‘Mosi-oa-tunya’ – The Smoke That Thunders… this is how the locals refer to the magnificent spray that is elevated high above the Victoria Falls.

Against this backdrop we find the town of Livingstone, a place of supreme adventure, of friendship, of unlimited challenge, a place to care for and become a part of; a place of initiation, and an unforgettable life-changing experience. Perhaps 10 kilometres away Mosi-oa-tunya makes a dramatic backdrop to a rustic field bordered by subsistence maize. In this impressing setting, we offer you the opportunity to gain a unique insight into the Zambian medical field, and to make a positive impact on the local community through our specially structured Medical Programme.

Project Achievements so far:

From April 2008 to May 2009 African Impact volunteers contributed over 35100 hours to community development on our volunteer projects in Livingstone – Medical, Teaching and Sports projects. Our project structures, together with the support and advice of our charitable foundation team at The Happy Africa Foundation, are continuously assessing our work and project strategies to ensure that these hours are meaningful with measurable outcomes.

During this period, we have visited over 57 patients in the Maramba Home Based Care, as well as conducted over 48 home based care sessions.  We have had almost 100% success rate in referring patients to the various clinics and hospital at the Dambwa Home Based Care.  We have provided the transport to and from the hospital for all the Patients at Linda Home Based Care, drugs have also been supplied to the patients.

Location: Livingstone, Zambia – a stone’s throw away from the Victoria Falls (10km).

Project Age Limit: Minimum 18 years – Maximum 40 years.

Required Experience: Some previous medical training or experience would be helpful but is not essential.

Project Highlights:

• Gain medical experience in local clinics under our staff supervision.
• Work on school refurbishment and building projects.
• Train local people how to care for the sick in their communities.
• Immerse yourself in local Zambian culture.
• Make friends for life.
• Visit the Victoria Falls and enjoy some of the amazing tourist activities that Livingstone has to offer including Bungee Jumping, White Water Rafting on the Zambezi, Helicopter Flights over the Falls, Zambezi River Cruises, visits to Botswana’s Chobe National Park to experience Africa’s highest density of elephants and weekend excursions across to Zimbabwe and much more.

Further Information on the Medical Assistance Programme:

Medical Volunteers spend their time providing much needed assistance within the medical establishments of Livingstone.  You do not need to be qualified for our Medical Project; you just need the desire to impact!

The Medical Project consists of 3 main areas of work:

The Clinics – role of the volunteer within a clinic is to provide back up and assistance to a very understaffed medical establishment. The main roles within clinics are “baby weighing” and taking “vitals”; blood pressure, temperature and weight of a patient before they see the clinical officer. Volunteers will also be providing basic education on a variety of different subjects through “Health Talks”.

Maramba Old People’s Home – Medical volunteers provide assistance by helping the elderly residents with their laundry, tidying and cleaning their living areas, working in the vegetable garden which feeds the residents.  The home is poorly funded by the government and the residents mostly have no family or carers to look after them.  Volunteers also provide a friendly face to these people who have little entertainment or interaction by going armed with games, puzzles and a smile!

Home Based Care – Our volunteers accompany community volunteers as they visit bed ridden or immobile patients across Livingstone. It is their duty to provide basic advice, comfort and assistance to members of the community with little to no access to clinics or hospitals. This may mean basic First Aid or chatting to patients about the importance of hygiene, a healthy diet and exercise.  Home Based Care is also about assisting those incapable of taking care of themselves by making a patient’s bed, doing a bit of simple house work for them, and generally trying to improve their circumstance in the most basic yet effective way.

Please note: You must ensure that you bring originals or certified copies of your medical qualifications in order for you to be allowed to work in specialized sections of maternity wards or laboratories.

Afternoon Community Projects:

After having spent the morning in a clinic or Home Based Care, you will help out the local community in different areas in the afternoon. You will rotate between the following community projects: (Please note that if you prefer to spend every, or several, afternoons a week helping out in the clinics instead of working on the community projects, this can be arranged.)

Build / paint / refurbish schools and clinics: Schools in Livingstone deal with a great shortage of classrooms, and as a result most children do not receive the full day of class that they need. With the help and guidance of professional builders and the community we are aiming to build new classrooms for as many schools as we can raise funds for. Volunteers will help with mixing cement, making and laying bricks, laying concrete floors, plastering walls, and painting. It is hard, but highly rewarding work! In addition, we refurbish and paint existing classrooms.

Elephant Pepper Project: (Please note that this project is seasonal). The Elephant Pepper Development Trust is an organisation that aims to reduce the conflict between farmers and elephants. Particularly in the dry season, elephants raid people’s crops which can cause farmers to loose their whole years’ income in one night!  Sadly elephants are often shot as a result. To save the lives of both people and elephants; the Elephant Pepper Trust has developed ways to use chilli peppers to keep elephants away from people’s land using the animals intense dislike for the taste and smell of chilli. As a volunteer, you will be involved in the project by helping prepare the lands, tend the seedlings, watering / weeding / harvesting.

