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Reg Charity 1143560

Medical Volunteering in Kenya

Use and develop your medical training whilst saving lives by volunteering with healthcare teams in Kenya.
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Successfully sending volunteers abroad for 10 years

Volunteer on a Medical Elective in Kenya

Put your medical skills to the test supporting healthcare teams in Kenya
If you are looking for an international medical elective that has a hands-on impact, look no further. As a medical volunteer in Kenya, you will be working in a local clinic or hospital supported by Agape, helping to support the stretched healthcare teams on the ground. Working with limited resources and a huge demand for services, these brilliant medical teams have a great deal of expertise and knowledge, but they need extra pairs of hands.

This is where you come in!

Exchange your vital medical work as a doctor or student for an enhanced understanding of what it is like to work in a demanding healthcare environment on our Kenya medicine electives. The local medical professionals here in Kenya have a wealth of experience and insight to learn from, which you can put to use later in your medical career.

What Will I Do?

Your work will depend on your experience level. In order to do medical work abroad with Agape, you must have some medical experience. In general, you must have completed at least one year of a university-level medical programme such as medicine or nursing. We very much welcome medical and nursing students, especially as part of elective programmes, as you will have the opportunity to put into practice the skills you've learnt whilst helping those in real need.

You will spend your first few days as a medical volunteer abroad shadowing a local doctor and learning about local techniques and common diseases. Once you feel comfortable you will have the opportunity to begin performing some basic procedures under supervision. General responsibilities for healthcare volunteers in Kenya include taking rounds, prescribing and distributing medicines, dressing wounds, and assisting with births.

Our medical volunteers in Kenya will often also help out with medical outreach projects we undertake in the local community and beyond. This community medicine is often the highlight of a medical programme, and gives volunteers a sense of the wider impact of the programme, as well as giving both students and professionals alike the experience of community medical services such as patient liaison and healthcare education.

If you'd like to find out more about volunteering in a clinic or hospital in Kenya, apply now to hear from our specialist trip adviser and begin planning your medical elective in Africa.
Typical Week

For medical volunteering in Kenya, you will generally be expected to work at your placement five days a week. Weekday mornings will start with breakfast with other volunteers at our volunteer house before you head to your hospital or clinic for around 9 am. Mornings will often start with a consultation with local staff members to discuss the needs of the day, and you may be asked to help out with a wide range of activities. At around 12pm you’ll get a break for lunch, which you can take with other volunteers and local staff.

You will generally finish your placement at around 5pm, though this will depend on the opening times of your placement. When you finish you’ll get a chance to unwind with other volunteers and local team members over dinner, and we often organise games and activities of our own in the evenings. Weekends are also your own but there are always plenty of extra Adventures to do in Kenya!

Living With Agape

Most of our volunteers undertaking medical work in Kenya live in our purpose-built volunteer house, supervised and run by our local team. Living in our volunteer house is great fun, and provides the perfect balance between getting involved in a big Kenyan family and having the opportunity to relax with other like-minded volunteers.

You will most likely be sharing dorm-style rooms with other volunteers, and these are typically single-sex. We also have some private rooms available. Other facilities at the volunteer house include a roof terrace with a barbecue, games room, and plenty of communal space for games and activities.

Included Extras

All of Agape's medical volunteers in Kenya also get the opportunity to take part in at least two extra trips free during their stay in Kenya.

The first of these is to an IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camp an hour's drive from the volunteer house. These camps were set up during the election violence in 2007 to house those who lost their home during the troubles. Thankfully the situation is much more peaceful now, but sadly many residents have not moved since. Agape is committed to continuing to offer as much support as possible to some of the most vulnerable people in Kenya. We help to run a school there, and are also engaged in various other infrastructure projects to help the local community. During your day there you will help out with whatever projects we have ongoing at the time. This may include medical outreach work, distributing supplies, or helping with the building and maintenance of ongoing construction projects.

The other trip Agape offers free in Kenya is our Nairobi City Tour. This is your chance to relax after the stresses of your placement or work in IDP, and provides the opportunity to get up close and personal with giraffes and elephants at the animal orphanage. It will also help to orientate you in Kenya's capital city - a vibrant and exciting place with plenty to explore!

