The Ghana team

Arriving at the Bay View Lodge accommodation, set right on the lakeside, I met the 10 adventurous student dentists. They were all in high spirits and eager to start the treatment the following day having spent the first day visiting the partnership hospital in Kumasi and meeting the staff team and clinical supervisors. They had also had their first meeting with the primary school children they would be treating at the Adwafo RC Primary. All of the students were surpised by the warmth of the welcome they received from both teachers and students.

Treating patients

Speaking with the students it was apparent they had immediately bonded as a group and had already enjoyed interaction with the local people during the welcome ceremony with the village chief, who had welcomed them as honoured guests. By the end of the first night  students were eagerly lapping up their first language lesson our Project Leader was providing. Within no time the students were confidently greeting each other and instructing each other to “open your mouth, please”.

Working in the classroom

The busy day had obviously given the students quite an appetite as the local Ghana dinner was devoured by students, much to Dorkas, our caterers delight!

The plan for the outreach was to visit 13 villages in total during the two week project and treat children from over 28 primary schools. Logistically, as with all outreach projects, it was difficult to forecast how many people we would treat a day but it was hoped that all the students would take well to the rural setting and the task ahead of them with enthusiasm. The students certainly did themselves proud on their first full day of work. The ten students split themselves into two teams, splitting between a screening and education team and a treatment team. In the first day alone five schools in two different villages were screened, with over 4000 children screened, giving us over a hundred referrals of which 87 were treated.

There are never enough dental chairs

The small Abono primary school were the treatment clinic was located for the first week of the project was buzzing with activity. Our students worked extremely efficiently under the constant supportive supervision of Dr Frema, our senior clinical supervisor from our partnership hospital. Working in partnership with the region’s largest hospital allowed us unparalled access to essential equipment that is otherwise impossible to get hold of in Ghana.

Dr Frema commented at the end of the first day that she was surprised at the number of children that had been treated and the dedication and high level of clinical skills the students had shown in what were basic conditions and working with limited resources and equipment.

A well earned break

Clinical experience is obviously a big attraction for students participating in an outreach project and the students were involved in extractions, fillings and scaling from day one. The screening team also learnt how to communicate effectively with children who spoke very limited English and the educational team entertained and educated classroom after classroom over excited and receptive children on how to maintain good oral health.

Due to the very rural location of the project the daily transport was always by Toyota 4×4, something our students relished each day. The excitement of off-roading to small schools were very few foreigners had ever visited only added to the excitement and satisfaction students gained from knowing they were making a real positive impact on the local communities.

For me, as Project co-ordinator, it was great to see the group of ten students supporting each other and having such a memorable time together. On their weekend off the group travelled to the city of Kumasi and explored the ancient historic sites of the Ashanti people, shopped for local cloth and handicrafts and even managed time to watch an international football match between Ghana and Nigeria – a grudge match to rival that of England playing Germany!

So happy to see us

As the programme draws to a close the final figures stand at over 4000 children screened, with just under 1000 treated. As the students now head off to various parts of Ghana to enjoy the stunning beaches, national parks and vibrant cities, they can all be extremely proud of the fantastic and lasting impact they have made on the area. The mood of the local people can be summed up by one old lady who took the time to explain to me “We thank God that these ten dental students have come to our village to help us. We could never afford to travel to the city and have treatment so this has been a small miracle for us here”.

The welcome ceremony at Jurethum

The first camp was set up in Bidhur, a charming hill top settlement that overlooks a beautiful river valley with ancient temples scattered around the main village square. The last dental camp was conducted over a year ago by the rotary club, so it was a good opportunity for us to follow up on the good work. The community screening and the treatments were carried out at the village school with the portable dental equipments brought in from Kathmandu. ‘The Famous Farm’ was our student dentists’ home for 2 weeks – a restored Newari manor house, tastefully decorated with traditional Nepali furniture. The kitchen served wonderful local food and the cook also bent backwards to accommodate our student’s request for some western food!

The results from the first camp were impressive – 1002 people were screened with 594 those referred for treatment. Often the challenge is to make them understand the importance of coming back for treatment, so we were pleased to see that 540 returned with their treatment tickets. The whole project was a great success, with each student screening an average of 10 Nepalis per day, and treating 5. Great opportunities for hands-on work under the supervision of a professional dentist.

