Namibia - Medical Project
As a medical volunteers you will participate in and assist our doctors and nurse with the running of the clinic and supporting the community at large.
At this project you have the chance to be involved in humanitarian work with the San bushmen community at our Lifeline Clinic that provides vital, free healthcare to individuals of this ancient culture.
Our aim is to give the next generation of this marginalised community the boost they need to build a brighter and healthier future.
The Lifeline Clinic is based in Namibia's rural East and provides free primary health care services to more than 3,500 patients every year through both clinic-based healthcare and our outreach around the region. More than 40% of the patients treated there are children and more than 90% are San bushmen. A huge focus of our work at the Lifeline Clinic is to tackle the tuberculosis burden within the San population. The clinic is quite literally a lifeline for thousands of San bushmen. The clinic has two nurses and one sister. Medical volunteers are the lifeblood of the Lifeline Clinic. You will be fully immersed in the culture of Epukiro, home to the San bushmen and are able to experience the day-to-day life and the common struggles faced by this community.
Prospective medical students can expect teaching on basic clinical skills, history taking and examinations of patients. The teaching will be tailored to your skill level, background and knowledge. Trained professionals will be asked to run consultations with patients and assist during the outreach work. This will provide a great opportunity for trained professionals to have a greater impact on the people who are most in need of help.
Depending on the length of your stay and medical knowledge, you may be asked to undertake a research project/assignment. This should be something that you are interested in, as well as be something that is useful to the clinic and of benefit to our patients. Examples of projects include mapping distances patients travel to the clinic and local patterns of disease, rates of TB amongst our patients and compliance with medication, and our patients’ knowledge of HIV transmission and disease.
The daily tasks might include the following, but please note that the activities are subject to change:
- Recording patient observations: blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturations, temperature
- Performing urine pregnancy and dipstick tests for patients and recording findings
- Weighing babies and recording growth charts
- Glucose testing and recording
- Basic wound cleaning and dressing
- Helping in the pharmacy: stock control, packing medicines and new orders
- Family planning
- Project data input
- Sorting donated clothing and other items
- General maintenance and cleaning of the clinic
- Playing with the local children who attend the clinic
- Preparing food packages for patients
- Recording patient information and survey responses on outreach trips
Other Volunteer Tasks
Besides medical work there are a lot of other tasks you can help with at the Lifeline Clinic so no medical qualifications are needed. IT skills, painting, cooking, cleaning or anything an isolated clinic can use are highly valued. We encourage you to use any special skills you may have and suggest new activities that you feel the project will benefit from. Although it is true to say that "the more experience you have, the better" - what is more important than your qualifications and experience is your attitude and approach to life. We are looking for volunteers who are self-motivated, flexible, able to work both independently and in a team, patient, kind and considerate, able to cope with setbacks, and of course have a sense of humor!
Arrival at the Wildife Sanctuary.
Sunday:
Transfer from Sanctuary to lifeline clinic at 08:00
Monday:
Induction presentation, help in clinic, pharmacy, school or vegetable garden.
Tuesday:
Morning: help in clinic, pharmacy, school or vegetable garden.
Afternoon: Feeding program
Wednesday:
Clinic outreach - see patients for whom clinic is too far to reach by themselves
Thursday:
Morning: help in clinic, pharmacy, school or vegetable garden.
Afternoon: Feeding program
Friday:
Clinic outreach - see patients for whom clinic is too far to reach by themselves
Saturday:
Morning: assigned project work
Afternoon: fun activity
*Optional weekend activity
You have the opportunity to visit and stay at another smaller wildlife sanctuary belonging to the same organization called Harnas which is 45 minutes away. Here there is a pool and a bar where you can also order meals. It is also possible to stay overnight. (local payment for this activity).
