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Organising Voluntary Projects, Internships and Gap Years since 1994.

ZIMBABWE

COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE AND MEDICAL PROJECT IN GWERU, ZIMBABWE

Provide much needed assistance to the underfunded and understaffed healthcare system! This project is not an internship, rather it's about gaining experience in medical work in Zimbabwe.Whilst on this project, your biggest service will be the manpower that you offer.

You'll be able to get involved in not only this clinic but others in the nearby area as well. You don't need to be qualified in any particular area.

SUMMARY: THE BASICS

Price: £995 for 2 weeks
£250 for each additional week.
Excludes flights. Please see Full Price List & Other Currencies
Duration: This Project is a fixed length of 4 weeks.
Start Dates and Availability: All year round - you choose your start and finish dates. Projects start every other Monday.
Requirements: Minimum age 18. No qualifications needed but you should have lots of enthusiasm.
What's included: Arranging your Programme
Full pre-departure support and assistance
Payment Protection insurance
Accommodation
Food
Meeting you at the nearest Airport
Transfer to and from your Project
Local in-country team support and backup
24-hr emergency support
Certificate of Completion
What's not included: Flights, Insurance, Cost of Visas.
Who can do this Project? All projects are open to all nationalities.
Suitable for gap years or those taking a year out, grown-up gappers, career breakers, anyone interested in healthcare, medicine and community development. Also suitable for anyone wanting to study abroad and learn about the healthcare practice overseas.

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT

  • An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure into Africa and the Zimbabwean culture.
  • The enormous satisfaction of helping a disadvantaged community and knowing that you made a difference to them.
  • New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding of different cultures, invaluable personal and professional development.
  • An entry on your CV or résumé that will put you head and shoulders above most others in the job market.
  • And best of all ... an unforgettable experience!
BOOK NOW! SEE ALL PROJECTS IN ZIMBABWE info@travellersworldwide.com

ANY QUESTIONS?

Please fill in the form below and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

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WORK CONTENT AND DESCRIPTION

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Gaining basic medical experience in local clinics through interaction with nurses and local staff
  • Playing a role in HIV/AIDS education and awareness
  • Getting involved in tasks such as baby weighing, taking blood pressure and body temperate etc.
  • Opportunity to do home visits and night duty at the clinics
  • Nutrition awareness and general counselling
  • Participating in national immunization campaigns; health outreaches or education drives
  • Repairs and Maintenance

WORK CONTENT:
You'll be accommodated on a stunning private reserve and have the opportunity to experience hands on interaction with lion cubs, elephant rides, canoeing & fishing, and horse riding, to name a few exciting activities you can enjoy in your time off.

This project is not an internship, rather it's about gaining experience in medical work in Zimbabwe. Whilst on this project, your biggest service will be the manpower that you offer. You'll be able to get involved in not only this clinic but others in the nearby area as well. You do not need to be qualified in any particular area.

You will assist qualified personnel in

  • weighing babies, reading body temperatures and blood pressure
  • filing, archiving
  • general cleaning and maintenance, and making patients feel welcome and comfortable.
  • You will also have the opportunity to do home visits and maybe even night duty at the clinics!
  • Away from the clinic you will participate in health education campaigns and national immunization drives

Right on the door step of the Game Reserve is the high density area of Mkoba. This is the area where the majority of Gweru’s population live Most of them do not have access to private healthcare facilities so most are totally dependent on the poorly staffed and serviced local clinics; specifically Mkoba Polyclinic.

In 2002, Mkoba Polyclinic catered for 47,580 people in one year. Currently it is estimated to be catering for over 90,000 people. It is ill equipped and poorly funded and above all, severely understaffed. This service provider is heavily dependent on goodwill and support from donor agencies.

Their maternity ward caters for all surrounding areas and records on average 125 births per months, yet only has 2 delivery beds.

The Opportunistic Infections Department process about 2500 cases of HIV/AIDS a month and the Extended Programme for Immunization Department does a minimum of 1900 immunizations a month.

