skills and level of experience within the health and medical field. Qualified practitioners will be able to use their skills where they are most needed, where more general work includes recording data, taking vitals, conducting tests, preparing patients for their appointment and conducting health talks. There are 5 particular areas where this project allows volunteer interaction:

Clinics – Volunteers will check blood pressure, temperature and the weight of patients (baby weighing is particularly fun!) before they are screened by the medical officer. Qualified doctors may be able to assist with the screening of patients and the help of midwives is always appreciated by the nursing staff in the labour ward.

Home Based Care – It is the volunteer’s duty to provide basic advice, comfort and assistance to members of the community with little or no access to clinics or hospitals. This may mean basic First Aid, including wound dressing, dispensing of basic medication in critical cases and chatting to patients about the importance of hygiene, a healthy diet and exercise. Home Based Care is also about assisting those incapable of taking care of themselves by making a patient’s bed, doing a bit of simple house work for them and generally trying to improve their circumstance in the most basic yet effective way.

HIV Education and Health Talks – Many health issues in Livingstone could be improved with a little education. HIV is a serious problem that continues to grow and the trend can only be reversed through education. Numerous health issues could be reduced through improved hygiene and nutrition. Volunteers work in small groups to teach about communicable diseases, healthy living and HIV awareness and prevention.

Old People’s Home – The home is poorly funded by the government and the residents mostly have no family or carers to look after them. Medical volunteers provide assistance by taking vitals – blood pressure, temperature and weight – to monitor health, treat bed sores, increase mobility and general health of the residents and address any medical issues that arise.

HIV Education in Prisons – Inmates of the local prison are a group within the local population that is vulnerable and highly susceptible to contracting HIV/AIDS and as such are an important audience to deliver the message about HIV, prevention, awareness, breaking stigma and living positively for those who are infected by the virus. (Please note this is a selective application based on age, medical background and fluency in English).

In addition to this, community projects in the afternoon are an optional alternative to medical work and include building and refurbishment work, some agricultural labour on the elephant pepper project (working to keep elephants out of the villages and provide additional income for the poorest communities) and various arts, crafts and literacy classes within the community.

Project Fees

We  do charge a project fee. Why pay to volunteer? Project fees for volunteering are an increasingly common necessity for volunteering abroad projects. With Kaya you can guarantee your contributions are put to best use. All our projects are supported by volunteer services which must be paid for; safe, quality homestay accommodation and 2 meals a day which can provide a local family with an income while ensuring the standards are suitable to volunteer needs, airport pick-ups and in-country support staff as well as briefing and orientation materials and language support. Please visit our website for more information.