Volunteer/ Work in Africa

katebean04 · Feb 2, 2011

I wish it were for free for nurses like you who want to help those who need it the most. I know a girl that went to Africa to study their healthcare system as part of her degree. I can ask her about the costs of staying there/ plane tickets etc. But, she was not there to volunteer...so the costs may different and you may be able to claim some of the costs on your taxes. Good luck to you! I will ask her and get back to you :)

Zookeeper3 · Feb 2, 2011

W.H.O. world health organization.

Also consider doing a search for church ministries.

Try the African consulate in either washington DC or NY... they maybe can connect you to a liason that can help.

littlemammanurse, BSN, RN · Feb 2, 2011

You can check out unitedplanet.org they do a lot of different trips to a lot of different places and their pricing is pretty reasonable.

Turd Ferguson · Feb 2, 2011

Church programs are the way to go

nursie_pants · Feb 2, 2011

W.H.O. world health organization.
Also consider doing a search for church ministries.
Try the African consulate in either washington DC or NY... they maybe can connect you to a liason that can help.

Sorry, I couldn't help chuckle at this one. I used to work in international development consulting and have done a small bit of traveling in various parts of Africa. "African consulate"?! The *continent* of Africa is made up of over 50 countries, my dear. Consulates are individualized per country, not continent.

Anyway, to get back to the OP:

First off, figure out where in Africa you're most interested in going - North, West, South, Central, East. Any language skills? Think French for North/West and parts of Central Africa (+ Madagascar in the south). English for many areas in East/South/and Central. That plays a big role in what you can do.

I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in North Africa (Morocco, specifically) for 2 years. That would be more of a long-term gig (2 yrs). For short-term assignments, just start Googling. MSF only wants experienced nurses (and generally those with OR, NP, or maternal health backgrounds). Like someone else mentioned - many religious-affiliated groups will have volunteer opportunities.

Good luck!

heathert_kc · Feb 2, 2011

There are lots of programs that are inexpensive or even free, the problem is that you need to volunteer a longer period of time, otherwise you aren't doing enough work for it to be worth writing off your expenses. Unfortunately most of us cannot do that and some of those organizations like docs without boarders give preferrence to those with more experience and willing to stay longer.

JazzyK89 · Feb 2, 2011

I am a senior nursing student in PA. I just went on a mission trip to Burkina Faso, Africa with the Faith Assembly of God Church in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Our trip was fairly inexpensive...about $2,200 for everything. We stayed for 9 days, and we had two teams (one medical, and one surgical). One went out to a rural village in Burkina Faso, and the other stayed in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (the country's capital city) to perform surgeries at their hospital Schipra. Ultimately we were able to provide care to about 650 patients during our week there.

I would definitely suggest trying to see if any of your local churches organize these types of trips. I had such an amazing trip, and honestly, even though iit was a mission trip, we didn't spend as much time as you would think focusing on religion. It was really more about just being able to help the people out there.

Faeriewand, ASN, RN · Feb 2, 2011

I've found "Volunteer Voyages" and others while googling nursing volunteer overseas.