The second camp was established in Jurethum, conveniently located about an hour away from Bidhur. It’s a typical Nepalese village built around the trunk road which links Nuwakot and Kathmandu, situated about 35 km North West of the capital. For this reason, the village is also known to locals as ’35 kilo’. The student dentists and staff were accommodated at a friendly, family run guesthouse called the Fall and Trout Village Fish Farm in Kakani. The temporary clinic was set up at a village school just 10 minutes drive and despite its proximity to Kathmandu, the elevation of 1,650m meant that the patients had little access to dental care unless they were willing to travel to the city.

As with the first, the figures from Jurethum were just as impressive. It was a slightly smaller group and visits were interrupted by heavy rains, but on average each student screened 7 people and treated 6 per day. As with Bidhur, the majority of referrals (the bulk of those screened needed treatment) returned for treatment.

Working in Dhampus

The third and fourth camps were back in the Pokhara Valley, with the first set up in Dhampus. This one was possibly the most ambitious out of the four projects as reaching the project location involved a three to five hours trek (depending on individual fitness)! But with an enthusiastic group of student dentists, I can report that we were able to transport all the equipment and set up camp. Quite a challenging environment to work and something completely new for the students. The project is going on as I type and I’m getting daily progress reports of the busy clinic work. It seems patients often require several appointments as there are so many problems with their teeth.

Since Dhampus is a remote village, our student dentists and staff are accommodated in a fairly simple lodge with basic facilities. But what makes this lodge special is the landlady who runs the guesthouse – she’s the head of the village’s Mother Union and she’s keen to make all our participants feel very much at home in the mountain. Sunil has reported that she has organised a performance for our students later this week!

The last dental outreach project is scheduled to start in just under 10 days. It’s in a village called Bhaduare, another hilltop settlement inhabited by mixed Nepalese communities, otherwise known as Gurung, Dalit, Bishwo Karma and Brahmin people. There are no dental clinics near Bhadaure so our temporary clinic will be set up at the village hall. The accommodation will be at the Holiness Food and Guesthouse. It’s a fairly simple lodge, similar to Dhampus as the village is situated in a remote location. The guesthouse is in the heart of the village and within walking distance to the community hall, where the temporary clinic will be set up.

Nepal is certainly not short of villages that can really benefit from our outreach projects and we’ll update you on the progress of the last two projects as soon as we get the figures in. We will also keep you posted about our plans for next year… we have some exciting ideas and also some potential new locations, so watch this space!

Newborn in Arusha

Whether it be the treatment of patients, rare and tropical diseases or progressed pathologies, an overseas placement is both fascinating and a great learning environment where students are often exposed to things that they have only read about in the past. Although we have asked this question a couple of times we always get different answers.

James in Arusha examined a patient with a hepatonegaly larger than any that he had seen in Hong Kong. “Another close second would be a multiple casualty car accident that caused 9 deaths.”

Wesley told us “It is nice to have a chance to talk to Doctor Lee; an orthopedics surgeon from Korea who shared his volunteering experience in Arusha for 2 more years. The conversation is inspiring and provides me with the insight into future possible volunteering practice in developing countries.”

Emily attended surgical clinic this week where a woman presented with advanced breast cancer. “She had interesting signs with a large mass peak orange inverted nipple. This is rarely seen in England.”

While Sarah helped assist in the delivery of twins – “it was a difficult delivery, with one in breech position.”

Chloe continued to see a patient in casualty. “A special amounted today was a female patient with an abdominal protrusion at the umbilical area with overlying ulceration. It was a challenging case and several of us saw the patient together but none of us was sure about the nature of it.”

In Surgery

In Dar Es Salaam, Karen told us that “Dr. Alvin has been really good and instrumental in assisting us. He instructed and helped us in resetting and open fracture which was being fixed with a glove box. He allowed us to really get involved and feel part of the team.”

Charlene’s highlight was “seeing a baby with convulsions due to hypoglycemia and digested blood aspirated from the NG tube.” Rebecca noticed a huge difference in the practice of Obstetrics in Tanzania compared to the UK. “The mother was so brave as no pain relief was used.”