* Transfer is included
Sunday:
Volunteers depart clinic back to the main sanctuary at 08:00
Public Holidays 2026
26 August
10, 18 December 2026 - 11 January 2027
Public Holidays 2027
01 January
21 - 22, 26 & 29 March
01, 04, 06, 25 & 28 May
26 August
10, 25-27 December
Return transfer from Wildlife Sanctuary to Lifeline Clinic
Accommodation
Three meals a day
Transport to and from the project *
24-hour support & supervision
Donation to the project
Certificate of appreciation
* Please note that if you are staying for longer than two weeks, a weekend at the Wildlife Sanctuary (your arrival and departure base) might be necessary between rotations.
Basic level of competency in English
Police Clearance Certificate
Completed application form
Visa Info
You need to apply online for your 30 day visa before departure, this is called a Visa On Arrival on the online website.
Get out and explore the deserts of Namibia. Activities included are hiking (approximately 5k - 10km per day), Sossusvlei day trip, sleep outs in the bush, and wine tasting.
Volunteering and intercultural travel share a common trait: the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. This program is designed for proactive individuals and groups that are prepared to adapt to the local environment and its current needs. Naturally, the scheduling and activities of our program are subject to change. Alterations in activities are mainly due to changes in local conditions, which we believe is part of what makes overseas programs the interesting adventure and incredible learning experience that they are.
Our projects range from 1 week up to approx. 30 weeks. Projects have a specified minimum stay, then it’s up to you how long you can commit. In our experience the longer you stay the more you will gain, as your understanding of the project broadens and you take on more responsibilities. Every volunteer will be given a certificate of appreciation at the end of their stay as a symbol of volunteering stay.
Accommodation at the Lifeline Clinic is usually in twin or triple share rooms (shared with friends, family or people of the same gender) in a house located next to the clinic. There are two bathrooms and a kitchen/lounge area. We have a washing machine that you can use. Wi-Fi is intermittent, and there is limited cell-phone reception. There are no fans in the accommodation, but there are fans in the clinic.
Arrival
You can arrive any time on a Saturday. You will be met at Windhoek International Airport and taken to the Wildlife Sanctuary. The transfer to the medical clinic departs from the sanctuary the following day (Sunday).
Departure
The transfer back to the sanctuary is on a Sunday. The earliest departure flight you can book on Sunday is 18.00 and preferably later.
Three meals daily are provided, but volunteers are expected to play a vital part in the cleaning and cooking duties. Most dietary requirements can be catered for, but please inform us on your dietary restrictions prior to your arrival. There is a barbecue on the final night of your stay.
All customers can enter on a 90-day tourist visa which they need to apply for online before arrival - you can find all the information about applying for a visa in links on SAVE supplier information. It currently costs NAD 1600 (approx. USD 90)
Customer must use the link for VISA ON ARRIVAL, they should NOT choose the Holiday Visa application.
When making a booking, SAVE will send you a copy of the supporting letter which confirms this. Make sure the customer prints this and has it ready, if requested on arrival.
Project Requirement
You need to send a copy of the Volunteer application form to SAVE, this is a requirement.
Police Clearance Certificate
Blackout Dates
The project is closed from 18DEC26-11JAN27
Namibia Adventure Week Add On
Why not add on the Namibia Adventure Week?
Get out and explore the deserts of Namibia. Activities included are hiking (approximately 5k - 10km per day), Sossusvlei day trip, sleep outs in the bush, and wine tasting.
Insurances & Flight Tickets
Travel insurance is compulsory. You are also required to present a copy of your return flight itinerary when entering Namibia.
What to Bring
The type of clothing you should bring depends on the time of year. In any case bring work clothes that you don't mind getting worn and dirty. If possible, please mark your clothing with your name prior to arrival.
ATMs
We suggest that you get cash at the ATM at the airport upon arrival.
Winter in Namibia
May to September is the winter period and can be very cold at night and in the early mornings and daytime temperatures can vary. Please make sure to pack enough warm clothes if you plan your trip in that period. A sleeping bag is recommended! October to April is the summer period and the rainy season is from November-February. Whilst during this time it is generally hot during the day it can rain and become chilly in the evenings so do pack a jumper or fleece and waterproof jacket.
