Internships Details

About the Organization

Founded in 1992 by Dr. Evaleen Jones, Child Family Health International offers educational and community health programs at 20+ sites in 5 countries. To date, their programs have 5000+ alumni from 35 countries. Many participants in the programs are medical students who spend 4 weeks on rotations. The joint program with IE₃ allows for 10 weeks of rotations for pre-med, pre-nursing, and public health students.

CFHI’s program highlights the challenges faced by the post-apartheid public healthcare system taking into consideration the threats of HIV/AIDS, serious environmental health issues, and other underlying causes of poor health in the region. The program will focus on health issues addressed through community development projects in health, as well as some clinical interventions.

Applicants to this program will divide their time between Durban and Cape Town. The two programs are described in more detail below. The major differences between the Durban and Cape Town programs, besides the contrasting cultures and settings of the two cities, is that the rotation sites in Durban are more focused on HIV/AIDS and its impact on the health system, while the sites in Cape Town look at health care challenges in general. Students in Durban will experience a wider range of health facilities including hospices, teaching hospitals and public and private clinics. In Cape Town, students will spend their time primarily within two major urban hospitals and their associated township clinics, getting familiar with the different wards within these two large medical systems.

Job Description

Students on this program will rotate through a variety of clinics, hospitals and emergency services as participants in the CFHI program as described in CFHI’s website http://www.cfhi.org/. Clinical rotations are designed to offer interns clinical and public health experience relevant to your level of medical education, much like what you would experience during a rotation or internship in the United States. IE3 interns may work with the local coordinators to identify the health care services/departments where they would like to spend more time.

HIV and Healthcare in Durban
The Durban program highlights the challenges faced by the post-apartheid public healthcare system taking into consideration the threats of HIV/AIDS, environmental health issues, and other underlying causes of poor health in the region. The program combines service-learning opportunities in a range of clinical settings and will focus on health issues addressed through clinical interventions and community development projects in health. Rotation opportunities include clinics, major teaching hospitals and a hospice.

Durban is the capital city of Kwa-Zulu Natal province, and is the second largest city in South Africa. It is located on the Indian Ocean and boasts mild weather, beautiful beaches, and diversity that represents South African society creating a unique fusion of cultures: it is home to the Zulu nation, descendants of indentured laborers from India and British settlers. Of course, you will also find people of Afrikaans, Xhosa, Sotho and Tswana heritage among many others in Durban. Durban has an important history in the political development of the country throughout the apartheid era, it being the site of the first African National Congress (ANC) national convention, and also where the young Mahatma Gandhi was inspired to lead movements based in nonviolent principles. Its political history combined with some of the most notable health challenges facing sub-Saharan Africa today makes Durban an ideal location to spend time attempting to understand common complexities of public health and primary care.

Healthcare Challenges in Cape Town
In Cape Town, interns will rotate through a variety of community clinics associated with the Eerste River Hospital and a number of wards within the GF Jooste Hospital, both located in the Cape Flats. This program offers students a unique educational experience as they follow patients through their treatments and become a part of the healthcare teams at both hospitals and community clinics. Experience first-hand the healthcare challenges facing South Africa, where, under the Apartheid regime, the vast majority of people had limited or non-existent healthcare until the 1990s. Though great improvements have since been made, much remains to be done, both for the underserved population and South Africa’s healthcare system in general. Today, South Africa has emerged as a critical battleground for the HIV/AIDS epidemic. CFHI interns may integrate clinical pharmacy experiences as part of the Cape Town portion of the program.

Cape Town is a beautiful city flanked by the magnificent Table Mountain on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. Visitors can get a fairly accurate view of Cape Town within the first twenty minutes of their drive from the airport. As with most South African cities, Cape Town is structured according to class, the richer being closer to the city center and the poorest furthest away. The outskirts of Cape Town is called Cape Flats. The Cape Flats were created when many non-white citizens were forcibly removed from the city center during the Apartheid era. This is where the Eerse River Community Health program is located and where interns stay during the program.