Home Based Care / Farming: There are several Home Based Care Projects run by local volunteers in districts of Livingstone such as Maramba, Ngwenya, Libuyu, Linda, Dambwa. The women spend each morning visiting patients within their local community. The patients generally have HIV (and various afflictions due to a low immune system),TB and Malaria.  Patients often cannot afford to go the clinic or hospital, or have carers to help with their condition.  The Home Based Care community volunteers rely on medical supplies given to them by the government health department (which happens rarely) or donations.  However, some have their own land that they use to farm for the purpose of raising money for their initiative. This is obviously the most sustainable way to ensure their project continues independently of aid.  We would like to assist all communities in setting up farming initiatives, as well as helping with actual work on the farm.

As a volunteer you have the opportunity to join the women on their visits to patients and contribute to the help they offer by the means of basic First Aid as well as help teaching a structured indepth First Aid / Health Care course

Please note that as this can be a shocking experience, we visit some very deprived areas which can be quite upsetting, but volunteers so far have said that it’s been a valuable experience that offers a deeper insight into the lives of those suffering from terminal illness, and better understanding of Zambian society.

Reading Club: We arrange for students at various schools to come back to the club in the afternoon where our volunteers will assist with the literacy skills of the children. As a volunteer, armed with your box of books, you will arrive at the school and help give the students the extra support that they need. You do this by helping with difficult words, encouraging them as they read and offering the opportunity to practice their literary skills outside the limited lessons available.

Art Club: Volunteers will plan their own art club using suggested lesson plans, their initiative and creative ideas. Here you can encourage students to deal with a variety of issues through art. For example; you can hold an Anti Drugs campaign using your art club to produce posters, or your art club could make demonstrative models in order to educate them on many different topics. You could also produce seasonal art e.g. Christmas Cards, Christmas decorations, Easter Masks etc.  Have finger painting sessions or papier mache – the possibilities are endless!!

Adult Literacy Club: Not only a very popular activity amongst volunteers but also an extremely important project aimed at helping adults become more employable through literacy.  This is a structured syllabus with beginners / intermediate / advanced classes, lesson plans, tests and a certificate upon successful completion.  The course will improve the students understanding of English both written and reading, as well as mathematics.

6 Great Reasons to become an African Impact Medical Assistance Volunteer:

1. Getting stuck in the community and being involved with those who really need help.
2. Being based in Livingstone ensures there are plenty of relaxation or adventure activities to enjoy at the weekends.
3. The project is accessible to qualified medics, student medics or those with simply an interest to help.
4. The variety of activities and community projects, from building and painting to HIV and health care education to art and reading clubs.
5. The variety of locations!  You will be based within poor communities in various districts of Livingstone. Within clinics, hospices, farms, the old people’s home, and schools ensuring there isn’t an inch of African day-to-day life that you won’t see.
6. The friendly people – the work of medical volunteers is very much appreciated within the communities. You will meet the friendliest, nicest, craziest, most determined, and zealous African people, who are guaranteed to inspire and motivate you!

Project Typical Day:

• 0700: Its rise and shine, and time for breakfast. The volunteers also spend some time preparing for the day, ensuring they have everything they need in their medical bags.
• 0745: Off to work. The volunteer takes their station at the Out Patients Department to start their morning taking vital statistics before each patient sees the clinical officer. You may also spend your morning baby weighing – a thoroughly enjoyable job!
• 1130: You will be picked up from your project and be taken back to the house for lunch.
• 1200: Lunch.
• 1300: Planning Session – You are given this time to prepare for your afternoon or other projects you may need to prepare for, this may mean designing and making posters, researching, writing quiz’s or tests or simply gathering supplies.
• 1345: Depart for your community project. This may be farming, building, or painting. It may mean an art or a reading club, assisting with home based care or in the Maramba Old People’s Home. You may also be involved in planning and delivering one of our workshops to the kids of the community schools covering topics such as basic first aid, drugs and alcohol awareness, HIV and AIDS or “Life Skills”.
• 1700: You will arrive back to the house for supper after your projects. Your evening is free, so why not treat yourself to a meal out, or simply sit enjoy a beer with your fellow volunteers or in front of the TV whilst planning for the next day.

Please be advised that we endeavor to keep all of our project documents up to date; however, due to the constantly evolving nature of sustainable projects expect amendments within all programmes.  Some projects will become self sufficient and no longer require the assistance of volunteers, others will slightly change focus and new ones will begin. Volunteers will be involved in a diverse range of project work as things evolve and develop, all of which are moving the project towards a common goal.

Project Cost:

2 weeks: GB£785 / 4 weeks: GB£1,255 / 6 weeks: GB£1,645 / 8 weeks: GB£2,030 / 10 weeks: GB£2,390 / 12 weeks: GB£2,745

Project Cost Includes:

• Project Fee: This facilitates funding for items such as coaching materials and equipment, building materials, etc.  This also entails financing that goes directly back into the project that you are involved with. This project fee facilitates funding for items such as building materials, equipment, supplies, foodstuffs, etc. Project fees are also used to buy vehicles/equipment and for developing the housing for volunteers to provide for the expansion of the projects.
• All airport transfers from Livingstone International Airport upon your arrival and departure.
• 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.
• Weekly laundry service during your stay.
• Full support from African Impact and your project managers throughout your time on your Livingstone placement.