In Nepal, Samantha mentioned she did “not need to see another C-section for years now as I’ve seen enough here to last me a lifetime!”  Yvonne agreed “C-sections…cut-out-over-next! And I was surprised at how many women suffer from uterus prolapse.”

Fanny was interested in how “a lot of people come to the hospital with heart valve disease. Also the presentation of diseases in a more critical stage was not too good to see but really fascinating.”

Aileen and Stacey noticed a lot of spinal injury patients and told us that “the supervisor and the staff have been so lovely; the supervisor has even made a list of things we want to see and makes sure he shows us and strikes it off his list once done!”

Dentistry in Argentina

For Lisa in Argentina, her highlight has been the staff at the Dentistry Department. “They are all so nice, especially my supervisor. I’ve already started with hands-on work so my second week looks very promising!”

Chris also told us about his highlight: “There was a woman with a very complex pathology at Gen Med, who also had a broken spine. It was very interesting to see!” Davinder added “My highlight at the ENT Department has been all the new things I’ve learnt, since I didn’t know much before this placement and now I feel very confident to diagnose by myself. It is amazing how doctors here rely completely on their clinical experience; they don’t investigate the patients (no blood tests, etc). Simply by examining patients with a torch they can say what’s wrong”

And finally for Beth, her highlight in the Obstetrics Department has been being able to follow up the first minutes of a newborn’s life. “I got to follow a baby from the C-section to the time when doctors identify him by putting his cute little footprints on a document.”

All of our staff overseas and the supervisors we work with speak English but we also provide weekly language lessons to help students get around locally. Next week the question for the students is “How are you finding the language lessons? Are you getting to practise much around town?” We’ll see you back here next week for the answers!

Students on safari

As much as we try and prepare you for your time overseas, there are some things that you simply won’t know until you get there.  As well as the immediate contrast in clinical practice, each destination we offer provides a fascinating cultural experience so this week we asked the students what they have learnt.  We asked them “What is your favourite in-country fact?!”

In Arusha, Lucy learnt that “Fluoride in the water here causes the yellow stains on the teeth.  Before coming to Africa I thought this was caused by tobacco”

Nicola said that “Going on safari was the best experience!  So far my favourite African fact is ‘The Serengeti is the same size as Holland’ as quoted from a maasai warrior”

On the clinical side, Helen told us that “Patients have to pay an admission fee at Mount Meru, but then they get all treatment they need and HIV medication is free” with Rachael adding that “The consultants get paid a 1/3 of what we get paid as an intern, which is pretty terrible and offers no surprises as to why they leave”

Helen and Jemima found it funny that “Poa kichizi kama ndizi ndani ya friji – is a normal response to the greeting ‘mambo’ – this means cool like banana in a fridge!”

On the subject of language, Nicola told us that “Tanzanians are very respectful of their elders and their language reflects this. They use “shikamoo” to greet their elders as opposed to “mambo”

Work the World staff in front of a typical studded door

In Dar es Salaam many people call me a “bonge” (big) which is meant as a compliment!  But my favourite word of the week is “umependeza” which means beautiful.  I also like it that white people are called “mzungu” said Zoe

Esme did the Village Experience and discovered that “tribes have two rooms for wives in their huts – one for the junior wife, one for the senior wife!”

Clare noticed that “in stone town you will see a lot of carved and gold studded doors.  If you visit the House of Wonders you will learn that this was a way of demonstrating wealth despite the rest of the house being less desirable. The doors started off being flat topped but with the arrival of the Indians came arched tops and studs to ward off elephants.”

According to Joe, our Programme Manager, “we have got quite a jovial lot in Ghana at the moment and this question sparked off laughter around the dinner table!  It was mostly from Hilary who hadn’t done any research into Ghana and therefore could not tell us anything but ended up seconding every confirmed fact by the other five students.  With a smile they all admitted that Ghana is definitely the gateway to Africa. “The people are so friendly, even at the hospital”.  Ghanaians are very friendly and are always willing to help!

