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€995,00
Medical volunteers are the lifeblood of the N/a’an ku sê's Lifeline Clinic in Namibia. You will be fully immersed in the culture of Epukiro, home to the San Bushmen. You will experience day-to-day life and the common struggles faced by the community.
Activities include helping within the clinic to treat endemic issues like TB, providing food and care to the community and going on outreach to bring high quality healthcare to those who need it most.
You do not necessarily need medical skills, other skillsets such as administrative, IT or DIY knowledge will come in very useful and are highly valued.
Collections: Adventure Travel, Community Volunteering
You will work alongside the clinic’s doctors and nurses to learn about the common diseases affecting the local population and how to treat them. You will deal closely with patients from the local San community, learn more about their way of life and give care to patients living in extreme poverty at the clinic’s remote location. The teaching will be tailored to your skill level, background and knowledge.
Prospective medical students can expect teaching on basic clinical skills, history taking and examinations of patients. Trained professionals will be asked to run consultations with patients and assist during the outreach work. This will provide a great opportunity for trained professionals to have a greater impact on the people who are most in need of help.
Depending on the length of your stay and medical knowledge, you may be asked to undertake a research project/assignment. This should be something that you are interested in, as well as be something that is useful to the clinic and of benefit to our patients. Examples of projects include mapping distances patients travel to the clinic and local patterns of disease, rates of TB amongst our patients and compliance with medication, or our patients’ knowledge of HIV transmission and disease.
Whatever your background or experience, you shall assist with the daily duties which may include:
• Primary Healthcare: observations, reassuring patients, treatments and emergency referrals
• Observations: pregnancy and urine tests for patients and recording findings
• Weighing babies and recording growth charts
• Blood pressure recordings
• Glucose testing and recordings
• Wound dressings and cleaning of wounds
• Help in the pharmacy: stock control, packing medicines and new orders
• Family planning and Substance abuse counselling
• Data capturing
• General maintenance and cleaning of the clinic
• Helping with projects around the clinic such as the vegetable garden
Please note: Itineraries and activities are subject to change.
While volunteering at the Lifeline Clinic you will stay in a bungalow house along with the resident doctor and nurse. Depending on volunteer numbers, you will either have a room to yourself or may share with another volunteer of the same gender. The house has a kitchen, bathroom and living room with a TV. Electricity and hot water are freely available.
Three meals a day are provided, which you prepare for yourself together with your housemates.
The evenings are free for relaxation from approximately 5pm, as are weekends. Free time can be spent visiting the local San Bushman village, playing with the local children or walking in the local area.
Included
• Transfers to N/a‘an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary from Windhoek airport, and return, on a Monday or Thursday
• Transfer from the N/a‘an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary to the Lifeline Clinic on a Sunday morning (alternate weeks)
• Accommodation at the Lifeline Clinic house and at the N/a‘an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary (includes towels and bedding)
• Daily food for breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Full support and assistance from your program coordinator throughout your time at N/a‘an ku sê
Excluded
• Flights
• Visas
• Transfer from the airport to the N/a‘an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary on a non-transfer day (i.e. Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday)
• Transfer from the N/a‘an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary to the Lifeline Clinic at times other than a Sunday morning
• Personal travel insurance
• All items of a personal nature e.g. curios, gifts, clothing, toiletries, etc.
• Snacks and alcoholic drinks
Arrival
Your arrival and departure base will be our N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary close to Windhoek Airport. This provides you with the unique opportunity to work with the animals here for a few days. The Lifeline Clinic is approximately a 4 hour drive from the Sanctuary.
Visa Requirements - PLEASE TAKE NOTE
You will need to apply for a work visa before travelling to Namibia. We can get you in touch with agents in Namibia.
Vaccinations
We recommend that you consult with your doctor regarding your own immunisation needs.
N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary is located just 45km from Windhoek (Namibia’s capital) and 35km from Windhoeks International Airport, in the Khomas region of Namibia. You will need to be at the Windhoek International Airport (which is also known as Hosea Kutako International Airport) on your project start day before 5pm. You will be met here by one of the project staff and transferred to the sanctuary 45min away.
There are daily flights from Cape Town and Johannesburg International Airports into and out of Namibia.
Please get in touch if you need more information or go ahead and Add to Cart. (The Add to Cart button here will take you to the top of the page where you need to select your preferred options.)