PROJECT ORIENTATION:
You will receive your introduction and orientation to the project upon arrival. You will be introduced to your Volunteer Co-ordinator and to the Volunteer Manager, and will be shown around the volunteer accommodation and surrounding area.

Your Volunteer Co-ordinator will brief you on Africa, Zimbabwe and the projects and will prepare you for your work on the various parts of the project.

you will receive relevant information about common diseases and illnesses that you will come into contact with (e.g. HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria etc.) and safety precautions for working in the clinics to ensure that you start work in a well-prepared and safe way.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A VOLUNTEER:
Please note that with the needs of the projects constantly changing, the below is given as a guideline only, and we ask that you remain flexible:

  • 7.30: Breakfast at the accommodation park
  • 8:00am: Depart for one of the clinics
  • 8:30am: Arrival at the clinic and deployment to the different departments – EPI, OI, Maternity ward, outpatients etc
  • 12:00pm: Break for lunch (packed) and move to a different project for the afternoon, or remain at the same one
  • 15:00pm: Pick up and return to the Park for the evening where you can relax, socialise, go for a swim, do emails, watch television – to name a few things.
  • 6.45pm: Briefing by your volunteer coordinator about the following days activities. The volunteers socialize at dinner at 7.00pm and around the cosy camp fire under the stars.

START DATES:
The start dates for 2015 are:
Sep: 14th and 28th
Oct: 12th and 26th
Nov: 9th and 23rd
Dec: 7th and 21st

For 2016 the start dates are:
Jan 4th, 18th
Feb 1st, 8th, 15th, 29th
Mar 14th, 28th
Apr 11th, 25
May 9th and 23rd
Jun 6th and 20th
Jul 4th and 18th
Aug 1st and 15th and 29th
Sep 12th and 26th
Oct 10th and 24th
Nov 7th and 21st
Dec 5th and 19th

ACCOMMODATION

The setting of your accommodation is not only very beautiful (with almost all the buildings thatched and very African), it's also very conveniently located just yards away from where you work, eat, swim and play.

You'll share a room with other volunteers or young staff members. All the rooms are in small clusters, and are reasonably spacious. Some of the rooms form a square with a courtyard in the middle, with some grass, trees and shrubs - from time to time some of the very young lion cubs will be kept in the central courtyard ... which means that you could open your door in the morning and be greeted by a cute baby wanting to chew your shoelaces! And all this in the middle of Africa!

The dining area is beautiful - there's no other word for it. Again it is set under an open-sided thatched roof and overlooks the lake and the sweeping plains of the game reserve, as well as the beautifully kept grounds of the main camp.

There is also a lovely swimming pool on the lake shore that looks out over the lake and the game reserve.

FOOD:
You'll eat the same food as is prepared for the tourists, and the quality and standard is very good. At Gweru there is an almost constant stream of overlanders camping on site and they have the choice of either barbecuing for themselves or having meals in the dining area. There are lots of socialising opportunities with the overlanders, which is great fun because they come from all over the world.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Got any questions? Please email us: info@travellersworldwide.com

THE GAME RESERVE AT GWERU:
The Gweru location is a 3,000 acre Game Reserve and tourist spot about 10 kilometres from Gweru. The main camp facility - made up of thatched African rondavels and buildings rests on the shores of a beautiful lake and is a Game Reserve with many species of wildlife and bird-life.

The species in the reserve include non-predatory animals like Giraffe, Zebra, Wildebeest, Impala, Kudu, Warthog, Jackal, Duiker (and many other species of buck and antelope), as well as 150 species of birds. The 3 Km lake in front of the camp is also host to an abundance of bird life, including the great African Fish Eagle.

Because the animals in the Reserve are all non-predatory, this makes it a safe place to explore and view game either on foot or on horseback, or even riding on an elephant or in a mule-drawn buggy. If you like jogging every day, what better place to run around than a reserve where you jog past zebra, wave to a curious giraffe, or watch a group of warthogs cavorting in the grass.

And you're not short on modern facilities either. This is one of the only places where you have nearly all the modern facilities you could require and yet you still feel as though you're camping in the middle of the African bush.....

