Medical Outreach & HIV/AIDS Awareness Volunteering in South Africa

Surrounding the beautiful area of St. Lucia are rural villages that have little resources for healthcare for the thousands of people that live there. Smaller Earth offers you the opportunity to become involved at the grassroots level by assisting care givers to offer medical treatment and care; providing people with advice on health matters; and helping them build a better life in their homes. With HIV/AIDS having such an impact on the communities, raising awareness and educating people on this virus is also an important part of this project.

Medical Outreach Volunteering

Over the past few years, volunteers working on this project contributed over 3,000 hours to medical outreach in the St. Lucia area of South Africa. Through donations and volunteer help, clinic facilities have been improved to make it more hygienic and organized for the staff and patients – they have replaced missing tiles, repaired the roof and built shelves in the medical supply room, made furniture and provided seating for more patients. Through working with caregivers in the community, our partners aim to increase the medical support available to effectively make a difference to peoples’ lives and health. As a volunteer, you will help provide direct assistance through home based care visits and have the opportunity to be involved in numerous other initiatives.

In the past, volunteers have helped at the local clinic by taking blood pressures, weights, and temperatures of hundreds of patients at times when staff levels are low which allows the nurses to attend to the patients more quickly and be able to concentrate on more advanced treatment. Through the program, volunteers have provided basic medical care, nutrition and food to over a hundred people, as well as visiting these homes in the area to care for chronically ill or injured patients that are too sick or poor to get to clinics for treatment.

This project has succeeded in refurbishing community buildings in desperate need of repair including the local clinic, houses of poorer families in the villages and helped build a place for orphans to stay. Our partners have established a strong connection with the community and as a result, there are numerous health initiatives you could find yourself involved in:

Home Based Care

As a volunteer you will predominantly spend your mornings with a locally trained caregiver in the surrounding villages, to proved in-home medical care. Volunteers help provide basic medical care and attention to those that are too sick or poor to get to a clinic for much needed treatment.

This is a unique opportunity to gain hands on medical care experience, make an impact on the lives of disadvantaged families and an insight into Zulu village life. You will be involved in enquiring about their health and making a plan with the caregiver on how to help the patient. This can include assisting with medical treatment, giving health advice, providing items to make the patient more comfortable (blankets, mattress, hot water bottle etc.), ensuring they are taking medication correctly and helping around their home. You will also give out much need food parcels and donations to these patients to encourage positive living and better nutrition.

Your visit on its own is something that patients look forward to as it is the only help they may be getting. For some patients on Home Based Care visiting a clinic or hospital is a critical step. With minimal transport available or people not having the money for transport this is an area we also help with. After your daily visits you will update records on each patient to keep an efficient record of the care they have received.

Medical Clinic Assistance

At times volunteers may be able to help at the local clinic and become involved in simple tasks. This can range from giving out donations to newborn babies and mothers to helping weigh patients and take their temperature. Please note that this work is based on the needs of the clinic at that time and may not be a permanent activity on this medical program.

HIV/AIDS Awareness Education

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. Working together with our Volunteer Coordinator who has experience in teaching this subject you will be involved in educating adults and children about the virus. During your placement, you will visit both schools and community centers to explain 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; and explain how, after infection, life can be prolonged through medication, healthy food, and a healthier lifestyle.

Once a week, volunteers will be given the opportunity to become involved in a community HIV Support Group to help people affected by the virus. In this community support program, volunteers help deliver health and nutrition information and provide healthy foods to a group of HIV positive adults. This is an incredibly rewarding project, which makes a difference to their lives as well as providing weekly support from each other.

Ten Families Community Outreach Program

The Ten Families Project was established in May 2009 and aims to improve the quality of life in a sustainable way for 10 families urgently in need of assistance. Help can take many forms including food provision, education, property repairs, farming, finding access to medical attention and income generation. This amazing community outreach program is only made possible through the help of volunteers and is a unique insight into how traditional Zulu families live and a chance to make strong bonds with each family. This is an excellent opportunity for volunteers interested in public health and social development.