Tours en activiteiten
Alles voor je reis op één plek. Bekijk tours, activiteiten en buspassen om nog meer uit je avontuur te halen.
Minimale duur 16 Dagen
Locatie Windhoek
Groepsgrootte Max 4
Aantal reizigers
Vertrekdata & opties
Reisduur
Pakket
Prijzen zijn exclusief de verplichte bijdrage aan het Calamiteitenfonds (€2), RGF contributie (€5) en internationale vliegtickets. We helpen je graag met het boeken van je vluchten, maar wacht hier alsjeblieft mee totdat een van onze reisspecialisten je tour of activiteit heeft bevestigd. Je ontvangt de boekingsbevestiging zo snel mogelijk per e-mail.
Heb je nog vragen of wil je deze tour toevoegen aan een grotere reis?
Neem gewoon contact op! Onze reisspecialisten denken mee en plannen jouw trip van begin tot eind.
Waarom boek je jouw tours bij KILROY?
Met zorg geselecteerde reizen
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Support van reisspecialisten
Hulp nodig bij accommodatie, vervoer, verzekering of het plannen van de rest van je reis? Onze reisadviseurs staan voor je klaar.
Meer dan één tour of activiteit
Veel reizigers boeken één ervaring en ontdekken onderweg nog veel meer mogelijkheden. Wij helpen je graag om je avontuur nog groter te maken.
Persoonlijk reisadvies
Of het nu je eerste grote reis is of je tiende, wij helpen je om ervaringen te vinden die passen bij jouw plannen, budget en reisstijl.
Veelgestelde vragen
Alle details die je moet weten voordat je tours en activiteiten online boekt.
Niet altijd. We moeten eerst de beschikbaarheid bij de leverancier bevestigen. Zodra dat geregeld is, ontvang je een boekingsbevestiging van KILROY.
De meeste boekingen worden binnen enkele werkdagen bevestigd. Sommige activiteiten kunnen langer duren, afhankelijk van de leverancier en vertrekdatum.
Als de gevraagde vertrekdatum niet beschikbaar is, helpen we je met het vinden van een alternatieve datum, een vergelijkbare ervaring of we zorgen voor een terugbetaling.
Een reisspecialist van je lokale KILROY-kantoor is jouw contactpersoon en helpt je met de boeking indien nodig.
Zeker! Veel reizigers beginnen met een activiteit en voegen later andere reisplannen toe. Onze adviseurs helpen je graag om er een complete reis van te maken.
Je betaalt de activiteit of tour volledig tijdens het online afrekenen. De bijdrage van € 2 voor het Calamiteitenfonds en € 5 voor het RGF betaal je achteraf. Zodra je betaling binnen is, nemen we contact op met de leverancier en starten we de verwerking van je boeking.
Als een leverancier een activiteit annuleert, zoeken we samen naar een passend alternatief. Als dat niet lukt, heb je recht op een terugbetaling volgens onze voorwaarden.
Voor elke boeking betaal je € 2 bijdrage aan het Calamiteitenfonds en € 5 aan het RGF (Reisgarantiefonds). Hiermee ben je beschermd bij calamiteiten en financiële problemen, zoals een eventueel faillissement van de reisorganisatie. Eventuele extra kosten voor je tour of activiteit worden duidelijk vermeld op de betreffende pagina.
Bevestigde boekingen zijn definitief en kunnen niet worden geannuleerd. Heb je per ongeluk de verkeerde datum aangevraagd? Neem dan contact op met de reisspecialist die jouw boeking behandelt om de mogelijkheden te bespreken.
We raden sterk aan om een reisverzekering af te sluiten voor alle reizen en activiteiten. Sommige leveranciers kunnen specifieke dekking eisen.
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Ontdek de nieuwste reisinspiratie op de KILROY reisblog
Wij houden van reizen en verwachten dat jij dat ook doet! Lees onze reisverhalen, gidsen en topkeuzes voor inspiratie voor je volgende trip.
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