Midwives Volunteers Needed Tanzania

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The mission

A top priority for the Ministry of Health Tanzania is the country's high infant mortality rate. The government and healthcare teams on the ground are working tirelessly to ensure that babies are delivered safely and live heathily up to age 5!

The Problem According to the WHO 45% of children's deaths under 5 years old were newborns, many only living the first few days after birth! Now more than ever is Midwives are called to duty beyond their borders. Although fertility remains high across Africa, mothers and babies still struggle to stay healthy and alive.
"Neonatal deaths are inextricably linked to the health of the mother during pregnancy and to the conditions of delivery and newborn care. Close to 8,000 women die every year during pregnancy and child birth as a result of conditions that could have been prevented or treated. Poor quality of care due to an insufficient number of skilled health workers and lack of basic equipment, as well as long distances from home to health care facilities are major deterrents to facility delivery. Women living in rural areas, those who come from the poorest families and those who are less educated, have the least access to skilled attendance at delivery. Women who start having children in adolescence tend to have more children and shorter spacing between pregnancies - all of which are risk factors for maternal and neonatal mortality. The neonatal mortality rate is highest among mothers under-20 years of age at 45 per 1000 live births compared with 29 per 1000 for mothers aged 20 to 29 years. Maternal death rates are closely linked with the high fertility rates and low socio-economic status of women, especially the lack of influence that women have over their own health care or over the daily household budget. According to national statistics, every year over 450 women die from pregnancy related complications for every 100,000 live births. Causes of maternal death include obstetric haemorrhage, unsafe abortions, eclampsia, obstructed labour and infections. Low availability of emergency obstetric and new born care services, chronic shortage of skilled health providers together with a weak referral system contribute to the observed high maternal deaths."-UNICEF Your Role Now is the time to challenge ourselves as practitioners and help to empower those who do not benefit from medical advancements and knowledge. Contribute your time and support the care of pregnant women and mothers delivering newborns in Arusha Tanzania. All new mum's and babies need care and support through such a special time in their lives, sometimes the busy and over stretched staff just can't give every patient the tender loving care they deserve. This is where you come in. Volunteer your care and support in our busy maternity and delivery wards, your contribution is priceless and unforgettable for new mothers and the medical staff.

Medi Trip Placements

At Medi Trip we are distinguished in being able to use our healthcare experience and expertise to pick the most suitable settings for our professional volunteers to experience. When you volunteer with Medi Trip, your volunteer placement would have been chosen specifically to suit your area of interest. Each of our 7 placements facilities are carefully assessed and selected for suitability to our professional volunteers, as well as how much contribution goes into the local health and social welfare.

Your Stay

Many Medi Trippers will not have ever visited Africa, much less Tanzania and often don’t really know what to expect. At Medi Trip, we try not to build any particular expectations as every Medi Tripper’s experience and perception is very unique and individual, however none are let down or left anything less than amazed by Tanzania. Tanzanian’s uphold a strong reputation of being incredibly gracious, kind and warm people. You will often find yourself involved in an extended greeting or a long conversation of someone getting to know you or just simply finding out how you are and it is considered very rude not to greet people appropriately. Don’t be shy and enjoy the warm welcomes you will be greeted with walking down the street, socializing or at work!

Although most Tanzanian's speak and understand basic English, language may be a barrier when communicating with your medical colleagues and your patients. It is important to remain open and confident while working as at times you may feel isolated and lost. Remember that you will always have your supervisor at hand to assist you and help guide you along the way. Many people find once they get to know their colleagues and get into the flow of things, this isn't much of an issue, however this is another challenge that you will have to be prepared to overcome.

About Arusha

Tanzania belongs to the East African community, neighboured by Kenya, Burundi, Uganda, Rwanada, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and Mozambique. Arusha is in northern Tanznia; a very unique and vibrant city at the base of Mount Meru, about an hour away from the tallest mountain in Africa Mount Kilimanjaro. The city is surrounded by natural beauty being in close proximity to several national parks including Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Olduvai and Arusha National Parks.

Interestingly, Arusha hosted the international criminal tribunal for Rwanada and sits as the de facto East African Community capital. Despite being in a conservative and religious country, Arusha is regarded as more liberal and very open to foreigners. Perhaps due to it's historical significance in the 1961 Arusha Declaration, which gave independence to modern Tanzania from the British Commonwealth. The city is very much a melting pot, multicultural and populated by people from all different backgrounds. The main language spoken is Swahili and a visitor would do well by learning a few of the many greetings.

Where will you stay?

You will stay in Siret Hostel, one of the highest rated and reviewed guesthouses in Arusha. We provide safe, clean and comfortable accommodation, comfortable bedding, excellent breakfast and dinner and housekeeping. This will be a quiet and friendly neighbourhood only 15 minutes from the main hustle and bustle of town. You will have wifi, hot showers, 24 hour gated security, a domestic/cook (who will happily do your laundry for a small fee) and a coordinator who will ensure you settle in quickly and comfortably into your new town. This is a shared home where you will be staying with other volunteers and guests from across the world, so you will never be on your own in your new environment. The house is impeccably clean, well kept, modern and spacious.

How will you get around?

You have the choice of local taxi’s (we have contacts of affordable, trusted drivers) who can chauffer you around town or you can use the famous 'dala dala’ mini buses that most Tanzanian’s use to travel locally everyday. Some people adapt very fast and choose to walk around, it is safe to do so however like with any new environment we strongly advise you to be aware of pick pockets and thieves. Always be safe and ask your coordinator before going anywhere new to you.

Important VISA & Permit Information

You will be required to pay a $50 USD VISA ($100 USD for US Citizens) to enter the country at the aiport. This is a quick and simple process at arrivals in the airport.

Once in Arusha we will process your Volunteer Permit to allow you to legally carry out your volunteering. This will be $200 USD and will be arranged by us and paid directly to the local government. Your permit will be permanently stamped in your passport and valid for 90 days.

HOSPITAL CONTRIBUTION This is a contribution all medical volunteers in Tanzania must make of $100 USD towards your host hospital (Ministry of Health, Tanzania). We make charitable contributions too, to support the impoverished and under resourced hospitals as part of our charitable work and as ongoing support for supervising and looking after our Medi Trippers.