Besides providing much needed medical assistance to the wider communities and raising awareness about the HIV/AIDS virus, you will be involved in the following community projects:

Ezwenalisha Orphange Project

Smaller Earth volunteers are currently assisting in serving lunch and participating in after-school playtime activity for approximately 40 orphans in Ezwenalisha community. You will be involved in playing educational games and sports with these energetic children. Volunteers are also helping in the conversion of 2 old buildings into bedrooms for 9 of the children.

Building and Refurbishment

Community buildings in the local villages tend to be rundown, particularly in the more rural and remote areas. As a volunteer, you will visit these building which can range from schools, day care centers, churches, orphanages, community centers or the house of someone in need. Projects include helping to fix roofs and windows, paint walls, and help build new rooms. You will find that the community greatly appreciates your presence and support, and your work will be highly rewarding.

Farming

To help encourage positive and healthy living, volunteers will help local people create and maintain vegetable gardens. These will supply people with much needed healthy food and encourage them to be more self sufficient for them and their family. The farming activities may include digging, weeding, fencing, planting and watering. Watching the vegetables grow and be used by more and more people is a great way to make a difference!

First Aid Care in Community Day Care Centers

Volunteers will also have the opportunity to help at one of the community daycare centers in which the St. Lucia Orphan Day Care volunteers work, to administer first aid and help care for young children.

Location & Accommodation

The project is based in St. Lucia, a safe and charismatic town within walking distance of the beach on the North East Coast of South Africa. During your placement, you will stay at our large and comfortable project house situated in the middle of St. Lucia. It is a fully furnished house with a large lounge, satellite television, barbeque area, garden, and a swimming pool in a very safe residential area.
The volunteer house is approximately a 10 minute walk to the town and a 15 minute walk to the beautiful St Lucia beach and river estuary. The house is staffed with a full time cook, laundry / cleaning staff and a maintenance person. All bedding is provided, so you will not need to bring a sleeping bag with you, although sometimes it is useful in the colder months (June – September) or if you are planning going on excursions. You will be sharing a bedroom with one to four people. Please note that we can accommodate couples in a private double room (subject to availability).You will be provided with three meals a day. Breakfast is on a help-yourself basis and usually consists of cereals, 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.

Age Limit and Required Experience

Minimum Age 18 years old, there is no upper age limit. For this project no specific experience is required, although any medical or pharmaceutical training/experience would be useful. An interest in medicine or caring for others and a first aid certificate are encouraged. Some prior reading on HIV is highly recommended to get the most from your time on this project.

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 overview of the medical outreach programme and the needs of the local community
• An introduction into the syllabus we use for HIV/AIDS education and an HIV/AIDS question and answer session to help with any concerns or questions you have for you own safety
• An introduction and visit to the projects to see where you will be working
• A basic language course - You will learn some basic words and sentences in Zulu, the local language in St. Lucia
• 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

Getting There

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. One of our representatives will meet you at the airport and transport you to the volunteer accommodation.

Additional Travel Opportunities

• Game drives in the beautiful Hluhluwe and Umfolozi National Parks
• Hire a car and visit the beaches that surround St Lucia and snorkel at Cape Vidal
• Whale, dolphin, and sea turtle viewing (seasonal)
• Hippo and crocodile cruises on the St. Lucia Estuary
• Weekend trips to the stunning Phinda Private Game Reserve
• Dolphin Swimming in Mozambique (overnight)
• Photographic Tour in the dramatic Drakensberg Mountains (3 nights)

What's Included?

• The project fee entails financing that goes directly back into the project that you are involved with. The donation facilitates funding for items such as such as medical supplies, food parcels, vitamins and building and faming materials.
• Transport between Richards Bay Airport and St. Lucia
• Orientation programme upon arrival 
• 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 Saturday evenings and Sunday lunchtimes)
• Laundry service during your stay
• Assistance at your projects by experienced staff and volunteer coordinators
• Any visits to other Smaller Earth programmes based in St. Lucia

What's Not Included?

• Personal travel insurance for the duration of your placement, which must include cover for evacuation and repatriation
• 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