Medical Volunteer in Cambodia
Quick Overview
Volunteering to work in a hospital in Cambodia is an excellent way to get involved and help vulnerable people in situations they need it most. Cambodia is one of the poorest nations in Southeast Asia, and poverty can affect an individual’s health hugely. Living in unsanitary conditions will make a person much more likely to fall ill, so medical facilities in Cambodia are essential in helping the country to progress. There are additional dangers to citizens in Southeast Asia, such as insect bites, snakes, heat stroke and various contagious conditions that spread more easily in the heat. Your volunteering project can help to make a difference to those suffering from unavoidable risks.
At the end of the 1960s, during the Vietnam war, Cambodia was driven into a civil war that completely destroyed the social structure and subsequently the medical and education systems. Phnom Penh has the highest standard of healthcare in Cambodia, and even here it is not as developed as in many other countries. The rest of the country has generally underfunded hospitals, employing a number of doctors who may not have all the necessary qualifications to meet international standards. Your volunteer work can help improve the conditions in hospitals and get a system in place to ensure good quality healthcare is provided to those who need it.
The population in Cambodia is over 14 million people, meaning there is a strain on hospitals all across the country. As a volunteer, you’ll work in one of the state hospitals in the city of Phnom Penh to provide basic medical care and stabilization for patients. General health for the people of Cambodia is more of a concern than in other parts of Southeast Asia because there is a lack of effective medical-treatment facilities. Combined with higher risk of tropical diseases spreading, the need for medical professionals will always be high.
Due to this level of importance placed on hospitals and healthcare facilities in Cambodia, our volunteering projects could be the perfect placement to sign up for, to add something valuable to your CV and help make a difference while working in a beautiful country. We urgently need motivated, determined individuals trained in medicine to sign up and help Cambodia develop a solid medical structure.
What’s Involved
Your responsibilities during your medical volunteering trip will vary depending on your previous experience, your medical background and your goals on what you’d like to accomplish during your trip. You’ll generally be working in various departments alongside the existing nurses and doctors at the hospital, where you can observe the general practice and see how day-to-day life in the Cambodian medical environment works. To complete this program, volunteers will have needed to have done at least one year of medical school, nursing school or related training to qualify. If you’re interested in volunteering specifically in a surgery department, you’ll need to have at least three years’ experience.
Skills that will also come in useful will be the ability to be flexible by participating in many different tasks, think creatively in a working environment, use your initiative with a limited range of resources, and as mentioned prior to this, you must hold the relevant previous experience for the role. Projects begin on every first and third Monday of the month and the minimum stay is four weeks.
You’ll be working in one of two hospitals in Phnom Penh, where care is provided for more than 400 HIV-positive children, with the accompanying ward providing care for people with other medical conditions. The aim is to provide the best possible care given the resources available, with a particular focus on children with HIV and TB. Facilities include intensive care units, neonatal facilities and general pediatric outpatient care. One unique feature of the program is its ability to provide counselors and social workers to assist with any essential counselling required.
You’ll be given a full briefing on arrival and can expect support in situations that may otherwise seem daunting. No more will be expected of you than you make clear you can cope with, the important thing is to have an extra pair of hands available to assist the existing medics with their daily duties.
This program is suitable for medical and nursing students, healthcare workers, medical professionals.
All The Details
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Siam Rep, Cambodia
| 2019 | 2020 | 2020 | 2020 | 2020 | 2020 |
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| 21st September | 11th January | 28th March | 20th June | 19th September | 19th December |
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| 21st December |
For this program please email hello@volunteeringjourneys.com for the rates.
- Pre-departure information
- Volunteer placement within one of our partner organizations
- Airport pick up
- Welcome package, which includes a volunteer guide and maps and dinner at a traditional Khmer restaurant
- Food and accommodations (3 meals a day)
- A fixed contact person from the program who regularly check in with you to ensure you are having an amazing experience
- 24 hour emergency contact
- One day orientation on Cambodian history, culture and language plus city tour
- Onsite Coordinator
Whats Not Included in your program fee :
- Flights
- Visa
- Travel insurance
- Daily project transport
- Activities in your down time from the programme
Getting There
- The nearest airport for this program is Phnom Penh International Airport ( PNH )
- Travel Insurance is compulsory on this program. For help with flights and insurance fill in this form
- Vaccinations are important. We recommend you visit your local travel clinic to find out what vaccines you should take.
