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“Tanzania Medical Program”

written by on 05/03/2014

Overall my experience in Tanzania was nothing but positive. Definitely an opportunity of a life time to experience a new culture, meet amazing people, and push yourself to try new things. The memories I have will last a life time. The pre-departure information was great, even coming from Canada I felt as if I could always get ahold of someone to have my questions answered. The only thing I would have liked more information on was my placement, it ended up being very different than I was expecting (not in a bad way). Accommodation was great, I loved staying in the guest house because you met other volunteers from around the world and it became a family. Once in Tanzania, you were never alone. It was so easy to organize excursions with others like safaris (which is a must) and the partner organization that takes care of you while in Arusha is great! I worked at a private OB/GYN medical clinic. Mostly I was shadowing the staff, helping with routine checkups, and learning about African medical practices. The staff were amazing, so welcoming, and wanted me to experience as much as possible. Next time I would love to volunteer in a government hospital, where the help is more needed, but I definitely had an amazing learning experience. For those considering volunteering in Tanzania, I promise it will be the best decision you will make. I recommend going for at least a month, I was only there for 3 weeks and it wasn't nearly enough time. I'll definitely be going back some day!