Project Cost Excludes:

• Personal travel insurance for the duration of your placement, which must include cover for evacuation and repatriation. We recommend WorldNomads.com.
• All transport by air or bus to Livingstone. We can help you with this if you wish, just ask.
• All items of a personal nature, such as curios, gifts, clothing (work and other).
• E-mail/Internet and telephone calls.
• Soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and snacks.
• All visas for border crossings.
• Any excursions over and above your planned volunteer itinerary in Zambia e.g. visit to the Victoria Falls, white water rafting, etc.

Project Orientation:

Upon arrival in Livingstone all volunteers are involved in comprehensive orientation programme, which is included in your fee.  This is facilitated by your project volunteer coordinator and entails an introduction to 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. An experienced clinical assistant 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. This is to ensure that you will start your work at the clinic in a well-prepared and safe way.

Project 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.

Project Accommodation:

The volunteer house (your home) is a securely fenced complex of 3 separate buildings encompassing; dorm rooms sleeping up to four, TV lounge, resource centre, dining room and bar. Approximately 5 minutes walk away from the town centre, the volunteer house is very comfortable, has a safe for your valuables, TV and DVD and staffed with a cook, laundry and cleaning ladies. “Family Meetings” are held every week. All bedding is provided, however in winter (June – September) you may want to bring a sleeping bag with you, or if you are planning on going on any camping trips.  3 daily meals, laundry and transportation to and from your projects will be provided and organised by your volunteer co-ordinators.  You will need to bring your own towel and mosquito nets.

Please Note: We find that volunteers living together and working closely together with their volunteer co-ordinators is the surest way of guaranteeing their safety and being able to attend to their most pressing needs.  For this reason we expect all volunteers to stay only in the accommodation provided for them and do not allow volunteers to spend nights away in the town or nearby villages, unless they are away on pre-arranged sightseeing excursions.

Project Meals:

You will be provided with three meals a day.  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 the chef at your volunteer house. Note: Sometimes on weekends you will need to cook your own meals with ingredients that will be provided, as our staff will need to be given time off. Weekends are usually good times for tourist activities and exploring the surrounding area, so that is the time that a lot of volunteers are out and about anyway.

Please note that while we do our very best to provide you with varied and interesting meals, due to the nature of our rural location food will generally be quite simple but still nutritious. We ask that you are not overly fussy and ungrateful with what is provided for you.

Please let us know before you depart for Africa of any food allergies or specific requirements.

Project Getting There: Our ppeople will meet you at the airport in Livingstone!!

• Lusaka: fly into Zambia’s capital city and then transfer to Livingstone by bus (approx. 8 to 12 hours) or by means of a flight. The bus transfer will cost you approximately US$20.
• Livingstone: Fly to Johannesburg in South Africa and then connect to Livingstone.

WHEN FLYING VIA JOHANNESBURG DO NOT CHECK YOUR LUGGAGE THROUGH TO YOUR FINAL DESTINATION. ALWAYS COLLECT YOUR LUGGAGE IN JOHANNESBURG AND RE-CHECK ONTO YOUR CONNECTING FLIGHT. THIS AVOIDS LUGGAGE BEING LOST.

“I firmly believe that this program is very much needed here in Zambia and other parts of this continent.  It is a very ambitious program and its impact is definitely being felt across the region. Every adult helped, who has learned to read, every child receiving some sort of medical care, every family who has received some sort of assistance, is an investment in the GNWB – Gross National Well Being of Africa.” Kennard Gopaul, USA.

“Overall I have loved my month here in Zambia & really don’t want to go. I think it is a fantastic thing to do & have loved meeting all the local people & have hopefully helped out in some way.” Jo Perrett, Australia.

Project Travel Highlights:

These are not included in your volunteering fee, but our coordinators are able to assist you with making the necessary booking arrangements. Guideline prices for the most popular activities: (please note these are subject to change, prices given are a guideline only).

• Dinner/Sunset cruise on the Zambezi River: USD 35.00 – 45.00.
• 2 nights on an Island paradise in the Zambezi, inclusive of several activities & meals: USD 120.
• 2 nights staying onboard a boat cruising along the Zambezi River: USD 180.
• 2 nights on safari in Chobe National Park: USD 200.
• The world’s most exciting white water rafting on the Zambezi River. USD 150 half day.
• Bungee jumping and gorge swings over the Batoka Gorge which the water cascades into below the Falls. Bungee Jump: USD 105 per jump. Gorge swing / Zip line: USD 105 per jump.  All 3 activities in one day: USD 125.
• Helicopter Ride over the Falls: USD 150 for 15mins.
• Microlight Flight over the Falls: USD 120 for 15mins.
• Elephant back safaris. USD 120.
• Canoeing Safaris on the Zambezi River above the Falls with experienced guides.
• Game drives in Zambia’s Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park or neighbouring Botswana’s Chobe National Park.

Give care in a community that really needs you, where you can really make a difference.
Contact us now.