Description

Volunteering overseas on a Medicine & Healthcare placement with Projects Abroad offers an excellent way to gain work-experience, combined with the chance to help people in some of the poorest medical institutions in the developing world. As a Medicine & Healthcare volunteer in Senegal you will have the opportunity to gain a wide range of medical and healthcare work-experience in a variety of departments.

All Medical volunteers in Senegal must have completed at least one year of medicine or healthcare related studies, or training by the time they join this project. Volunteers also need a good level of French. Most of the staff and patients do not speak English and it is vital that you can understand and communicate in French while you are working at a placement. A copy of your CV will be requested after you have applied, so each placement can be tailored to your level of experience and interests.

In Senegal we work with two institutions. The first placement is a public hospital which has been open since 2000. The hospital employs just two doctors and six nurses, but deals with an influx of patients which can be as many as several hundred per day.

Volunteers may find themselves working in a number of areas of medicine - including Paediatrics, ENT, Microbiology, Pathology and Psychotherapy - such is the diverse nature of problems brought to the hospital. However the main areas the hospital deals with are General Medicine and Maternity.

The second placement is a Red Cross Medical Centre, which provides a drop-in service where local people can come for consultations on general healthcare issues. The centre can also offer minor surgery depending on the availability of staff, which can be a problem, given that it can only afford a complement of one doctor and four nurses. In addition to these placements, volunteers may spend some time with healthcare workers on outreach projects at local Talibe (street children) Centres. All volunteers live within a 30 minute journey of their placement.

All Medicine & Healthcare volunteers should be aware that the facilities they will be working at are basic, and treatments are sometimes not of the standard you would expect, coming from a more developed country. You should be prepared to see some shocking cases and try not to get emotionally involved with the patients. Your working hours will usually be decided on a weekly basis, in cooperation with your supervisor and a Projects Abroad staff member.

* Volunteer Nursing & Midwifery in Senegal

If you wish to do a Nursing or Midwifery project with us in Senegal, you must - in common with our Medical project - have completed at least one year's study of a relevant healthcare course, and have a good level of French. If you satisfy these requirements, then your presence at one of our two main placements is sure to be appreciated. You may also get the opportunity to go out on healthcare outreach projects in the local community, where you will work with local street children, known as Talibes.

If you do not have the required experience to be accepted on one of our Nursing & Midwifery placements then you may be interested in our Care placements.

Highlights

Saint Louis, where Projects Abroad is based is on the coast in the North of the country, close to the border with Mauritania. Dakar, the capital is about 4 hours journey south down the 600km coastline. Senegal possesses many tropical palm fringed beaches and several national parks including Parc National de Niokolo- Koba where you can view wildlife like hippos, monkeys, chimpanzees, warthog, crocodile and if you're lucky the elusive lion and leopard.

In terms of accommodation, all our volunteers in Senegal stay in a home stay which is a great way to get totally immersed in the culture, and practice speaking French too! There will be a community of volunteers there for you to get to know and socialize with.

This project offers the opportunity to become fully immersed in the culture in a manner which even the most hardened of backpackers could never hope to do.

Qualifications

All Medicine & Health care volunteers in Senegal must have completed at least one year of medicine or health care related studies or training by the time they join this project. The hospital will tailor your placement to your level of experience and to your particular interests.

Volunteers on the medicine program in Senegal also need a good level of French, most of the staff and patients do not speak English and it is important that you can understand and communicate in French while you are working in the hospital.

Intern Types

• Medicine
• Health Sciences
• Nursing

Languages

• English
• French

Cost in US$:

Please go to our website for prices.

Cost Includes:

• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Medical insurance
• Medical services
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Registration fees
• Travel while in host country
• Written materials abroad
• Written materials pre-departure

Program Fees Include:

The hospital employs two doctors and six nurses, so having a volunteer to assist is very useful for such a small team. All volunteers live within a 30-minute journey of the hospital.

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

• Culture
• Health
• Health Care
• Hospital
• Volunteering

Typical Volunteer

Open-minded with a desire to travel.

Age Range

16-70

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

10 days

Post Services Include

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Projects Abroad's Mission Statement

As part of the global economy, Projects Abroad helps create local employment wherever we send volunteers. Employing local staff overseas and using their talents and knowledge is important to us. This local knowledge and support enables the organization to channel the skills of the volunteers from more affluent countries to regions around the world where they are needed. Volunteers also learn from their placements and the people they meet, and they gain experience in a chosen field. In the 21st century, we believe this mutual respect is what cultural exchange is all about.

Year Founded

1992