The busy streets of Pokhara

Anthony took the floor saying “…I heard that it is safe and peaceful here…” and that is exactly how they see it now.  Catherine mentioned that the hot temperature was a definite fact.  Malaria is the most common disease and the health facilities are under resourced.  Everyone had heard this before coming including Hilary!”

Sunil, the Programme Manager for Nepal had the students talking traffic!  “Anna had heard a lot about the driving and traffic rules, how chaotic it is in Nepal. She always thought that Nepal didn’t have a proper traffic rule, but after coming here, she understands what all her friends were trying to say. Get on a bus or in a cab and see how it goes; it’s crazy with bikes everywhere, everyone overtaking everyone, cows crossing the street…”

We are quick to talk about the cultural differences but there are some surprising similarities too. This week we have asked the students “Have you noticed any similarities either on placement or locally?”

We’ll see you back here next week for the answers!

Learning how to make Empanadas

Now try another…… “Tiene cancer, que come Usted sabe, es una enfermedad dificil pero se puede tratar”. A bit more tricky, but there are a couple of words that could be guessed……..

The point is that Spanish is not an insurmountable hurdle, it’s a challenge. And although many students think working in an under developed hospital is difficult enough, if we had a glass of fruity malbec for every person that discounted a placement in Argentina because they don’t feel they have the time to learn Spanish, or won’t learn it to a high enough standard to work in a Spanish hospital environment,  we’d be a very merry office indeed!

It’s no great surprise that Argentina appeals to most of our students, and who could blame them? It’s completely different to our other destinations and as you scroll down our Mendoza page you can almost see the beautiful mountains and fast flowing rivers around you. Taste buds start to tingle at the mention of tender steak and romance floods your veins as you imagine dancing the sultry tango. It’s an amazing place and a dream destination for your placement….or is it?  Right there on the page it says “a good level of Spanish is needed”…….. the sighs are audible. And they shouldn’t be!

We won’t hide from the fact that a placement in a less developed country can be tough, and learning a language on top of that is definitely a challenge, but as the heading of this article proves, Spanish can be an easy language to pick up. The grammar is simple to understand, your vocabularly increases spectacularly when you realise many English words require just a small change to their ending to work in Spanish and the written language is almost phoenetic.

Learning Spanish at the Work the World house

What worries most of our students is that you need more than just “holiday Spanish” to get by. Medical terminology is complicated and discussing symptoms and treatments in Spanish could lead to massive confusion and worrying mistakes. Has anyone been on a standard evening class that covers what instruments to pass in surgery or  how to understand a patient brought in after a road traffic accident?!

Well don’t hit the panic button just yet. Work the World understand how important it is that you can communicate with staff and patients, so we’ve set up our own language course at the house. The add-on is available to all students and whilst it has all the fun and frolics of learning in-country with market visits, tango classes, empanada baking etc, the structure essentially allows you to progress from basic Spanish to medical Spanish in just a week. It is a unique course only available to our students, and sets you up not just for your time in Argentina, but for your future. It’s also the most economical way to learn the language – considerably less than taking private medical spanish lessons at home.

Amanda, one of our previous Spanish students “was really worried about working in a totally Spanish environment. I’d taken evening classes at my local college but still felt like I only had a basic grasp. After a few days living in country though, I was out and about talking to locals, it all made complete sense. Then Clara began to teach us Spanish that was tailored to our placements. I’m a nurse and so she focussed on paediatrics as that was where I would be for three weeks. She had an amazing understanding of what would be required and everything I asked her she was able to help me with. I felt confident to ask questions on my first day on the ward, work out what the staff and patients were telling me and follow the rounds. My understanding grew with each day I worked and it was amazing knowing that I could do my job in an entirely foreign environment “.

Don’t think of Spanish as a reason not to go to Argentina. Think of our Intensive Spanish Course as a way to enhance your skills in the way a placement will.  Who knows where it will take you, but it is bound to be emocionante!

Some of the kids

This year’s Dental Outreach Programme in Ghana took place in Jacobu within the Ashanti region of Ghana. It was about an hour’s drive south of Kumasi, which is the second largest city in Ghana and famous for its markets. The project spanned 3 weeks and consisted of seven 4th year dental students as well as (and for the first time ever for us) 5 dental hygienists. All the participants were studying or had finished studying at Cork and were therefore full of Irish vigour and energy!

