About the Program

The Zanzibar Medical Project presents the opportunity to volunteer and assist in one of the hospitals in Stone Town, Zanzibar. This tropical island off the coast of Tanzania lives by the seasons, and has a laidback atmosphere you will definitely enjoy.

Like many African countries Tanzania and Zanzibar struggle with its healthcare system in many ways. Even though Zanzibar is semi-autonomous it struggles with the same challenges as the mainland of Tanzania. Due to an insufficient government system, corruption by government officials, inadequate facilities and lacking resources healthcare is challenging for most of Zanzibar’s people. Medication can be hard to come by and basic services can require long waiting days to be helped.

Zanzibar, being an island with a 95% Muslim population, faces challenges regarding early arranged marriages and therefore teen pregnancies, a taboo about HIV/AIDS and women’s health. Healthcare on Zanzibar is also challenging, as equipment and facilities available are mostly old and outdated and/or not adequate for the needs of the hospitals and its patients.

Your role as a volunteer will be primarily to assist the medical staff on duty. This can differ depending on what level of expertise you have, and for students, will be different then for qualified nurses or doctors. 

Due to the nature of the work, volunteers need to know that they will be working under supervision, until you have proven your capabilities to the supervisor who is responsible for your actions at all times. Make an effort to earn their trust, this will make your volunteering experience so much better. 

Accept a challenge; that is why you are coming. Volunteers in the past have delivered babies, taken blood, changed dressings, assisted with minor surgery and other activities that you would possibly not be involved in if you stayed back home. It can be challenging, so volunteers with a healthy dose of independence and flexibility will enjoy this experience of learning how healthcare works in Tanzania.  

The hospitals struggle with challenges such as outdated equipment, shortages of medication, insufficient or undertrained staff, and a growing number of patients. Extra help and assistance from volunteer medical students or qualified medical staff is very welcome and improves the services being offered.

The mission of the hospitals is to provide the best free medical care possible within the extremely challenging circumstances they have to work with.

The need for volunteers at the hospitals is huge. Next to assistance with the actual work, there is an on-going need for financial support to improve the situation of the hospitals.

The Khaya Medical Project on Zanzibar offers volunteers the possibility to assist in the Government Hospitals as well as in the smaller privately-run clinics which offer health care to small communities. 

It is important to note that qualified medical professionals will only be allowed to practice medicine if certified by the Zanzibar Medical Council.

Khaya has partnered up with a number of smaller private clinics to allow specialists and doctors to offer their skills. These clinics are often small and offer general practitioners, dentistry, and a pharmacy all in one place. Here you can volunteer for up to 1 year once you are certified by the Zanzibar Medial Council. This requires a few forms to be completed with some additional documentation and a fee of 250 USD. The process takes about 2 weeks, so be sure to apply well in advance. 

Your Role

Your role as a volunteer will be to support the hospitals and work with the local staff in the different departments. You can assist with HIV/AIDS testing for pregnant women, vaccinations for children, general care at the different wards and much more.

Guidance and Supervision

Your stay on Zanzibar will be supervised by our local coordinator. He will look after you from the start and support any help needed to make this a successful and rewarding period of volunteering. 

You will get general guidance from our volunteer coordinators during your stay on Zanzibar, and more specific daily guidance during working hours from supervisors which are hospital staff. Your Khaya coordinator will pick you up, take you to your accommodation and offer a first introduction to Zanzibar. They will also take you to the project on your first day and look after you during your voluntary period. The coordinators will help you with all your questions and will provide support when needed. Your part to keep communication with them on-going and to express your needs or questions is very important. Within the hospitals, you will be supervised by professionals with extensive experience, who will try to offer the best guidance of huge work pressure and caseloads. In the beginning you will only be observing until you have earned the trust of the supervisor and they are comfortable to allow you to work independently. Working with local staff can be challenging, creating language barriers and different expectations from both parties. It is important to communicate openly, earn trust and have patience and respect towards the local circumstances. 

Extra Costs for Medical Volunteering

Due to the challenging financial situation of the hospitals on Zanzibar, the local government has implemented a compulsory donation of 100 USD per week. This allows them enough finances to supervise volunteers’ activities and coordinate your work. This compulsory donation is not included in the fees and needs to be donated in cash to the hospital upon your arrival on Zanzibar.

PROJECT NEEDS 

Any possible gifts and donations provided by volunteers and their network of people are extremely appreciated. Just keep in mind that medical supplies or equipment should be: 

• Useful 
• Safe to use and of good quality 
• Most current model if possible 
• Economically in terms of running costs 
• Should have at least one-year shelf life 

Please feel free to ask your booking agent for a full list of medical supply needs. 

You most likely won’t be alone when volunteering in Zanzibar and meet both local as international volunteers. We get volunteers from all over the world, from the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the UK and many other countries. At this project you will most probably have other volunteers around from all over the world. Our accommodation offers possibilities to host 16 volunteers at any given time.

Safety in Zanzibar 

• Ensure that your clothing is modest when you are not on the beach. Women should not show too much of their legs and chest, and topless sunbathing is really discouraged. 
• If you are diving or snorkelling, you may be tempted to collect some pretty shells from Zanzibar's many coral reefs. Please do not, as this kills • entire reefs, the devastating effects of which can be seen in the well-trodden areas of the East African coast. Although there are shell sellers, you are asked not to buy shells from them, as it simply encourages this harmful industry. 
• Zanzibar is an amazingly photogenic place but if you want to take photographs of people, please ask for their permission first out of respect for them. 
• If you are not Muslim do not enter any of Zanzibar's mosques. 
• Keep in mind that your safety comes with your own behaviour and looking after your personal items. Lock your room, if possible, give • valuables to the coordinators to keep for you and be aware of your surroundings. 
• Zanzibar is alluring to many different tourists and many women from the west will find their African lovers here. Be aware of the smooth-talking beach boys that you will encounter and can organize everything for ‘free’ for you or very cheap, there usually is a price to pay somewhere down the line.