Description

Volunteering is a great way to enhance your CV while doing something that is not only worthwhile and rewarding but can also be a completely life changing experience.

Thousands of volunteers are needed all over the world to provide assistance working with communities and children in need. Taking part in a Twin volunteer program will not only change your life but can also help you play a part in changing the lives of others.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a considerable public heath problem in South Africa. Although there are health programs developed by the South African government, such as DOTS (directly observed treatment, short course) the prevalence rate of TB is still too high. To make matters worse there is a high TB-HIV/AIDS co-infection rate and a multi-drug resistance shown by some patients.

This project follows the Guidelines for HIV Management developed by the Westerns Cape Department of Health and carries on with several organizations to provide support and provide experience in the following four sections:

* Provincial Hospital
* AIDS Council
* Counseling and HIV testing
* Hospice

The team includes highly skilled staff from the following areas:
* Counselors
* Health Care nursing sisters
* Dieticians
* Social Workers
* Doctors

As a volunteer in this project you will have the chance to work in different sections of the medical industry and play a very important role in local health awareness. Also you will have the chance to learn about the effects of HIV/ AIDS and TB in Africa.

As a volunteer you can expect to learn about the HIV/ AIDS effects in Africa, be part of an extremely dedicated team of medical professionals, helping in the creation of awareness in rural communities, collaborate in static and mobile clinics and make a big difference in the fight for the TB-HIV/AIDS endemic.

Your duties as a volunteer in this project include:
* Educating patients
* Developing income generated projects and their business plans
* Administrative tasks
* Data research
* Simple health care tasks, such as measuring patients weight and checking adherence to therapy
* Establishing vegetable gardens
* Support pregnant mothers and their children

Please note that:
* Due to the nature of this volunteering your daily tasks may vary
* You will need to sign a confidentiality agreement
* The mobile clinic work is variable but it generally works twice a week
* There are no forecasts of the amount of work on a daily basis. There are very busy days with a big number of patients and quite days when you will be asked to collect data, also a vital task

As an extra, please feel free to bring things like clothing, bottles for babies, nappies, toys for babies, blankets, etc...

You accommodation will be at a very cozy volunteers house, in simple and clean dorms.

The volunteer house is located in Knysna. However if you would like to travel away from the town, the volunteer liaison will be happy to recommend safe and comfortable accommodation along the Garden Route.

Regarding food, you will be provided with three meals a day on volunteering days. Please note that you will need to cook for yourself on the weekends, but ingredients will be supplied. Be prepared for a healthy and hearty food:

* Breakfast - bread, fruits, tea, coffee and juice
* Lunch - Sandwiches, salads pitas, bread rolls or wraps
* Dinner - a few ready cooked dinners and the rest left to your own personal taste. All ingredients and menus from a wide range of many different dishes will be given to you

There will be an effort to match your personal taste with food, however if you have specific food requirements please make your request known at time of booking.

Highlights

During the weekends, you are able to book extra activities locally such as: bungee jump, animal sanctuaries, whale watching, beach trips, canoeing, hiking (beach and forest), para gliding and skydiving.

Qualifications

* Minimum Age: 18 years old.
* Volunteers from all backgrounds are needed. Having a background in health care is not mandatory.
* If you are a medical or a nursing professional, you will need to be registered with the South African government regulatory bodies in order to perform invasive procedures.
* Due to the type of tasks and the volunteering nature, medical insurance is mandatory. As in any health care facility there is a risk of the transmission of infectious diseases, even when standard hospital infection control measures are implemented. Immunization against Hepatitis B before arriving is strongly recommended.
* Good spoken English
* You should be mature, confident, demonstrate initiative, be open minded and tolerant
* International Volunteers are welcome.

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

• Childcare/children
• Health Care
• Hospital
• Medicine
• Nursing
• Social Services, Social Work

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Application Process Involves

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Phone/Video Interview

Typically The Application Process Time is

48 hours

WAVA's Mission Statement

WAVA's Responsible Travel policy is its mission statement. It's not an ideology. It is not a cast-iron set of rigid guidelines and procedures. Rather, it is a spectrum of principles and concepts that promote co-operation and learning not only by those in the London office, but also with all other parties involved - travellers, partners and host communities - ensuring each can mutually benefit. We do our best to understand our travellers' needs, responsibly preparing them to have great experiences, and we produce content that accurately informs our travellers of what they can expect to encounter when abroad.

Year Founded

2010