One minute you could be in the office surfing the Internet, the next you could walk outside, pour yourself a cup of coffee in an open-sided, thatched roof dining area and go and sit on the grass with a spectacular view of the lake in the forefront with swooping vultures, and the rolling expanse of the game reserve in the background.

To make sure that you're totally spoilt(!), there's also a lovely swimming pool on the lake shore where you can cool down and do some serious sunbathing while looking out at the magnificent view of the lake and the game reserve. This is paradise at its tranquil best.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU BOOK YOUR PLACEMENT?
Once you have applied for a placement, we'll contact you and send you our Welcome Pack. You'll also receive Log-on details and password for our Volunteer Extranet where you'll have access to all the documentation and information which we've put together to facilitate preparations for your adventure! Your Project Co-ordinator for your country will liaise with you throughout the arrangements process, as well as while you're on your placement and on your return home.

The documents you'll have access to also include a Country Factfile, Safety Guide and any manuals that may assist you on your particular programme (e.g. Teaching Guide, Sports Manuals, Enrichment Suggestions for Animal Care, etc.). We do all we can to make your stay one that you'll never forget. This is a truly awesome, elegant and beautiful country.

On Your Arrival: When you arrive you will be welcomed by a member of staff who will take you to your accommodation and introduce you to everyone. During your first few days you'll be given an induction so that you can learn about the country and its culture, as well as other useful information.

VOLUNTEERING WITH CHILDREN AND VULNERABLE ADULTS
As well as protecting all our volunteers, Travellers Worldwide is committed to all our projects and dedicated to practices which protect children and vulnerable adults from harm. Read Travellers' Child Care and Vulnerable Adults Policy.

TRAVELLERS' SUPPORT AND BACKUP: Read about the excellent Support & Backup we provide before you leave and during your programme.

OPTIONAL ADD-ON ACTIVITIES:

Make the most of your time there! To help you do that, we've put together some exciting activities, courses and tours that you can add to your itinerary. These are designed to be fun, but also to enable you to learn, and expand your personal and professional development enjoyment ... but mostly for your enjoyment! :-)

Coming Soon!

Terms and Conditions apply for Add-Ons, please see here.

SEE ALL PROJECTS IN ZIMBABWE info@travellersworldwide.com

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LOCATION | SIGHTSEEING:

During your stay at the Park, you'll be able to enjoy an excursion to some of the other spectacular spots that Zimbabwe has to offer. Day trips are offered to the Great Zimbabwe Ruins as well as Granite Ridge in the beautiful Matobo National Park, and once a month a trip to the Victoria Falls is organised for those volunteers who are interested. These trips are also a great time for volunteers to interact and get to know each other better.

The expedition such as the example trip outlined below (to Victoria Falls) will cost you approximately US$500 (at time of writing). This includes National Parks fees, transport, meals (excluding meals in Victoria Falls), and accommodation.

  • Day 1: Leave after breakfast from Antelope Park for Miombo Safari Lodge (Hwange National Park); the largest national park in Zimbabwe. Enjoy a game drive in Big 5 territory where you could get up close and personal with a herd of elephant, buffalo, a pride of lion and many more.
  • Days 2-4: Leave after breakfast from Miombo for Victoria Falls, adrenalin capital of Africa! You have the option to bungee jump, white water raft, visit the Falls, gorge swing across the Batoka Gorge below the Falls or just enjoy the great social atmosphere at this tourist hot-spot! Dinner at the amazing “Boma” Restaurant is included whilst at the Falls.
  • Day 5: Depart early morning from Victoria Falls to return to Antelope Park.

This particular trip only operates with sufficient volunteer interest and is only available to volunteers joining the project for a minimum of 3 weeks.

There is also the option of a day trip to Great Zimbabwe – the ancient founding city of modern day Zimbabwe or to Matopos – a National Park to go on a wild Rhino tracking safari. The costs of these trips are dependent on the number of people going.

TRAVEL:

Read about Travel arrangements and what happens when you arrive in your new country.