Program Overview

The community health development program is for those working in the healthcare sector and are looking to contribute to health-based education and awareness in the local community. Our health programs aim to provide long-term, sustainable support to communities whereby people have the opportunity to be better educated on key health-related challenges including:

• Women’s Health
• Maternal Health
• WASH
• First Aid
• Disease prevention and control
• Dental Hygiene

To ensure safety for both volunteers and community members, health volunteers do not work in hospitals or clinics, where they perform direct medical services on patients. This program works specifically as a capacity-building program where volunteers can expect to develop resources, run workshops, provide talks and educate on health challenges.

We are only looking for volunteers who are either qualified or enrolled in medical education: Medical Students, Dental, Nursing Students, Midwife Students or any other Health related field. When you apply for this placement, we require you to see either qualification or enrolment papers from your educational facility as well as a list of your qualifications, so we can make sure that you are fit and prepared to volunteer in health.

What will I do as a Medical Volunteer Abroad?

On this program, you will be working with local schools and community groups, promotion health awareness and education on key health related challenges. Therefore, a typical day on this program could look quite different, depending on where your group is needing to work that day.

This program involves working with local community members to identify key health related challenges, then using what you identify the needs to be, developing workshops and resources to promote health based awareness. This means you may spend some days at the accommodation working with other volunteers on developing such workshops and resources, gathering equipment or materials needed, making plans on where you will be conducting your outreach. During your program, the bulk of it will be spent delivering health based education and awareness in local schools and community groups.

This program really draws on your professional health knowledge, and allows you the opportunity to expand your public health skills by working with developing communities who have very limited access to healthcare. This program does not allow you to work specifically in hospitals, as ensuring the safety of both volunteers and the community remains at the forefront of our programs. Focusing on developing health knowledge and awareness at the grassroots is the focus for more long-term, sustainable impacts.

You can spend your free time with other travellers, exploring the city, relaxing, and many continue working on developing ideas, resources and activities for your school in the afternoons also.

At the accommodation, there are several weekend tours, Safaris, daily activities and events which you can also join to make the most of your time here in Tanzania.

 Key program focuses and outcomes

• To work with local communities to ethically research and identify core health challenges.
• To develop a plan of how you will work to collaboratively develop community knowledge around such health challenges.
• To develop workshops, resources, and curriculums to educate the community on such challenges.
• To create a plan on how you will ethically conduct such outreach, including where, how, and what efforts will be made to gain the trust and consent of the community, safeguarding, and ethical practices.

Characteristics that are great to have for Medical Internship Projects Abroad

In case you’re not sure whether you have what it takes to be a medical volunteer or intern abroad, we have listed some characteristics that are great to have for a medical training program:

• Communication skills
• Emotional stability
• Empathy
• Flexibility
• Attention to detail
• Interpersonal skills
• Physical endurance
• Problem-solving skills
• Quick response to emergency situations
• Respect for people of all cultures

What language skills are required?

English is the main language for all the medical programs. It’s important that volunteers have a good understanding of English to be able to work and communicate with the community and other volunteers. You will also learn some swahili during your time here and this will be a big plus for you since you will be able to communicate. If your ready to sign up for the program, please go register your self into our form and will proceed from there.

Our commitment to ethical volunteering

Fursa projects have a primary focus on having a sustainable and ethical impact on the community and placements we work with. As such, your program does have set guidelines and key focuses that ensure the people you work with are protected, their needs are put first, the community remains at the forefront of development and to ensure a that volunteers continually contribute to long-term, overarching goals. Unlike most other programs, Fursa Projects operates as any NGO project would, where we build our programs based on in-depth needs assessment with the local community, structures to measure our program’s success, and guidelines that govern the work of volunteers.

As a volunteer with Fursa Projects, you will also receive unique training and introductions to ensure your time abroad is both enjoyable, safe, and has a genuine impact.