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Clinic Assistance & HIV/AIDS Awareness, St. Lucia, South Africa, South Africa St. Lucia is situated within the iSimagaliso Wetland Park (previously knows as the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park), a beautiful area, declared as South Africa’s first Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and which is called by many "Africa’s premier bush-and-beach destination". The area is home to the Zulu tribe; a group of people with a very lively and colourful culture. Embrace the opportunity to work with local nurses in a small rural clinic supporting around 20,000 Zulu people living in the communities around St. Lucia. The clinics are under-resourced and, therefore, the help we provide is much needed. This project gives you the chance to gain invaluable medical experience whilst making a difference to people who need help. For our latest St Lucia news click here Medical Volunteering St Lucia - Volunteer Project in South Africa, St. Lucia, North East Coast of South Africa Location St. Lucia, South Africa Project Length 2, 3, 4 or 6 week placements (longer may be available) Age Limit Minimum 18 years, maximum decided on potential participants’ health Project Fee £1295 / $2590 / €1685 (4 weeks) £1620 / $3240 / €2095 (6 weeks) £715 / $1430 for travel between Sept 09 and Jan 10 (2 weeks) Volunteer Project Information The following links will jump you to different sections on this page, which provide all the information you will need for this Africa volunteer project: Medical Volunteering St Lucia, South Africa. » photo gallery | » more about this project | » volunteer & travel highlights » project fee includes & excludes | » day in the life of a volunteer... » volunteer support & orientation | » accommodation & meals | » getting there Photos South Africa Photos of Medical Volunteering St Lucia in Africa.   More about the Clinic Assistance & HIV/AIDS Awareness, St. Lucia, South Africa in South Africa As a volunteer you will spend your mornings based at a medical clinic or with a Home Carer out in the villages, helping sick people in their homes. The clinic is the first point of call for many people and is often very busy. The nurses struggle to consult all of the patients each day, therefore, help from volunteers is gratefully received. Volunteers will never be required to make decisions regarding patient treatments, but will be immeasureable in reducing the workload of the staff by doing basic medical tasks, and they will have the opportunity to learn from the nurses. Volunteers’ assistance is invaluable in the following areas: • Under 5’S clinic • Family Planning • Antenatal • Chronic clinic • Minor ailments You will build wonderful and rewarding relationships with the hard-working ladies at the clinics. You will also spend time training the nurses with basic computer skills, which will help them to record important data, and assist them with their paperwork, and recording the statistics of the clinic. This is a fantastic way to experience all aspects involved in running a rural clinic. Some mornings you will also help Home Carers look after sick people in their homes. This may include helping around the patients house, preparing food, making sure patients are taking their medication, and helping to cheer them up by having visitors. AFTERNOON COMMUNITY PROJECTS After having spent the morning in a clinic or with the Home Carers, you will help out the local community in different activities in the afternoon. Typical examples of the community projects you may be involved with are: HIV\AIDS Awareness In St. Lucia’s local community, many myths about HIV/AIDS still prevail. A large percentage of local South Africans believe that the virus is a result of witchcraft, and people infected with it are often rejected from their own communities and families. As a result, many people who are infected do not admit to having the virus. Not many people know how to prevent infection, and even fewer people know how to deal with the virus once they have it. During your project, you will meet with groups of adults and children from the local communities and do the following: • Explain, using a simple method approved by the UN, what the HIV/AIDS virus actually is, and how it affects a human body • Educate people about how the virus is transmitted, and how infection can be prevented • Explain how, after infection, life can be prolonged through medication, healthier food & lifestyle • Be involved in an HIV Support Group to provide advice, encourage people to discuss their issues, and make crafts to sell for a much-appreciated income Clinic Refurbishment The Clinic is in dire need of refurbishment. This run-down clinic sees over 100 patients per day. You will work with local people to fix the roofs, windows, and drainage, paint walls, put up shelving and storage units, and build new walls and rooms. Farming Encouraging the community to grow vegetables is an important step in improving nutrition, especially for the sick, elderly and growing children. By farming areas of land with the community we will be able to provide needy people with fresh vegetables in their diet. » back to top Clinic Assistance & HIV/AIDS Awareness, St. Lucia, South Africa, St. Lucia, North East Coast of South Africa - Highlights This volunteer project in Africa includes: Medical Volunteering St Lucia • Gain basic medical experience in local clinics, with supervision from nurses and our staff • Play a role in HIV/AIDS awareness and education • Immerse yourself in local Zulu culture • Make friends for life South Africa Travel Highlights • Game drives in the beautiful Hluhluwe and