Healthcare Volunteering in Machakos, Kenya

Summary
Volunteer at a medical clinic ("dispensary") in a remote African town in the hills of Machakos, away from the tourist trails and the bustle of Nairobi.

Program Description
Volunteers work at one of the rural medical clinics where there are typically only two staff people - a registered nurse and a non-medical assistant.

The clinics are very busy, with some receiving over 300 patients per day - from newborn babies to seniors - for a wide range of conditions like colds/flu, injuries, malaria, pregnancy/childbirth, etc. Serious, life-threatening cases are referred to hospitals in Machakos or Nairobi. Each patient pays 10 Kenyan shillings per visit (about 13 US cents) which includes any medications.

Volunteers perform tasks like taking vital signs, dressing wounds, administering shots, drawing blood, holding babies while they are being treated, helping to screen and organize patients, assisting staff with getting medicines/supplies, and generally helping out in whatever capacity they might need you.

It's a great opportunity to donate your skills and time to helping others in need, while gaining hands-on medical experience and learning firsthand about medical care in Kenya – common diseases, treatments, and issues affecting healthcare in the country.

Volunteers must be studying or practicing in the healthcare field, as doctors, nurses, EMT's, and medical and nursing students with clinical experience. We do not accept premed students into the program.