Nurses, Nurse students and medical practitioner are invited in our Hospitals and medical centers in Arusha to assist in medical service provision. Volunteer in Tanzania. This volunteer program is ideal for all people aged 18 years and above.
| Highlights | Requirements | What’s Included | Dates & Fees | Reviews |
Nurse Assistant Medical Center Program Tanzania
Highlights
- Enjoy unforgettable medical volunteering experience coupled with unforgettable Tanzanian cultural experience.
- Come and experience the difference passionate volunteers can make to lives of people.
- See what the land of unforgettable experience and cultural diversity has to offer, while creating understanding and friendship with the local people.
- Come and volunteer with us not for us, we are far more interested with your skills and desire to help than anything.
- Experience unforgettable wilderness by visiting the Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Kilimanjaro to name a few.
KIVOLEX Medical Placement
Kilimanjaro Volunteers Exposure (which we shorten to KiVolEx), is a volunteering organisation based in Dar Es Salaam, in eastern Tanzania.
We are a non-profit organisation, aimed at improving the lives of all those in need in the local community. Specifically, we work with underprivileged groups such as women and children through providing the needed healthcare and services from our volunteers. Established to bring Western enthusiasm, expertise and passion to tackling some of the problems which affect the most needy in Tanzania. Our ethos is that you’ll be volunteering with us, not for us. We’re far more interested in your skills and desire to help than your money.
Nursing and Medical Volunteering in Tanzania
Roles of Volunteers and Interns
- Bathe and dress patients
- Serve meals and help patients eat
- Take vital signs
- Turn or reposition patients who are bedridden
- Collect information about conditions and treatment plans from caregivers, nurses and doctors
- Provide and empty bedpans
- Lift patients into beds, wheelchairs, exam tables, etc.
- Answer patient calls
- Examine patients for bruises, blood in urine or other injuries/wounds
- Clean and sanitize patient areas
- Change bed sheets and restock rooms with necessary supplies
Your Stay
This could very much be your first time in Tanzania, hence we will send you Swahili learning information prior arrival to help you with basic swahili. Once in country, you are picked up at the airport and taken to your accommodation. You receive two meals a day whilst on the project, and your accommodation is included too- either in group lodgings or you can choose to homestay with a Tanzanian family, which is a great way to really immerse yourself in the culture. The local KiVolEx team, including graduates with degrees in social work, medical and project management, are on hand 24/7 to help you get the most out of your project. From tours of the city, to being constantly on call to answer your questions, to helping you book onward travel, we will look after you in country, because you will be a valued part of our team whilst working with us
About Tanzania
With such a perfect location, perched on the edge of the African continent, and facing the Indian Ocean, Tanzania’s weather and climate leaves nothing to be desired. Warm and sunny days are followed by cool and balmy nights, and whether you’re on safari on the Serengeti plains or enjoying the tropical beaches of Zanzibar, the temperatures are always welcoming and gentle.
Location: Situated in East Africa just south of the equator, mainland Tanzania lies between the area of the great lakes—Victoria, Tanganyika, and Malawi (Niassa)—and the Indian Ocean. It contains a total area of 945,087 sq km (364,900 sq mi), including 59,050 sq km (22,799 sq mi) of inland water. Comparatively, the area occupied by Tanzania is slightly larger than twice the size of the state of California. It is bounded on the North by Uganda and Kenya, on the East by the Indian Ocean, on the South by Mozambique and Malawi, on the South West by Zambia, and on the West by Zaire, Burundi, and Rwanda, with a total boundary length of 4,826 km (2,999 mi), of which 1,424 km (885 mi) is coastline. Tanzania claims part of Lake Malawi, although its internationally recognized boundary is the eastern shore.
Population: 50,483,923 inhabitants
Capital city: Located in the heartland of Tanzania, Dodoma is the nation’s new official political capital and the seat of government in the country. Today Dar es Salaam remains the principal commercial city of Tanzania and the de-facto seat of most government institutions. It is the major seaport for the country and its landlocked neighbours.
Ethnic Groups: Mainland-native Africans constitute 99% of the total population. About 120 peoples have been categorized into 5 ethnic groups distinguishable by their physical characteristics and languages. Approximately 95% of Tanzanians may be roughly classified as Bantu, a comparatively recent blend mainly of Hamitic and Negroid stocks. Tribes range in membership from only a few thousand to the Sukuma tribe, which numbers more than 2 million. Other major tribes include the Nyamwezi, Makonde, Haya, and Chagga. The Luo, east of Lake Victoria, are the only people of Nilotic origin; the Masai of the northern highlands are Nilo-Hamites. A very small number of Bushmen-like people are scattered throughout northern Tanzania, where small tribes of Cushitic origin also live. The inhabitants of Zanzibar and Pemba are chiefly descendants of mainland Africans or are of mixed African and Arab extraction. The remaining 1% of the populace is made up of non-Africans, including Arabs, Asians, and Europeans.