The project was designed to provide free screenings and treatments to the school children of the local area. We had a bus and each day it would take us to the schools where the screenings were carried out and then bring those children that had been referred to the local St Peters Hospital for treatment. The screening process was immense! Just short of 4,500 children were screened during the project. We were privileged to have the dental hygienists during the screening process, they worked to provide education (of course with translators!) to all of those children that were screened by the dental students. This will enable the good work that took place to carry on after we left so that the children understand the importance of effective oral cleaning.

Screenings

Just short of 1,000 children were treated during the 3 weeks, the participants on the programme worked extremely well together to ensure that this work ran as smoothly as possible. Each day someone would volunteer to play the role of Matron and be responsible for providing assistance when needed to those carrying out the treatment work and to grab supplies and tools. The dental hygienists were predominantly responsible for carrying the scaling work whilst the dental students took care of the extractions and fillings. We were fortunate to be working with Dr Amoateng, who is the head dental consultant at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi as well as his two dental assistants Hanna and Felicia as they provided excellent clinical supervision and assistance.

Outside of the clinical work we all got to do some exploring of Ghana in our spare time. The dental students managed to get to Mole National Park, which is no mean feat due to the distance involved, although they weren’t impressed that their driver took a wrong turn and an 8 hour journey turned into 11 hours! The dental hygienists managed to make it to the coast and also to stay at a hotel with a swimming pool in Kumasi. I myself visited Lake Bosumtwi and had an afternoon on a hammock gazing out over the still waters. Kumasi was definitely the place to buy any present for people back at home.

Oral health workshop

The food was prepared by a caterer “Aunty Dokas”, who we recruited specifically for the project and who has worked with us before with our permanent programme in Takoradi. She provided continental food like spaghetti bolognese, chicken curries and a even some BBQ’s. We also requested to try some local dishes, some of which were more popular than others! “Red Red”, which is fried plantain, spices and a bean and tomato sauce was lovely.

It was an intense and thoroughly rewarding experience. Some other highlights that come to mind from the project were a local TV station coming over and interviewing us about the project, we later found out it was on TV 6 days later! The dental hygienists met Mr P.V Obeng, one of the most senior ranking government officials in Ghana and spending sometime having drinks with him! Also, going to mass in a local church was amazing- the Ghanaians love to sing and dance and we were welcomed with open arms. Finally, some of the girls managed to get invited to be in a Nigerian music video and were filmed for it, although I’ll need to wait to see it out live before I truly believe it as I wasn’t there at that point and the girls might be pulling my leg!

Villagers in Dhampus

The reason I have walked for 2 hours, 45 minutes through the trails into the jungle and out to the top of the ridge at 1700m, is because we are considering this village as a base for our first Dental Outreach project. The programme involves groups of Work the World dental students travelling to rural communities that have no access to dental care. They screen and treat the children for free under the guidance of a professional dentist from Pokhara, which is of huge benefit because very few rural children in Nepal have access to dental care. This can really help with pain relief and future problems.

There are  many things to consider while choosing the destination for dental outreach: accessibility, accommodation, electricity, schools with large number of children….. so  I have been on the hunt around the whole of the local area, travelling the outskirts of Pokhara to visit schools and guesthouses to find one that will work for us. My heart was set on Dhampus straight away-  great hospitality throughout and warm and friendly people. Although, during June-July the schools close for the monsoon break, with the huge area that Dhampus covers we can expect the outreach to be flooded with people. Of course there isn’t internet connections or mobile reception, but instead you get tons of heart connection with the people of Nepal.

The route I was trekking was originally part of the way to Annapurna Base Camp, but now there is a new route more commonly used. That is good news for us because there are some good lodges with great accommodation and many schools around with four to five hundred students in each, but it is not touristy at all: the combination I have been looking for to fit as a Dental Outreach destination. It also has that wow factor, which I love to show people who are new to Nepal. Wake up on a clear morning and you will catch a breath taking view of the mountains…. surely a reward!

Me on top of the bus!

