• Tanzania

Overview

Every year over 300,000 women die as a result of pregnancy & childbirth because they do not have access to safe medical care. Students will gain greater insight into the practice of medicine in a developing country as well as the cultural perceptions surrounding medicine & medical care.

Highlights

  • Mt. Meru, Ngarenaro & Levelosi Hospitals - Students will work with local medical personnel in urban & rural pediatric & maternity medical facilities. Focused on reducing maternal mortality & the incidence of obstetric fistula, they will develop an understanding the medical challenges facing Tanzania’s poorest communities.
  • Wsilelei Dispensary - Visit a local rural clinic that serves the Maasai people & participate in a Q&A session with a traditional midwife. Then, conduct health workshops with local Maasai women from the surrounding community.
  • Maasai Guided Walk - Your Maasai guide will take you for a leisurely stroll through the bushland surrounding the Isoitok Camp toward the Rift Valley Viewpoint. Along the way, you’ll learn about the different root & plant extracts still being used by the Maasai to treat ailments.
  • Ngorongoro Crater Safari - A trip to Tanzania isn’t complete without a safari. Within the crater rim you can see large herds of zebra & wildebeest grazing with nearby lions, leopards, elephants & black rhinos.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arusha

Upon arrival in Tanzania, you’ll be met by your guide and transferred to your hotel. Afterward, you’ll visit a Maasai Market for a local shopping experience. 

Day 2: Mt. Meru, Ngarenaro, and Levelosi Hospitals

Head to Mt. Meru, Ngarenaro, and Levelosi Hospitals where you’ll be working with, and observing, local nurses and doctors as part of the Maternity Africa project. Maternity Africa works towards reducing maternal mortality and the incidence of obstetric fistula by improving skilled maternity care throughout Africa. You’ll have a quick break to eat your packed lunch during the service project.

Tonight, you will experience a Via Via Cultural Dance and Dinner. Located in the center of Arusha Town, Via Via is a lively cultural café with a tropical garden and is a meeting place for people and culture. Start off the evening with a lesson in local Tanzanian dance and then dance the night away after a delicious Swahili dinner.

Day 3: Mt. Meru, Ngarenaro, and Levelosi Hospitals

Continue working with and observing local nurses and doctors during morning clinicals in Mt. Meru, Ngarenaro, and Levelosi Hospitals.  

Day 4: Mt. Meru, Ngarenaro, and Levelosi Hospitals

Continue working with and observing local nurses and doctors during morning clinicals in Mt. Meru, Ngarenaro, and Levelosi Hospitals.  

Day 5: Mt. Meru, Ngarenaro, and Levelosi Hospitals

Continue working with and observing local nurses and doctors during morning clinicals in Mt. Meru, Ngarenaro, and Levelosi Hospitals.  

Day 6: Mt. Meru, Ngarenaro, and Levelosi Hospitals

Continue working with and observing local nurses and doctors during morning clinicals in Mt. Meru, Ngarenaro, and Levelosi Hospitals.  

Day 7: Mt. Meru, Ngarenaro, and Levelosi Hospitals

Continue working with and observing local nurses and doctors during morning clinicals in Mt. Meru, Ngarenaro, and Levelosi Hospitals.  

Day 8: Tarangire National Park

Today, you’ll spend some time enjoying the great outdoors.  

Head to Tarangire National Park where you’ll spend the majority of the day game viewing in the park.  Second to Serengeti, Tarangire offers the greatest concentration of wildlife in Tanzania. Large herds of elephants and migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland gather (and not surprisingly the predators follow).  This is also the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as oryx and gerenuk are regularly spotted.  The park is also known for its spectacular baobab trees, and its breathtaking views of the Maasai Steppe and the mountains to the south.

You’ll also visit the African Roots Foundation (ARF) and learn about their community impact projects. Finish the day at the Isoitok Camp for a Sundowner Walk. Your Maasai guide will take you for a leisurely stroll through the bushland surrounding the campsite and head to Rift Valley Viewpoint. Along the way, you’ll learn about the different root and plant extracts still being used by the Maasai to treat ailments today.  End your day watching the sun go down over Lake Manyara with a cold drink in your hand; the perfect way to welcome the evening.

Day 9: Esilelei Dispensary

Today you’ll visit the Esilelei Dispensary – a local rural clinic that serves the Maasai people.  You’ll have the opportunity to have a Q&A session with the traditional mid-wife. Then participate in the ARF Community Impact Project, conducting health workshops with local Maasai women from the surrounding community.

Make your way to the Kiretono Resource Center where you’ll learn about their Maasai women’s empowerment program.  

Day 10: Ngorongoro Crater

Enjoy an all-day Ngorongoro Crater Safari. The Ngorongoro Crater is game viewing gone crazy and is one of Tanzania’s major tourist attractions.  Within the crater rim you can see large herds of zebra and wildebeest grazing with nearby lions, leopards, elephants and black rhinos.  Outside of the crater a similar drama continues in a more spread out manner, with Maasai herdsmen thrown into the mix.

Day 11: Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Spend the day conducting health workshops in the surrounding Maasai villages in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area before returning back to Arusha. 

Day 12: Arusha

This morning, start your day with a coffee tour of Kimeno Coffee farm. This family-run coffee producer is where you’ll learn how coffee is made – from tree to cup. Enjoy lunch before transferring to Arusha to freshen up at the Outpost Lodge. 

Transfer to the airport for your flight home.