- We work with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for travel to Cambodia. Goto www.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo to find out how best to avoid trouble when abroad. Packed with essential travel advice and tips, the website also offers up-to-date country information.
- We understand it can be difficult to pay for your flights, program fees and other travel costs. Many fundraise for their journey. If you need ideas and a platform for fundraising ideas Click Here
- For support on any of the above email us hello@volunteeringjourneys.com
Your First Week:
- Day 1 Arrival day. Meet your fellow travellers and our dedicated team, enjoy the sights and sounds of Cambodia.
- Day 2 Orientation and City Tour. A great day sightseeing and then spend an evening training for projects
- Day 3 to 7: After breakfast leave for projects. You will finish volunteering by 3 or 4 PM and free to explore or enjoy the culture of Cambodia. Most volunteers usually bike to the project sites however we can also allow you to take tuktuks at your own expense.
- Weekends: You are free to enjoy your weekends to explore Cambodia. Our local team can help you organise excursions.
What Happens When I Arrive?
Living Arrangements for Volunteer in Cambodia:
All volunteers working in Phnom Penh will stay at our guesthouse located right in the center of the city for your convenience and so you can make the most of the area during your time in Cambodia! This means you’ll be living within minutes of many of the major tourist attractions such as including the Olympic Stadium and the Orussey Market. We encourage our volunteers to enjoy the area as well as complete their working placements.
The guesthouses feature large roof decks for relaxing after a busy day working at the hospital, restaurants that service local cuisine and western meal options, Wi-Fi so you can keep in touch with friends and family at home, access to computers, bikes for rental and a laundry service to make use of.
Your meals will be included, so you’ll be given breakfast, lunch and dinner from the guesthouses. Kitchens are open from 6:00am to 9:00pm, and you can expect food with ingredients such as rice, vegetables, noodles, soup, meat and fish. For breakfast you can typically expect coffee, tea, bread, eggs and juice to start the day. If you’re working a further distance from the guesthouses, a packed lunch can be provided so you need not experience any further costs.
Health and Safety :
When you join our programs you can be assured we have carried out Risk Assessments to identify potential safety and health risks on projects and in the community. We share this information with you in our pre departure documents and on arrival. Our local staff are well trained and we provide 24/7 emergency numbers to all participants. Please read our Health and Safety pages for more details.
We protect the safety of children and vulnerable adults on our programs by police verification and a reference checks on all participants. Please read our Child Protection Policy for more details.
WHY VOLUNTEERS LOVE US!
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‘My experience in India was absolutely fantastic. Having never done anything like this before, Volunteering Journeys made sure I settled in well and supported me throughout my time. Being placed with an amazing family gave me the chance to experience Indian culture first hand. I was part of the Disabled Childcare Programs for two weeks. Although short, I felt the time I spent was so valuable for the children. If this is something that you are interested in I would 100% recommend it. The memories, friendships and experiences you will develop will be ones that you will never forget.’
Fiona Kirk
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‘The teaching experience was second to none. I was overwhelmed by the respect and politeness all the children have, which made it some much easier to work with them, even with the language barrier. The amazing thing about the schools I visited was that all the children are like little sponges, they absorb everything you say, teach and do! It’s quite outstanding how much they gain from just a small conversation in the playground or in the class room.
So in general if you are questioning whether you want to volunteer and you don’t know what company to go with, it has the be Volunteering Journeys. You will be well looked after, gain an immense experience and make friends for life!!!’
