Nursing internship in Africa, medical project in Namibia:

• Location: Epukiro, Omaheke Region, Eastern Namibia. About 5 hours drive from Windhoek
• Duration: 2 to 12 weeks
• Dates: all year round, volunteers arrive on Monday or Tuesday

As with all of our nursing and medical internship abroadthis project in Namibia allows you to gain university credits while acquiring field experience and contributing to the UN’s goal of universal access to healthcare.

You will work in a small rural clinic in eastern Namibia, in a village with about 500 inhabitants of the San and Herero peoples. In this region, the clinic is truly the heart of the community.

You will assist the doctor and nurse in their daily activities, and help them provide basic care to the locals. You will provide practical and technical assistance, and participate in consultations, administrative tasks and clinic activities.

You will be in contact with local patients and will have the chance to discover their culture and way of life, but above all you will be able to bring your help to people living in extreme poverty. All volunteers are welcome! Whether you are an experienced physician or a newcomer to the field, you will be given assignments appropriate to your level of experience.

Strengths of the project

• Assist the local medical team in the treatment of common infections
• Work in the heart of a San community and accompany them towards a better life
• 24-hour local assistance for volunteers

Project details

Thanks to the local medical team and the San interpreters, about 3500 patients are treated each year. About 40% of these patients are children, and 70% of them are under 5 years old. Tuberculosis and AIDS are severe in this community, where alcoholism is also rife. Many patients also suffer from more minor problems.

Children often suffer from fungal infections, intestinal worms, diarrhea, malnutrition or oral infections. These are not particularly serious infections as such, but if left untreated, they can cause severe complications, and death in the most severe cases.

In addition to their work at the clinic, the team also works with local schools, farms and villages. A Community Health program is also designed to teach basic health care and first aid to selected community members.

The role of volunteers

You will work hand-in-hand with local professionals and learn to identify and treat infections that plague the local community with this medical internship in Africa. You will receive training tailored to your skill level and experience.

Medical students will be able to develop their clinical skills, including basic examinations and discovery of patients’ medical histories.

The professionals will be given responsibility for consultations, and will assist the local teams in their outreach work. Their work will have a real impact on people who really need help.

Regardless of your experience, you will also participate in the day-to-day tasks of the clinic:

• First aid: make the first observations, reassure the patients, administer basic treatments, refer them to emergency services if necessary
• Examinations: Performance of urine and pregnancy tests, glucose tests, and data entry of results
• Weighing babies and monitoring their growth curve
• Taking blood pressure
• Assist in the pharmacy: stock management, packaging and ordering of medications
• Welcoming and accompanying drug users towards sobriety
• Supporting the nurse during her visits to the community
• Carry out maintenance and upkeep work in the clinic
• Participate in side projects: vegetable garden, community program, etc.

Volunteers who could bring special skills to the clinic are invited to let us know. We are also open to all proposals that could benefit this project during your medical internship in Africa.