Languages: The official languages of Tanzania are English and Kiswahili. However, some 120 languages are spoken within the borders of Tanzania. The large majority of these (ca. 100) are Bantu languages. The others belong to the language families Afro-Asiatic, Nilo-Saharan and (controversially) also Khoesan. A small number are unclassified. Immigrant languages from Europe and Asia can also be found.
Religion: Christianity and Islam are the predominant religions of Tanzania. About 40-45% of the population practice Christianity, about 35-40% practice Islam. The rest of the population adheres to traditional beliefs, most of which centre around ancestor worship and nature-based animism. Most Christians live on the mainland, where missionary stations and schools reach deep into the continent. Islam is the major religion of the coastal areas but is also practiced further inland along the old caravan routes.
Where will you stay?
Accommodation
There are two types of accommodation available in Arusha, Home Stay Accommodation and Volunteer House.
Volunteer House
The Volunteer House is a western-style house with 6 bedrooms (all shared accommodations with bunk beds). It has 2 bathrooms with western-style toilets and occasional hot water for showers. The house also includes one double bedroom, and this room is generally reserved for married couples. The house is safe and secure, with a security guard and a large gate. In the volunteer house, there is a cook who cooks the meals for the volunteers.
(Please note that spaces in the volunteer house are very limited and can only accommodate 18 to 24 people).
Home Stay Accommodation
Living is basic but all the Home Stays have electricity and running water and accommodate volunteers in safe and secure homes (some rural home stays may not have electricity or running water during times of drought). All home stays have been inspected thoroughly by local staff and chosen because of their safety and security. Most volunteers love their home stays and feel that they get a more authentic Tanzanian experience by staying there.
Transportation within
We will provide you with reliable Taxi drivers phone number,which you could use in case you want to move around. However you could also use Daladala these are buses, public transport that most people use to travel locally on daily basis. There is also an option of using bodaboda these are motorcycles that are used as taxis. Other volunteers choose to walk whoever if you also choose to do so like any other new environment we encourage you to be very careful with thieves and pick pocketing
Visa and Permit
A volunteer is required by the government to pay for a Visa and a permit to be allowed to volunteer in Tanzania. Kindly contact us for more information regarding this.
Hospital contribution
The ministry of health in Tanzania requires all medical volunteers to make a contribution of US $ 100 towards the hospital they will be volunteering. However we as KIVOLEX also make charitable contribution to these hospitals a way of supporting them for their role of looking after our volunteers.
Typical day
In general, expect to work 4-6 hours per day. Volunteers usually wake up early, around 7 or 8 and have breakfast. After breakfast, their workday begins, usually somewhere between 8 and 10 AM.
Your workday will usually end around 2 or 3 PM.
Although you will be expected to be at your work placement every weekday, the rest of your time in Tanzania is essentially left up to you to decide how to use it.
Your daily schedule may change, as well, so you’ll need to be flexible and ready to adjust.
KIVOLEX anticipates and encourages your desire for travel and adventure. Your time away from volunteering is open for you to decide your activities. You may decide to take advantage of the local culture and spend time within the community over the weekend. Otherwise, there is ample opportunity to explore Tanzania and all it has to offer. Long weekends can be taken to go on safari or to travel further afield to places such as Zanzibar, Dar-es-salaam, Kenya or Uganda. If volunteers wish to volunteer over the weekends they can join local teams and visit other children organizations to spend time simply playing with and entertaining the children.
Tanzania is a big country full of exciting adventure. If you want to stay on in country after volunteering, we’ll help you arrange any number of trips and activities. You can go on safari through the Serengeti or Ngorogoro- which has the highest density of safari animals anywhere on earth. You can relax on the spice island of Zanzibar, taking in non stop sun, white beaches and clear blue seas. Swimming with dolphins, PADI dive courses, spear gun fishing, sleeping in hammocks strung between palm trees on the beach.. We like Zanzibar! If physical adventure is more your thing, Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free standing mountain in the world is right on your doorstep. A five day climb, and nearly 4 miles high, with temperatures down to minus 25 at the summit, it’s not for the faint of heart, but it can be done, and the sense of achievement will stay with you for a lifetime.
Free-time activities
Tanzania is a big country full of exciting adventure. If you want to stay on in country after volunteering, we’ll help you arrange any number of trips and activities. You can go on safari through the Serengeti or Ngorogoro- which has the highest density of safari animals anywhere on earth.
