St Joseph’s hospital July 2019

St Joseph’s is a relatively small hospital, but there’s still opportunities to get exposure and be useful. Important things for future volunteers to know/ recommendations: -learn basic Swahili, at least greetings
-learn at least numbers 1-10
This will ensure you get treated fairly around town and make you more useful in the hospital.
Be proactive and don’t be afraid to speak up to get opportunities around the hospital. If you can see an area for improvement, approach it gently with respect and consider their culture before actioning anything.
I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about their culture by working in a team and interacting with local patients. Some of the experience I had at st Joseph’s I’ll cherish forever. There is periods where things are slow which can leave you feeling unhelpful, remembering the term ‘pole pole’ is important. Also using this time to research local diseases and educating staff on different things is a good idea.
Your hours at the project forms only part of your volunteer experience. Tanzania is truly spectacular. The culture is peaceful, sure there is crime like any developing country, however overall it’s very safe. Moshi in particular is such a great place to explore, a very underrated country.
Staying with Deo in his volunteer house was a great experience, I can’t speak highly enough of him and his staff. Honestly these people will help you however they can, their hospitality and genuine kindness is beautiful. This experience in itself is worth the money.