Umfolozi National Parks • Visits to the beach, and snorkeling at Cape Vidal • Whale and sea turtle viewing • Cruises on the St. Lucia Estuary to see hippos and crocodiles • Weekend trips to Kosi Bay, Mozambique or the Drakensberg Mountains • Cultural tour to a rural village, or a night of traditional Zulu dancing and food » back to top Project Fee Includes • The project fee includes funds that go directly back into the project you are involved with. It facilitates funding for items such as medical supplies, building materials, equipment, etc. • Transport between Richards Bay Airport and St. Lucia • Comprehensive orientation program • All daily transfers to and from your projects during your stay • Full board and lodging, which includes 3 meals a day at our volunteer house (except on Sundays) • Laundry service during your stay • Assistance at your projects by African Impact staff and volunteer coordinators • Any visits to other African Impact programs based in St. Lucia Project Fee Excludes • Personal travel insurance for the duration of your placement • All transport by air or bus to Richards Bay • All items of a personal nature, such as curios, gifts, clothing (work and other) • E-mail / Internet and telephone calls • Soft drinks, wines and spirits • All visas for border crossings • Any excursions over-and-above your planned itinerary in St. Lucia » back to top Day in the life... This is a typical day in the life of a volunteer working on the Clinic Assistance & HIV/AIDS Awareness, St. Lucia, South Africa project: 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: • 06:45 - Get up and start getting ready to depart for your project • 07:30 - Depart to your project after a help-yourself breakfast of cereals / porridge, toast, tea and coffee • 08:00 - Start work at a clinic or with your Home Carer. To make sure all volunteers get an equal amount of experience, you will be assigned to the clinic or home-based care on a weekly basis • 12:00 - Lunch break. You will be picked up from your project, and taken to your volunteer house, where lunch will be waiting for you • 13:30 - Afternoon Session: leave for one of the community projects. You will spend the afternoon teaching HIV education, building, painting, or farming • Approx. 16:30 - Home Time. You will be collected by your coordinator / driver and taken back to the volunteer house • Evenings are very sociable affairs. Volunteers discuss their day's work with each other whilst taking supper together at the house. Then prepare for your project the next day, or occasionally venture out to one of the local night spots. » back to top Volunteer Support Throughout your stay at your placement you will have the support and guidance of experienced field-workers and coordinators. They are part of our greater African Impact support team, and will provide you with competent 24-hour field support and assistance. Volunteer Orientation Upon arrival in St. Lucia all volunteers are involved in a comprehensive orientation program, which is included in your fee. This is facilitated by your project manager and entails: • An introduction to the town of St. Lucia and surrounding areas • An introduction to all our projects. Not only will you see where you will be working, you will also see where your fellow volunteers will be spending their days • A basic language course. You will learn some basic words and sentences in Zulu, the local language that is most spoken in KwaZulu-Natal, so that you can communicate very basically with people in their own language. In addition, you will learn some of the local cultural nuances • An experienced nurse will give you a detailed briefing on common diseases in the area, working methods in the clinics, and safety precautions for working in the clinics and in home-based care. This is to ensure that you will start your work in a well-prepared and safe way • At the orientation, volunteers will also receive an overview of our detailed "Welcome Pack", which will contain further useful information for your time with us » back to top Accommodation During your project, you will stay at our large and comfortable project house situated in St. Lucia. It is a fully furnished house with a large lounge, satellite television, barbeque area, garden, and swimming pool. The house is staffed with cooks and laundry / cleaning ladies. You will be sharing a bedroom with one to four people. Members of our African Impact team will be staying on the same property, so that they are available to assist with any questions or issues you may have. We find that volunteers living together and working closely together with their volunteer coordinators is the surest way of guaranteeing their safety and being able to attend to their most pressing needs. Meals You will be provided with three wholesome meals a day, except on Sundays. Breakfast is on a help-yourself basis and usually consists of cereals / porridge, 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. On Sundays volunteers are generally enjoying the wonderful tourist attractions in the area and taking lunch elsewhere. As a group we visit one of the many lovely restaurants in St. Lucia for evening dinner - please budget for this in your trip. » back to top Getting There St. Lucia, South Africa. The nearest airport to St. Lucia is Richards Bay Airport, which is about a forty-five minute drive from St. Lucia. There are daily flights from Johannesburg to Richards Bay, and these can be booked online by going to http://www.flysax.com » back to top Make an Enquiry Volunteer Project in South Africa - Medical Volunteering St Lucia     print this page | bookmark this page (CTRL-D) | send to a friend back to top