You can relax on the spice island of Zanzibar, taking in non stop sun, white beaches and clear blue seas. Swimming with dolphins, PADI dive courses, spear gun fishing, sleeping in hammocks strung between palm trees on the beach.. We like Zanzibar!
If physical adventure is more your thing, Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free standing mountain in the world is right on your doorstep. A five day climb, and nearly 4 miles high, with temperatures down to minus 25 at the summit, it’s not for the faint of heart, but it can be done, and the sense of achievement will stay with you for a lifetime.
Requirements
In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.
Language Skills You need to speak English (basic level)
Education Requirements Health or social care related disciplines at High school/University level
Required Documents CV, copies of certificates and related documents
Nationality Restrictions No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.
Time Commitment Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 08:00 – 15:00.
What’s Included
Volunteer Program fee covers the following
- Volunteer placement facilitation-full program scheduling and supervision
- Pre-arrival support & preparation of your project/work placement
- Airport pick up
- Orientation (usually begins on a Monday
- Accommodation Room & Board (Breakfast & Dinner)
- Housekeeping
- Daily in-person availability of a local coordinator
EXCLUDES
- $150 USD contribution to placement facility
- Airport transport on departure (can be arranged)
- VISA and PERMIT fees
Living is basic but all the Home Stays have electricity and running water and accommodate volunteers in safe and secure homes (some rural home stays may not have electricity or running water during times of drought). All home stays have been inspected thoroughly by local staff and chosen because of their safety and security. Most volunteers love their home stays and feel that they get a more authentic Tanzanian experience by staying there.
Dates & Fees
Details on arrival
Our program run throughout the year but Volunteer arrival is usually Friday of every week and the program start day is Monday of every week. Unless there is a special arrangement. The arriving airport is Kilimanjaro International Airport Arusha.
Program fees
| Length of Program | Program Fee |
| 2 weeks | $570 |
| 4 weeks | $880 |
| 6 weeks | $1,280 |
| 8 weeks | $1,685 |
| 10 weeks | $2,085 |
| 12 weeks | $2,355 |
| Registration Fee | $210 |
| Additional Week | $120 |
Past Volunteer Reviews
Martin C, United Kingdom. Volunteered in 2020
To sum it all up, it was a memorable and valuable experience, the rotation of work at the hospital was very nice; examination, scaling, fillings and extraction were among the activities we did. It was so nice to learn of the Tanzania dental clinic setup. Accommodation was very fine bedroom, food and bathrooms were all in good condition. Innocent our local coordinator is a very friendly and nice person. He helped us with almost everything and made our stay in Tanzania very comfortable. We also had a wonderful experience going for Safari and learning of the local culture.
Katie A, Australia. Volunteered in 2021
Loved my experience with KIVOLEX. I got to help out in the emergency department, pediatric/male/female wards and the maternity department of the hospital. I witnessed/assisted with natural births, as well as witnessed c-sections in theatre. The people at the hospital were fabulous, as was Innocent and Angel (at the volunteer house). The food was excellent, as was the accommodation. Lots of activities to do in spare time, I went up to Arusha to do safaris, and Kilimanjaro, and spent a lot of time with coworkers at the hospital. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was getting the bus to and from work – if you can organise a driver then I would recommend doing that. I would do this experience again, without a shadow of a doubt, and highly recommend it!
Heidi L, Denmark. Volunteered in 2021
The people at KIVOLEX are kind and helpful. My friends and I had a good time as KIVOLEX volunteers. It was my very first trip to Africa, and I would definitely want to go back. It was my dream to one day work in Africa and in exact environment KIVOLEX took me. As a nurse student I had not only a learning experience but also a working one, although supervised but at times they would let me practice as a nurse and get that feeling of being registered and licensed nurse. The hospital is a very good place to learn and grow as a junior nurse from abroad. If you are looking to learning and get experience in a different environment outside your comfort zone, then Tanzania is a place to be. Cardinal Lugambwa Hospital introduced to almost everything I wished to experience.
Sarah W, USA. Volunteered in 2021
This trip is a life changing and it actually made me believe there is a whole other world outside the United States. Life is completing different in Dar Es Salaam, everything about it. The food, the people, traditions and overall dynamics are different from the USA. At the clinic the kinds were wonderful; they changed me in several aspects. Kids with their parents visited the clinic for treatment but to see them having fun with a big smile on their faces was just wonderful. I integrated with these kids and created a very strong bond and I am so grateful for that. Recording their vital sign like heart beat, temperature and taking their weight was just amazing. I strongly recommend this trip to anyone who likes to deal with kids in a child and maternal health department of a hospital.