Nursing in Tanzania: A Study Abroad Trip
Donation protected
Hello everyone! My name is Katja. For those who don’t know, I am a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) student at James Madison University. I am studying full time and working part time as a graduate assistant at the university. I have been accepted in a study abroad opportunity in Tanzania this summer, where I’ll be providing health care and expanding my cultural horizons.
This program is unique in that I will be able to practice nursing while I am in Tanzania including helping expectant mothers, assisting in a clinic for children with HIV, and providing primary care. I was attracted to this trip because not only will this trip help me professionally and personally, it will also allow me to help other people. In this program, I will be able to practice in Shirati Mennonite Hospital (in Shirati, Tanzania off the cost of Lake Victoria), assist in medical care in Arusha at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, and learn about nursing programs in Dar es Salam (Tanzania’s capitol). The majority of my time will be spent in Shirati where there are few resources and fewer healthcare providers. The majority of residents in the district live below the poverty line. Many of the clinics there have no electricity and Tanzanians will walk miles to reach them. The hospital there has only been able to stay open and support its thousands of patients because of the Friends of Shirati organization. If you would like to donate to their great organization, they can be found here: http://www.friendsofshirati.org/make-a-donation/. With these varied locations in Tanzania, I will be able to see Tanzania’s healthcare in both urban and very rural areas. I am sure I will have many intense experiences that I can bring back with me to the states that will help me grow as a provider.
The program is also exciting for me on a personal level. I have never been out of the country before and am ecstatic to have this amazing chance.
If you are willing to donate even a little bit, I would greatly appreciate it.
This program is unique in that I will be able to practice nursing while I am in Tanzania including helping expectant mothers, assisting in a clinic for children with HIV, and providing primary care. I was attracted to this trip because not only will this trip help me professionally and personally, it will also allow me to help other people. In this program, I will be able to practice in Shirati Mennonite Hospital (in Shirati, Tanzania off the cost of Lake Victoria), assist in medical care in Arusha at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, and learn about nursing programs in Dar es Salam (Tanzania’s capitol). The majority of my time will be spent in Shirati where there are few resources and fewer healthcare providers. The majority of residents in the district live below the poverty line. Many of the clinics there have no electricity and Tanzanians will walk miles to reach them. The hospital there has only been able to stay open and support its thousands of patients because of the Friends of Shirati organization. If you would like to donate to their great organization, they can be found here: http://www.friendsofshirati.org/make-a-donation/. With these varied locations in Tanzania, I will be able to see Tanzania’s healthcare in both urban and very rural areas. I am sure I will have many intense experiences that I can bring back with me to the states that will help me grow as a provider.
The program is also exciting for me on a personal level. I have never been out of the country before and am ecstatic to have this amazing chance.
If you are willing to donate even a little bit, I would greatly appreciate it.
Organizer
Katja Swartz
Organizer
Harrisonburg, VA
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