Program location
This town of Kalabo is located in the isolated Western Region of Zambia. Yuka Adventist Hospital in Kabolo is the most remote institution in the Eastern Africa Division. The nearest larger city of significance is Mongu.
Climate/Weather
Although Zambia lies in the tropics, its location on an elevated plateau ensures that the climate is seldom unpleasantly hot. There are three seasons, cool and dry from April to August, hot and dry from September to October, and warm and wet from November to March. Average temperatures range from 23º C in winter to 30º C in summer, when conditions can be humid.
Mailing address
Yuka Adventist Hospital, P.O. Box 930098, Kalabo, Zambia
Program description
Site size
The hospital has 122 patient beds of which 96 percent are regularly occupied. The site sees an average of 30 outpatients per day, and the maximum group size is two.
Services offered at the site
Languages
The official language of Zambia is English, but as many as 13 different languages are spoken in various parts of the country. For the most part, Zambians speak English fluently except in rather remote locations. At this particular site, Bunda is a commonly spoken language. In the hospital, 95 percent of staff speak English and only 2 percent of patients speak English.
Accommodations
Participants will be lodged in a non-western style guesthouse with few western amenities. Meals are the responsibility of the student. Fresh food availability is limited and drinking water needs boiling and sterilization. It is recommended that students bring their favorite non-perishable food items with them.
Transportation to site
Participants are responsible for arranging their own air travel to the international airport in Lusaka, Zambia. Students, with the help of SIMS, will be responsible for arranging transport to the site. Because there is a small airport in Kalabo, air transport may be possible. Otherwise, students will travel 440 miles by vehicle to the Yuka Hospital. Estimated travel time is 14 hours, and the trip will most likely include one night in a hotel. A former SIMS participant stated, "Transportation to the site is difficult and expensive, but it's worth it."
Eligibility
This site recruits students and professionals in the following fields: medicine, nursing, and laboratory technology. Participants in other fields must check with the site.
Program fee
Program fees include food, lodging, and transport from the arrival airport to the site. Program fees do not include air travel or personal travel while in the country. The following costs are based on a four-week stay and are subject to change in conjunction with the site.
| Housing cost: | $10.00/night |
| Food cost: | $10.00/day |
| Transport to site fee: | $150.00 |
| Estimated total cost: | $750.00 |
Country information
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/zambia/
http://www.africa-insites.com/zambia/
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Entry requirements
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/brochures/brochures_1229.html#p
Last Revised: Wed, Jan 10, 2007
