Gain hands on work
experience in Physiotherapy, while working in the beautiful country of
Malawi.
The project is located in the country’s bustling business capital,
Blantyre, surrounded by the breathtaking Lake Malawi.
In Malawi, one-third of children are severely
malnourished in a country where the average wage is $200 per year and
the average life expectancy is 39 years. Medicine and physiotherapy are
sorely needed. We work with a clinic which has a rehabilitation
department. You may help in simple but practical ways, vastly increasing
your own knowledge and getting an understanding of how things work.
The experience you gain will be an excellent entry on your CV or Résumé
and provide you with valuable knowledge from a different country and
culture.
You need to be at least 17 years old to take part in this placement and
you must have completed your first year of your degree.
All nationalities are welcome on this placement and you don’t need to
speak the local language to participate.
At the clinic you will be involved and assist in
rehabilitation of children with disabilities, providing skills in physiotherapy
and much more. Lots of enthusiasm, an ability to use your own
initiative and readiness to work in unfamiliar circumstances are all highly
recommended traits.
You will be involved in the day-to-day running of the clinic, observing or
directly assisting the staff.
You will get a good general feel of the clinic by
working and/or observing, and you will be exposed to hands-on work. The type of
work you will be allocated to will depend on your own abilities and
capabilities, which is understandable given that you will be dealing with
patient health and safety.
It is difficult to be specific about the day-to-day
schedule as it is likely to be varied and spread across many areas. The
hospitals are very busy with a multitude of duties and responsibilities, so you
will probably work very hard in most areas.
You will normally sit down with the supervisor when
you arrive to set up a timetable for your placement, but given that this is
Africa, the process may not be as formalised as you would expect, so patience
and initiative is appreciated.
Project Dates and Working Hours:
The
project runs all year round except December and is available for a minimum
of 1 month, up to 3 months
Working
hours on this project are normally Monday to Friday, 07.30 a.m. to 16.30
p.m.
QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS:
To work on the Physiotherapy project you must have
completed at least the first year of your degree. Any experience you have in the
field of Physiotherapy will help your application so please ensure you add this
to your application, along with your CV, showing all your experience A
motivational letter is also required.
As with all of our destinations, the Malawian
Culture and heritage must be borne in mind. Self-reliance and independence are
highly appreciated and will help you to make the most of this wonderful
opportunity.
Once you have applied for a placement, we will work closely with you to arrange
your trip and provide you with a mountain of detailed information about Malawi.
This includes a very useful Safety Guide. All of these will help to make your
stay in Malawi one that you will never forget.
YOUR ACCOMMODATION AND FACILITIES
Blantyre is the biggest city in Malawi and
also it’s business capital! The city is surrounded by beautiful hills
and mountains, which creates a truly wonderful balance between typical
urban lifestyle and harmony with nature.
The city has all the amenities you require, like coffee shops, internet
cafes and banks to peaceful walks and a night out to the cinema. There
are also lots of traditional African markets, with interesting stalls to
spend endless hours browsing through for that little something to take
home with you.
Your Accommodation:
You will be accommodated with friendly and welcoming host
families. Most are not poor, and in fact the facilities are sometimes
better than in some Western countries… one host even has a bar!
Where possible, we try to ensure that volunteers are placed together
in the host families so that you can have the opportunity to socialise
with the family and other volunteers. The hosts are based in the
township, but secluded from the local hustle and bustle. They are also
not far from the main town centre, so there is always plenty to do.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided and host families are
knowledgeable sources of local information about where to go and what to
see whilst in Malawi. They will endeavour to make your stay an amazing
and memorable one.
Most of our volunteers who live with host families have commented that
they felt they got a better cultural experience because they live the
life of the local people, and get to know all aspects of what it means
to live in the country.
On Arrival: Your Introduction to the Country: When you arrive, you will be welcomed by our Malawian Manager. who
will take you to your accommodation and introduce you to everyone.
During your first few days you'll be given an induction and orientation
so that you can learn about the country and its culture, as well as
other useful information, like how to use the transport system etc.
One of our host family houses
TRAVEL AND SUPPORT
You have the option to arrange your
own flights or we can assist you with your flight arrangements. If you would
like us to do this for you, we will liaise with you regarding available flights
and dates to suit you. All arrangements for your flight bookings/payments will
be fulfilled by Murray Rogers Travel Ltd., ATOL No. 6856. (Read more about Murray Rogers Travel Ltd.)
You will fly into Blantyre Airport where you'll be met by
Godfrey Mfiti, our Country Manager, or one of his staff. From the airport you'll
be taken to your accommodation. A few days later, once you have settled in and
recovered from the flight, you will be shown around the area, and introduced to
your staff on your project.
Where possible, all flights we arrange for you
have changeable return tickets because many of our volunteers choose to extend
their stay once they are in their destination country. Changeable return tickets
enable you to do so, within the limits of your visa and the level of your air
ticket, of course. If you choose to book your own flights, you should endeavour
to get a changeable ticket.
We meet you at the nearest airport regardless of whether
you make your own travel arrangements or not. You will be introduced to everyone
shortly after your arrival.
We can also arrange your flight dates to give you additional time at the end of
your project for travelling around and sightseeing - this is a fascinating and
wondrous country!
VISAS:. In countries where
visas or immigration documents are required, we'll send you all the necessary
forms and information and make the process very easy for you.
To see what Support
& Backup we provide in our countries,
please click here.
PRICES:
Elephants in the Shire River
To see the Prices of this project and all
our other projects in Malawi, please
click here
Prices
include
Food &
accommodation
while on your project,
2 T-shirts, if required
for your project
All support and backup
during your programme
Meeting you at the
nearest airport, where appropriate, but exclude international travel.
.
+44 01903 502595
