Adventures in Volunteering

MEDICAL & HEALTH

Canadian Network for International Surgery
With the vision of empowering low-income countries to minimize risk of injury and provide adequate surgical care, the Canadian Network for International Surgery has been sending physicians to teach surgical skills to local doctors in Ethiopia, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania since 1995.

Volunteers teach an intensive five-day Essential Surgical Skills (ESS) course to physicians in their host country, educating doctors in Africa to become trainers themselves.

The program is flexible and allows doctors to make a quick trip during time off from their practice or extend their stay and teach multiple courses. Placements with CNIS are strictly voluntary – doctors pay for their own flight and living expenses while abroad.
Tel: 604.739.4708

Disabled Peoples’ International
Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI) is committed to promoting the rights of disabled people through support organizations in developing areas. Every year, DPI seeks interns for six-month CIDA placements with the disability community in developing countries including Peru, Mauritania and Guyana.
Although DPI gives priority to applicants who are part of the disabled community, applicants with experience in business, communications and working with the disabled are also considered. CIDA also requires that applicants be between the ages of 19 and 30, have a university degree or college diploma, and be ready to begin a professional career.

Interns prepare for international departure during a four-week training session in Winnipeg and return for a two-week debriefing session after their six-month placement. The only thing participants need to provide is their knowledge, expertise and a little bit of spending money, since all costs are covered by DPI and their sponsors.
Tel: 204.287.8010

Equip K.I.D.S. International
Equip K.I.D.S. (Kids In Developing Societies) is dedicated to helping children with disabilities around the world reach their full potential. This small organization focuses on the production and distribution of assistive technology as well as educating children with disabilities, their caregivers and therapists in the developing world.

Volunteers are needed to work with children in Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Ecuador in a variety of capacities, some requiring professional training in speech pathology and occupational therapy, and others non-professional volunteers to provide moral and physical support.

The volunteer program at Equip K.I.D.S. is flexible, with duration (from one week to one year) and cost (travel plus living expenses) varying along with individual commitments. Although not always a requirement, Equip K.I.D.S. is currently seeking volunteers with fluency in both English and Spanish.
Tel: 416.742.4627

Help the Aged
Aging can be a difficult and even painful process, especially in developing nations where access to health care is limited and living conditions are often impoverished. Help the Aged is an international development organization formed in 1975 to “improve the quality of life for the elderly poor, support their independence and inclusion, and provide services and programs to relieve distress, poverty and sickness.”

For recent university graduates with an interest in gerontology, sociology, social work, health administration or occupational therapy, Help the Aged offers a seven month International Youth Internship Program in partnership with CIDA. Interns work with local NGOs in Africa, India, Jamaica and the Commonwealth of Dominica in areas such as outreach work, health program assistance and occupational therapy.

CIDA requirements indicate that applicants must be between 19 and 30, have recently graduated from university or college and be ready to begin their professional career. All expenses related to transportation, visas and living expenses are covered and interns receive a monthly honorarium.
Tel: 800.648.1111

Medecins du Monde Canada
Medecins du Monde Canada, a delegation of MDM International, was founded in 1999 to provide health care for those who lack access to this basic human right—both internationally and within Canada. Approximately 40 doctors are sent all over the world every year to work with local organizations and provide much-needed health care and training to other medical professionals.

Doctors wishing to take time off from their daily practice to volunteer must be licensed in Canada or their country of origin. Aside from doctors, MDM also recruits nurses, administrators and logisticians who play an equally important role in treating patients.

To apply, candidates must submit a CV and go through an interview process. While doctors are not paid for their services, they are provided with a stipend of $1000 Canadian $750 in local currency per month to cover any costs. Because MDM also offers medical services in Canada to those who cannot access the system, volunteers also have the opportunity to continue their service at home after an overseas placement.
Tel: 514.281.8998

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