Internships in Rural Areas, Kenya

Well, where do I even start! I feel so blessed to have been able to come to Kenya, and I am sure this is just the first of many visits to come! Any anxiety I felt before travelling vanished the moment I landed and met my driver David. From that second I knew I was in for one of my favourite adventures! Neema, you wonderful soul! You made me feel safe and so at home! Seeing your face every morning just brightened my every day! I was also surprised that we would have the lovely Ayuma and Dorcas looking after us every day - and they made it feel like we had a home from home. BrackenHurst is such a wonderful location. I felt safe and surrounded by the best scenary! And the on site facilities were top notch in case you desired and extra snack or even to just relax! Volunteering at the hospitals and community centre has been a great privilege. Being a Dr in The UK I wanted to challenge myself, I wanted to learn how to practice with fewer resources, I wanted to become more confident in my own clinical ability and I wanted to reignite my passion for medicine. In addition to that I wanted an opportunity to give back. And well, all those boxes were ticked and in fact it exceeded these expectations. Although a cheesy quote, it could not be more true, that Africa in fact gave me more than I imagined. I left with new friends, new confidence clinically and personally and immense pride that I ACTUALLY DID IT! I left having had the most wholesome experiences looking after patients, being a birth partner, leading a medical unit in the community, actually seeing patients in the GP clinic - all things which I couldn’t have imagined I would do! Finally African impact really do strike the best balance between work and play. We had plenty of time to immerse ourselves and explore the beautiful country of Kenya and through that I have lived the best experiences I will never forget! We were truely well looked after - ll our excursions planned out in detail (thank you Evelyne) and all the wonderful drivers keeping us safe and making all these dreams happen (thank You Albert, George, John). I’m sure I would have forgotten things to say, but most importantly THANK YOU! I would recommend this experience in a heartbeat, and I can’t wait until our paths cross again!

If you’re trying to build your clinical skills as an undergraduate student (I did this after my second year of undergrad from North America), I think this program is amazing. You get to do hands-on things (learning to draw blood, vaccinate babies, etc.) if you assert yourself and get as involved as possible with the medical team. I did this program for 2 weeks although all of the others I knew were doing it for longer;personally, I felt 2 weeks was enough time. However, I do feel that since your arrival is set for the Monday the program duration is, if you’re going for a relatively short amount of time like me, getting as many hours in the hospital (Limuru Nursing Home) is crucial. Something to be aware of is that some staff there try to extract money through guilt by selling you things or asking you to make rather extravagant and costly purchases for them. This may be a manipulation tactic and can hinder you from getting meaningful medical experience from them (and others that are close to them) if you do not comply. This should not deter you from pursuing this program;it is a bit uncomfortable, but if you handle things in a polite but not submissive way, you’ll enjoy this experience. In addition, the volunteer coordinator (Neema) is super friendly and did a wonderful job both by checking in with us everyday, but also going out of her way to coordinate things like out-of-hours drives to the hospital (for a night shift which I did, for example). The accommodations are in the Brackenhurst conference center in the volunteer cottage (houses around 5 volunteers at a time, I believe, and it is co-ed, but you’re not roomed with the opposite gender). Great place and mosquito-minimal because of the high altitudes where you’re situated. Overall, I had a good time and gained wonderful experience. Would definitely recommend this program.