Jemima Kershberg
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‘I took a short sabbatical from work in November 2013 and decided to come to India. I was helping at a small school in Fort Kochi, teaching English, Maths, Science and the odd nursery rhyme. The school where I volunteered had amazing teachers and the kids were great. Ridhi and the team organised everything brilliantly – from cycling tours to the backwaters, to hosting me with a family that made my stay feel like home. If you’re going to volunteer in India then I highly recommend Volunteering Journeys’
Glyn Owen
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“J’ai passé deux mois formidables à Kochi en travaillant comme volontaire avec Volunteering Journeys. Deux mois de ma vie que je n’oublierais jamais. J’ai rencontré des gens incroyables et participé à des projets qui me tenaient vraiment à coeur. J’ai pu voir l’aboutissement de mes efforts et le sourire sur le visage des enfants. Une expérience magique que je recommande à tous. Merci Rainbow”
Laura Prigogine
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‘I spent 3 wonderful weeks with the Volunteering Journeys team in Kerala, it marked the beginning of almost 2 months adventuring through India, and I can say without a doubt it was one of my favourite experiences of my time spent in incredible India! From the moment my plane landed and I was greeted by a friendly face and whisked away to a wonderful home, the local staff were incredibly welcoming, helpful, supportive and great fun to be around!
I spent my time volunteering in 2 local schools, assisting with English studies. The enthusiasm and joy with which the children approach their days will ensure you never want to leave!I cannot recommend Volunteering Journeys highly enough, it was such a joyful introduction to India – it’s culture, people and crazy beautiful way of life. You will leave with some fond memories and firm friendships’
Katie Parsons
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‘I volunteered by teaching English both at a school and at an all girls’ orphanage for two months. It has been the best experience of my life so far. I really got to know the children I was teaching and seeing the children’s English improve over my time was an incredible feeling. From being introduced to yoga to tasting delicious flavoursome Indian cuisine and living in “God’s own country”, has left me eager to return. I have made friends across the World who made my time spent in Kerala unforgettable. I highly recommend volunteering with Volunteering Journeys; Kerala is beautiful and you will gain fun memories.’
Elidith Cameron
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‘I spent two weeks running an art workshop which was absolutely fantastic. The children were so enthusiastic and bustled about with paste and paint, putting together the most amazing creations. They were not used to producing collaborative work and were thrilled when their individual efforts achieved a glorious whole. Their personalities really shone through and I became very fond of them in the short time I was with them. Thank you to Volunteering Journeys for enabling me to have such a wonderful experience!’
Jane Daniell
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‘There is some kind of magic that happens when you’re in India. The climate, the people, the warm welcome, the happiness in every person, the culture, it’s simply inspiring. On top of that having a group of friendly, thoughtful organizers guiding me through the program made my time volunteering with Volunteering Journeys one of the most memorable moments in my life.
If anyone reading this is considering becoming a volunteer, don’t hesitate, become a volunteer. It will be the most rewarding experience and adventure of your life. I assure you that you will have a vital impact on the community, the place and the children. I would recommend Volunteering Journeys without hesitation. Well organized and hassle free adventure. You get help and guidance with everything you need. Kerala was my destination. Safe, beautiful and very friendly. Just do it and have an adventure of your life!’
Harminder Athwal
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“Volunteering at the schools was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Once again the friendships you create are irreplaceable. Admittedly, the first few days were scary, in the sense that my partner and I were only 18 & 20 yrs old and we were teaching women and children a language that was not their first. However the persistence and willingness of Indians is not to be tested. Each of our students put in 100% and naturally we became very personal with everyone and these women and children taught us much more. We came out of this experience with more than we had ever anticipated. It can’t be put into words just how much we learnt from volunteering. Ever aspect of our lives and mindset has changed.”
Aimee Chirio
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‘I think it was quite an eye opening experience to kind of see how people live and enjoy their lives very differently to what we do probably in UK. Even though comparatively they didn’t have as much, the children still came to school with a smile on their face and they were really keen to learn. They were ever so happy and always had a smile on their face regardless of the circumstances that they are living in, and I think that was an amazing experience for us to take back. We have comparatively much more wealth in the UK and we have much more available at our fingertips. Yet we were quite not so happy’
Andrew Davies
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‘We decided to volunteer as part of our family vacation. It was the perfect balance: making a contribution but not being asked to do too much, with Volunteering Journeys staff with us every step of the way to help, support, clarify, etc. I was also impressed that they didn’t feed us a line about how we were changing the world in a week; I knew going in that *we* would be the ones most changed, and the staff’s perspective’s was the same: we were making an impact by showing we cared and sharing experiences, which hopefully meant something to a lot of people.’
Bob Macauley & Family
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