Another of the villages I looked at earlier this week was Naudanda, perched on the relaxing shores of Phewa Lake, atop a hill with stunning mountain and lake views.  Rather than trek, I caught the local bus (although it was so crowded I had to sit on the hood for 50 minutes!) . Inhabited by different ethnic groups of Nepal, Naudanda has the main government high school as well as tertiary medium schools and private boarding schools. Children from nearby villages also travel here to attend classes, when they are not working in the fields – agriculture is the main income source in Nepal and many children have to help with the farming during Monsoon. It would work well as a dental outreach base.

As part of the bus trip (by now the wind was really hitting my face!), I also visited Bandipur – 70kms uphill from Damauli on the route to Kathmandu. It is nestled into the hillside and if you like walking there are some great treks – most popular is the hike to the largest cave in Nepal. I straight away loved the village – it was like a fairy tale book with slate roofed brick houses and well-maintained lanes of cobblestones and slates.  People were smiling out of windows and calling greetings – there were even ducks and chickens let out on the street (no cars!). It really is peaceful bliss.

The lanes in Bandipur

Bandipur is one of the only VDC (village development committees) in Nepal and it has the maximum number of children going to school.  There is a community hospital, which although has limited services, would be useful for referral patients and for students that cannot bear to be out of touch, they also have internet. An old village with all the modern amenities – something tells me a dental outreach project here will be a huge success!

So now it is just sorting out the final details and we will be ready for the first of our trips at the end of June. There are still some spaces available on the three projects we have planned, so if you want to sign up then give Abby or Omar a call in the office and get booked on. I am confident Dental Outreach in Nepal is going to be brilliant!

To read more about Dental Outreach Projects in Nepal follow the link!

Treating patients India 2009

The project continues in July 2010 and to boost awareness, Work the World are offering one fourth or fifth year dentistry student or professional the opportunity to win a two week placement in India with the Dental Outreach team.

The 2010 India dental outreach programme will send students to rural villages across Kerala to treat local children in makeshift dental clinics. Working under the supervision of qualified local dentists, phase one will see the team running oral hygiene workshops to educate the children in caring for their teeth as well as setting up an intensive screening process. All children with dental problems are then referred to the local hospital in which the project is based, with phase two dedicated to providing free dental treatment for each child. With students performing as much of the work as possible, this is a fantastic way for dentistry students to gain on-the-job experience as well as making a real contribution to the local community and having the experience of a lifetime.

2009 dentistry student Clare commented “After three days we had screened 500 children and referred 300 for treatment at the local hospital. The majority of children had never experienced any dental care and although they never complained of any pain, sometimes they would open their mouths and their teeth would be horrendous. I was able to gain experience in many types of treatment, all supervised by Dr Manu and Dr Smitha, and identify advanced cases of dental decay not really seen in the UK.  It boosted my confidence and opened my eyes to dental care in rural India”

Teaching kids to brush their teeth

Oral health is a growing problem in India. In a multicentric study on oral health, the World Health Organisation in India claimed dental caries, oral cancer, periodontal conditions and bleeding gums are all conditions that have become more prevalent in recent years. The report concludes “the increase found in the present study could be explained as due to urbanisation and shift towards more refined food over the past decade…… it is evident that oral health care seeking behaviour was very low; people rarely visited the Dentist and only in the event of pain.”

Managing Director Dave Brown said, “We created the Dental Outreach Programme to give our elective students a chance to travel to rural areas, get more hands on experience and really make a difference to the huge numbers of Indian people that desperately need treatment. Now in year three the project has proved itself sustainable and hugely beneficial to the local community – last year alone over 600 people were treated and hundreds more learnt how to look after their teeth. Winning this competition would be an amazing opportunity for someone to use and develop their skills whilst really contributing to the local villages we visit”

With strong partnerships with universities, overseas hospitals and clinics, government authorities and NGOs, the Dental Outreach Programme in India is part of a range of electives and placements offered in Africa, Asia and South America. To win the placement in India students must create a short video clip talking about the benefits of taking an elective overseas. The deadline for the competition is 31^st January 2010 and the placement is available from 11^th – 24^th July.

To read more about the competition click here. To read more about the Dental Outreach Programme, click here.