Optional Extras

Agape Volunteers offers a variety of extra Adventures for volunteers in Kenya including Maasai Mara safaris, hiking and biking trips through beautiful national parks, and weekend getaways to tropical beaches on the Indian Ocean. We also offer a range of mountain climbing trips, from Mt Longanot, to Mt Kenya, to Mt Kilimanjaro!

The Application Process

  • 1: Start Your Application

    Once you have chosen where you would like to volunteer and you will need to fill in some basic details about yourself as well about the programme you wish to participate in, so that we can get back to you with the relevant information.

    1: Start Your Application
  • 2: Your Own Trip Advisor

    Your own personal trip adviser should contact you within 48 hours after submitting your application. They will be responsible for your entire booking, including: answering any questions you have, helping you to source flights and giving you important safety.

    2: Your Own Trip Advisor
  • 3: Select Adventures

    Your trip advisor will provide you an adventures guide for the country you will be volunteering in. This includes some extra trips you can take on top of your volunteering; these vary from safaris, weekends at beach resorts to a hike up Kilimanjaro!

    3: Select Adventures
  • 4: Pay and Depart

    Your trip advisor will talk you through how to pay your programme fee and for any extra trips. Shortly before your departure we will be in contact to give you some information about airport pick ups and safety procedures, from there you are all set for your African adventure.

    4: Pay and Depart

Program Costs Explained

Duration (weeks)Total Cost (£)
1 week675
2 weeks775
3 weeks 875
4 weeks 975
5 weeks 1075
6 weeks 1175
7 weeks 1275
8 weeks 1375
9 weeks 1450
10 weeks 1525
11 weeks 1600
3 months1750
4 months 1950
5 months 2250
6 months 2600
1 year4200

What’s Included in your Costs

  • Accommodation
  • Two meals a day
  • Airport pick up and drop off
  • All Agape registration and administration
  • Orientation
  • Donation to local projects
  • Nairobi City Tour
  • IDP outreach day
  • Travel Insurance with Agape Volunteers
  • What is not Included

  • Vaccinations
  • Visa
  • Flights
  • Spending money
  • Visa
  • Extra Adventures
  • Agape Adventures in Kenya

    Agape offers a range of incredible Adventure activities to add to your volunteer programme, so that you can make the most out of your time in Africa.

    Agape offers a range of incredible Adventure activities to add to your volunteer programme, so that you can make the most out of your time in Africa.

    • Three day Maasai Mara Safari
      £410
      Three day Maasai Mara Safari

      Go in search of the Big Five as you explore the natural wonder of one of the most famous safari parks on the planet!

    • Three day Maasai Cultural Experience
      £150
      Three day Maasai Cultural Experience

      This is your chance to gain an insight into the lives of the famous Maasai tribe in Kenya. Spend three days living alongside the Maasai in order to understand more about their unique and proud culture.

    • Three day Beach Getaway (Kenya)
      £410
      Three day Beach Getaway (Kenya)

      After all your hard work on your volunteer placement, there's nothing better than a little beach getaway on Kenya's tropical Indian Ocean coastline!

    • Mt Kilimanjaro Climb
      £1595
      Mt Kilimanjaro Climb

      Ever wanted to scale the heights of Africa's tallest mountain? Now's your chance!

    • Mt Kenya Climb
      £970
      Mt Kenya Climb

      Fancy a little mountain climbing? Mt Kenya - the country's highest peak - is your chance to do exactly that! 

    • Hell's Gate Hiking & Biking (Kenya)
      £140
      Hell's Gate Hiking & Biking (Kenya)

      If you wish to take a walk on the wild side, this is the Adventure for you!

    • Mt Longanot Day Hike (Kenya)
      £140
      Mt Longanot Day Hike (Kenya)

      Mt Longanot dominates the Rift Valley skyline and this Adventure represents the perfect opportunity to experience a little mountain climbing.

    • Kibera Outreach Day (Kenya)
      £50
      Kibera Outreach Day (Kenya)

      This excursion is by no means a tourist of sight-seeing trip but an opportunity to understand a little more about life in Kenya's largest slum.

    • Gorilla Trekking (Kenya)
      From £2000
      Gorilla Trekking (Kenya)

      An opportunity to get up close and personal with one of the most fascinating and endangered species on the planet: Ugandan mountain gorillas.

    Got a Few Questions?

    Enquire now!

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