Dental outreach in Zanzibar

This two-week project takes a team of elective students to low income fishing communities in Zanzibar’s main Unguja Island. Working from temporary dental clinics in local primary schools, we will conduct a screening and referral programme for a community that otherwise has little or no access to dental health care. This is followed up by free treatment at a small, district level clinic in Kivunge that serves the rural northern area. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain hands-on clinical experience as much of the treatment work will be carried out by the students.

Project Itinerary

On the first day you will travel out to the village for a full orientation led by Work the World staff. This is followed by a traditional welcome from the local community.

The project work begins with a screening programme in a temporary clinic we will establish in the village. Our focus is on check-ups for primary school children, but we also try to open this out to anyone from the community complaining of dental problems. Any of those screened who require clinical treatment (and this can be as many as 60- 80%) are referred for free treatment at the hospital.

After several days' screening (the exact timetable has to depend on how many patients need referring each day), the team begin the clinical treatments at the hospital. The small dental unit within the hospital has virtually no modern facilities so as part of the project we take dental equipment from Dar-es-Salaam (the mainland).

Supervision & clinical experience

While Work the World organises all the logistics of the project, responsibility for clinical supervision lies with the head dentist of Mnazi Mmoja hospital. We also have a dental supervisor with us in the village to assist with difficult or unusual cases during the screening process and to oversee all clinical work at Kivunge.

The idea of this project is to have elective students carry out as much of the clinical work as possible, under expert supervision. However, as with all our placements, what your supervisor allows you to do will depend on the level of trust and respect you can earn by demonstrating your abilities and confidence.

Accommodation & food

Accommodation for the project team is provided in a guesthouse with comfortable bedrooms shared between two or three. Work the World take over the whole guesthouse for the duration of the project, so you will be able to enjoy the communal spaces exclusively. Three meals a day are included in our package with a hearty breakfast and dinner at the house and a simple lunch provided at a locals home close to the clinic, which gives you a great opportunity to sample Zanzibarian hospitality.

The work is from Monday to Friday and so the weekends are free to relax or travel to see some more of the island. Nungwi beach is only half an hour walk away and it’s beautiful white sands and crystal clear waters, beach huts, bars, dive centres and shops can easily fill a weekend.

Dates

Dental Outreach projects run during the summer months and all dates are listed in the "project dates" box.

Please note that places for this project are limited and fill up early.