Abby mans the Work the World stand

We were greeted at the airport by Ioana and Ciprian our team leaders and were taken back to the hotel to meet everyone and rest up before the Official Opening Ceremony.  During the ceremony we were treated to a Thriller-esque intro to the IADS committee plus a virtual tour around the new dental clinic at the university.  It was immediately obvious that we were amongst a wonderful group of friends as the students here attend these events every year.

The next morning I was very kindly given the opportunity to present our new outreach projects to the committee.  They were enthusiastically received and many students can’t wait to get involved next summer. We also took part in an international exchange fair where we met the wonderful Prof. Dr. Holger Jetsch from the University of Leipzig, Germany who was also talking.  The General Assembly and also the NEO- meeting of IADS, in fact all of it was such a success.

Abby and Omar make new friends

As well as being a fantastic opportunity for students to share energy and ideas towards their profession and the organisation, it was also a chance for everyone to really let their hair down and enjoy the social side of the programme.  This involved the legendary and compulsory karaoke competition as well as plenty of dining , drinking and dancing throughout the week!

I would like to thank all of the IADS family, students and professionals alike who greeted us so warmly – I’m really excited about this partnership that’s happening, it’ always such a pleasure to work with students from around the world!

Click here to find out more about our dental electives or our dental outreach programmes, or give us a call!

Boys playing in India

Although Work the World send out gap year students on specific healthcare placements, and the Times article was focusing on companies that send volunteers to work on charitable projects, the message throughout the article about what students should be careful of when booking overseas trips to work in other communities, applies equally to us.

When Dave and Omar set up Work the World it was partly because they had met so many students in similar situations to those mentioned in the article. They wanted to start a company that actually did what it said on the tin and provided gap year students with an amazing experience, whilst at the same time creating a sustainable project in an overseas base that provided work for locals and was of benefit to the community.

Several gappers in the article talked of experiences where things had gone wrong overseas and they had been given no support at all. One girl even ended up in the small claims court after she was refused a refund after losing faith in her company when they re booked her onto a trip she had specifically requested not to be placed on. It’s so important that if are going to take a gap year you choose a company that provides support both before you go and during your trip. Work the World have a UK team that help you arrange visas, work with you to tailor your placement to match your interests, provide information and answer any queries you may have. Once you arrive our overseas teams take over and between the programme manager, house staff and placement supervisor, you have someone that can support you in every aspect of your trip.

Watching the world go by

There were a lot of complaints about the high price tag of some of these trips, particularly when there was no evidence of those monies raised on the actual project. Unfortunately there are some companies that direct a large chunk of money back into the companies pocket, often because of staff and marketing costs. These will always be a cost to companies, but should not absorb all of your trip payment. At Work the World  we’ve always been very honest about how we use funds – we use a chunk of your money to pay the hospitals and clinics that you will be working with, recommending that those monies should filter through to your placement supervisors. We also pay our overseas support team a good wage because of the great job that we want to ensure they stay with us and continue to do.

The other big point that was mentioned was sustainability. I have heard many reports of Westerners put to work on completely pointless projects – building corrugated iron huts for students to study in climates that are so hot even standing near the walls of one will burn your skin. Just the place to make kids sit down and work?! One of the article comments spoke of re-painting the same hut each time a new student group flew out – a complete waste of volunteer resource. Work the World do not market themselves as a volunteer company, we place students into the hospitals and clinics so that they can learn and gain experience. We provide them with all the information about their placement before they go and once they arrive it is up to them to make themselves useful to their placement supervisors and bring benefit to their community. We’ve had some great feedback from students that have spent time with patients and used skills picked up in med school to identify things that had been missed by the busy doctors and nurses. We’ve also arranged some pioneering dental outreach projects that bring dental treatment out to rural communities and provide a free referral service – something you can’t arrange yourself. They continue to be of enormous benefit.

Overall the report highlighted that if students choose to book through a company rather than go alone, they must look into the companies that they are planning to book through. Find out where the money goes, who they employ overseas, whether the project is of benefit to the community and how much support will there be if things go wrong. You can be sure of the fact that if you do, it will be a better experience for everyone involved.

Read the Times article or find out more information about our placements to find out more.