Cape Town has some of the worlds most beautiful and interesting sights. It is home to such famous places as Table Mountain, Robben Island, and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and also boasts fascinating museums, lots of culture and art, and some of the country’s best beaches. The major languages in the Western Cape include Afrikaans, English, Xhosa, and Sotho. Language should not be a problem as English is spoken by everyone, even if it is their second or third language.

NOTE: Rotation availability depends on local conditions. All rotations are subject to change depending on local availability and general South African holidays. Local coordinators will try and make alternate arrangements if a particular activity or facility is not available during the program month. Restrictions may apply for pre-clinical, and pre-medical students.

CFHI programs are not episodic volunteer experiences, and are not designed to provide service to those who would otherwise not have healthcare. The learning objectives for interns with CFHI are:
•Develop a larger sense of cultural competency
•Observe and develop existing clinical skills
•Broaden public health knowledge
•Develop creativity in problem-solving
•Deepen their commitment to service
•Promote medical supply conservation

# of Positions per term

4-6 per term

Start Dates

Fixed start dates each term.  See additional information tab for details

Duration of Internship

10 Weeks

Qualifications

Academic Background

Pre-Med, Pre-Nursing, Pre-Pharmacy, Public Health, and other Pre-health courses

Skills/Experience

Prior experience in health care settings preferred

Language Ability

English

Other Requirements

Required age for CFHI programs is 20

Internship Costs

Total costs vary depending on how long you plan to be abroad, where you will be living, your personal spending habits, and current exchange rates. The following estimates will give you a ballpark figure for this internship. Get help with the math from our handy Cost Calculator.
ALL ESTIMATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

IE₃ Program Fee

For spring term 2012, the program fee for the first term of any internship is $2950 - $3150. The expected program fee beginning summer term 2012 is $3450 for the first term. You do not pay tuition in addition to the program fee. Visit your University's IE₃ page for details, costs for additional terms, and campus administrative fees.

Estimated One-Time Expenses

Expense Type	Price
Host Site Fees	An additional fee of $4850 applies to this program to cover room and board and local support and transportation.
International Travel	$2000
Visa Fees
Recommended Immunizations	$400

*See Additional Cost Information below.

Estimated Monthly Expenses

Expense Type	Price/month
Housing	Included in program fee
Food	$100 for some meals
Local Transportation	$50
Recreation	$100
Personal Expenses	$60

Compensation

None

Additional Expense Information

The host site fee from CFHI includes:
•Room and board for 10 weeks (homestay and breakfast/dinner with host family)
•Airport pick-up
•In-country orientation
•Weekly meetings with Medical Director and Local Coordinator
•Clinical rotations
•Use of a mobile phone
•Local transportation to and from the clinics from a central location (public transportation costs to the central location from the homestay are the responsibility of the intern)

NOTE: Students who perform Africa internships have suggested that interns may want to bring more “pocket money” so that they may participate more in uniquely African activities, such as tourist activities, nightclubs, live music, buying local fashions and crafts, contributing to local organizations, and bringing home gifts for friends and family. Therefore, depending on your interests, you may want to budget more “pocket money”.

Additional Information

Program dates for CFHI internships are fixed as follows:
Winter 2012: January 7- March 17;
Spring 2012: March 31- June 9;
Summer 2012:June 30-September 8;
Fall 2012: September 29-December 8; dates and fees for 2013 will be announced in September 2012
Apply early for summer term internships.

Field Notes Postings:

Stella Chiu makes Univerity of Oregon’s Homepage by Giustina Pelosi, IE₃ Program Coordinator (July 5, 2011)

Coming home with new perspectives by Stella Chiu: University of Oregon student and IE₃ Summer 2010 Scholarship Recipient (October 26, 2010)

Sawubona from South Africa! by Stella Chiu: University of Oregon student and IE₃ Summer 2010 Scholarship Recipient (September 6, 2010)

Lessons from a CFHI South Africa Alum by David Liskey: Oregon State University and IE₃ Alum (November 17, 2009)