MedForce: Medics Overseas

Location

Surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and an impressive mountain range, Cape Town’s location is truly unique. The city itself is exciting and cosmopolitan, with a wide range of bars, restaurants, and museums. Furthermore, Cape Town and its surrounding area offers visitors the chance to climb Table Mountain, visit Cape of Good Hope, dive with Great White Sharks, explore the many stunning wineries, and visit Robben Island.

At the same time, Cape Town has a large amount of very impoverished townships. In these areas, there are very little medical facilities, and you will have a chance to make a real difference.

Project Information

As a volunteer, you will spend each morning of the week in the clinics at the various communities, assisting the supervisors with the many people desperately needing help. There are many sick children, whose only support and means of medical care is from these clinics. The clinics run from 8 am to 12.30 pm daily. This placement will give you the chance to make a positive impact on the health service in these underprivileged areas on the outskirts of Cape Town, and to make a profound difference in the lives people living in the surrounding community.

Furthermore, experienced medical volunteers are able to offer advice to the day care and after care centres that they will be working with in the afternoon. There are many children at these centres with special health care needs.

During the afternoon, you will rotate between different community projects. These may include the following:

• Building and Painting at schools.
Many schools deal with a great shortage of classrooms and facilities, as a result of which they are limited to the amount of children they can accommodate. As a volunteer, you will assist with fixing fences and windows, and rebuilding and painting classrooms.

• Masakhane Educare Centre.
Volunteers will assist teachers with after school care by helping with game playing, reading, and other activities they engage the children with, and provide them with some valuable attention.

• Ukhanyo Primary School.
Situated in the township of Masiphumelele, Ukhanyo has over 1300 students from grades 1 to 7 in classes of up to 40 learners per class. Volunteers assist with coaching various sports, which range from volleyball, netball, and basketball, to soccer.

A Typical Day
This is a typical day on this programme. However, please note that your itinerary may differ from this, depending on your own experience and the number of other volunteers on the placement at the same time; this is simply to give an example:
• 07:00 - Get up and start getting ready to depart for your project
• 07:40 - Depart to your project after breakfast
• 08:00 - Start work at a clinic
• 12:30 - Lunch break. You will be picked up from your project, and taken to your volunteer house, where lunch will be waiting for you.
• 14:00 – Planning session – you will be given some time to prepare for your afternoon project
• Approx. 16:30 - Home time. You will be collected and driven back to the volunteer house, where dinner will be served around 18.30.

Accommodation
During your project, you will stay at our comfortable project house in the outskirts of Cape Town. It is a fully furnished house with a communal area, satellite television, and a small garden. The house is staffed with cooks and laundry / cleaning ladies. You will be sharing a bedroom with one to three other volunteers. Project Co-ordinators will be staying on the same property, so that they are available to assist with any questions or issues you may have. The house is within walking distance of one of the Cape Peninsula beaches.

Meals
You will be provided with three meals a days. Breakfast is on a help-yourself-basis and usually consists of cereals, toast, tea and coffee. Lunch and dinner are full meals, and will be cooked for you by one of our chefs at your volunteer house.

Getting there
You will fly into Cape Town International Airport, where you will be met by a volunteer co-ordinator, and taken to your accommodation.

Support
Throughout your stay, you will be assisted by our volunteer co-ordinator. On the projects, you will also be assisted by qualified doctors and nurses.

Highlights

- Help improve the level of health care in impoverished slums
- Learn about the South African health system
- Gain valuable hands-on medical experience
- Work with children in day care centres during the afternoons
- Help raise awareness on health issues in the local communities
- Immerse yourself in the rich South African culture
- Explore Cape Town and its beautiful surroundings

Requirements

This project is suitable for the following categories:

	Category 1: Volunteer with little or no experience
	Category 2: Medical students on electives
	Category 3: Fully qualified doctors or nurses

Please note that as a medical student, you may be able to get involved in a greater variety of tasks than as a volunteer.

You have to be 18 years or older to participate in this programme.

Price

4 weeks   - £1, 545

6 weeks   - £1, 935

8 weeks   - £2, 315

10 weeks  - £2, 675

12 weeks  - £3, 035

Included

Included in the price are:
• Accommodation
• Three meals a day
• Airport transfers
• Transport to and from your projects on a daily basis
• An introduction programme on arrival
• Constant guidance and assistance by a volunteer co-ordinator
• A briefing day before departure (includes a barbeque)
• Your personal web page which provides you with all necessary pre-departure information
• A Gapforce t-shirt

Not Included

Not included in the price are:
• Flights
• Insurance
• Spending money

Maps

Cape Town will be your destination for this South African medical and community programme. Cape Town is on the southern coast.