1. travel
2. tourist destinations
3. africa

Rural Medical
Outreach
Madagascar
Volunteering-done
right!
Page 1
About Us
Why choose to volunteer
on this programme?
EDGE of AFRICA combines a visit to breath-taking
Africa with a life-changing volunteer experience.
EDGE of AFRICA started making a direct positive
impact on the lives of underprivileged South Africans
and the country’s environment in 2007, since then
EDGE of AFRICA branches have also been opened in
Madagascar and Zimbabwe. Our award winning,
organisation has continued to grow from strength to
strength and now boasts the involvement of
volunteers from over 30 different nations globally.
 Provide medical assistance,
making a real difference to
poor local communities
 Live and work in an authentic
Malagasy village
 Gain insight into the Malagasy
medical challenges and
practices
Who should apply?
About our Rural Medical
Outreach Programme
Although specific qualifications are not required
for this project, medical students will definitely
benefit from this project and gain a large
amount of experience, as well as learn to adapt
to a rural environment. Medical professionals
are very welcome too and would find the work
extremely fulfilling.
There is a serious lack of trained medical
professionals and manpower in the rural
villages in South East Madagascar. No matter
what your level of health care knowledge is,
there is a large amount of work that needs to
be done.
Volunteers need to be hard working, mature,
motivated and able to show initiative. Good
health and physical fitness are also required.
Volunteers also need to be confident with
speaking English and knowledge of French is a
benefit, though not essential.
It is extremely difficult for many people to
travel to their closest clinic and so they often
leave visiting a health care facility until they are
very sick. As well as this, the locals do not have
a varied diet and often it consists of mainly the
Cassava root vegetable, which does not nourish
pregnant or breastfeeding mothers, leaving
many malnourished children to attend.
Page 2
Comfort level
Adventurer
You will not have access to most amenities
like indoor plumbing, electricity, well-stocked
shops or banks, except on town days
Rural Medical Outreach
You will be immersed in a rural village just outside of
Fort Dauphin, where there is a huge need for
medical assistance. The local clinic is lacking in
manpower, skills and equipment and your
involvement will provide the local villagers with
health care that they would not normally have
access to.
We focus on a small village approximately 30km
from our base in Fort Dauphin. From this clinic we
are able to assist the surrounding communities in
everything from minor aliments to more serious
illnesses and injuries, as well as offering a pre and
post natal service to mothers.
Typical Weekly Schedule
Saturday
Arrival & Orientation
Sunday
Time off to explore the area
Monday
Orientation/Training & Clinic Work
Tuesday
Clinic Work& Community Health Awareness
This is only recommended for those
who have experienced volunteering or
travelling in a developing country and
are up for the challenge of living
outside their comfort zone.
“I found it fascinating to learn
about the health challenges in
Madagascar and I feel I gained
invaluable experience to bring
back to my 3rd year of nursing”
Stacey Davidson, Canada, Rural Medical
Outreach
Wednesday Clinic Work & Community Health Awareness
Thursday
Clinic Work & Community Health Awareness
Friday
Saturday
Clinic Work & Cultural Activity
Optional Excursion
*Timetables may vary depending on your arrival day and time of
year.
Page 3
Fort Dauphin,
Madagascar
Fort Dauphin, Madagascar
 The town is very run down but full of
character, giving volunteers plenty to
explore and an ideal introduction to island
life, as it is surrounded by beautiful
beaches and some interesting architecture
 Madagascar is a much desired holiday
destination because of the beautiful
coastline and tropical forests, ideal for
relaxing weekends off
 The area is famous for hosting unique and
sometimes extremely endangered insect,
reptile and mammal species – a once in a
lifetime opportunity to witness
 The quaint villages surrounding the town
are an amazing reminder of how simple life
should be, with very few amenities, but
happy smiling children to welcome you to
their home
 You can fly into Antananarivo, and spend a
few nights exploring the incredible French
Architecture, interspersed with fresh fruit
and fish markets and a colourful array of
woven products
 You can combine any of our Fort Dauphin
initiatves and have a full, unique
volunteering experience
Optional Excursions
 Nahampoana Reserve
 Andohahela National Park
 Saint - Luce
Page 4
Accommodation
During the week, you will be staying with a local host
family. You will have the opportunity to experience rural
life first hand and witness the struggles such as access to
healthcare and education that the families have to go
through. There is not often running water in or access to
hot water or electricity. You can expect to use pit toilets
which is always an experience first time around!
On weekends you will stay at our Fort Dauphin Volunteer
House.
Facilities in Fort Dauphin Include:





Showers (no hot water)
Electricity
Communal Kitchen
Communal Lounge Area
Dorm Style Sleeping Arrangements
Arrival and
Departure
Information
Unless your international flight arrives in the morning
early, it is usual that you will need to stay in
Antananarivo overnight to wait for your connection
and sometimes it might be preferable for you to do
so.
Please ask EDGE of AFRICA for
confirmation of arrival and departure
dates before booking your flights!
There are a number of carriers flying into
Madagascar, but only one domestic carrier, Air
Madagascar.
EDGE of AFRICA has a global travel services partner
that can assist with all your travel plans including
offering a best price guarantee on flights!
Fort Dauphin, on some maps is called Tolagnaro or
Taolagnaro or Tolanaro. We most often stick to using
Fort-Dauphin. From Antananarivo you can reach FortDauphin by road, or by air.
International flights into Madagascar with few
exceptions land in the capital Antananarivo (Airport
code TNR) which is the central highlands of
Madagascar. We are based at Fort-Dauphin or
Tolagnaro (Airport code FTU) so you need to ensure
that your international flight arrival leaves sufficient
time for you to catch an on-going flight to FortDauphin.
Although there is a worthwhile and adventurous trip
by road to Fort-Dauphin from Antananarivo, it
requires a 4x4 vehicle and first time visitors we
recommend flying. If you would like to do the road
trip, please contact us for advice.
Page 5
Get Started!
What’s Included?
1. Ask us for a Booking Form and we will email it
to you. You then need to fill it out and send it back
to us.
 All project operating costs, equipment, tools
and resources
 Pick up & drop off from Fort Dauphin airport
 24/7 emergency support
 Orientation & Training
 Accommodation
 3 Meals a day
 Project Related Transport
 Project T-shirts
 Dedicated coordinators to assist you daily
 Project support and feedback sessions
throughout your stay
 Assistance with optional activities and tours
 Assistance obtaining a local SIM Card for your
phone
 Additional cultural and outdoor activities on
Friday afternoons (and some evenings)
 Post-project involvement, and an exclusive
return volunteer discount
2. You need to make sure that you confirm the exact
arrival/departure dates with EDGE of AFRICA
before you book your flights.
3. Once we have received your 25% deposit we will
send you a pre-departure form which you need to
fill out (with all your flight details, food
requirements etc.). We will also send you a predeparture information pack detailing everything
you need to know about your trip.
4. You
may have to fill in some confidentiality
agreements and indemnities before your arrival
depending on your project.
5. Full payment is due 14 working days before your
arrival.
We're also on all the main social media
channels, including:
Facebook : www.facebook.com/EDGEofAFRICA
Twitter: www.twitter.com/EDGEofAFRICA
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/edgeofafrica
Please sign up and follow us!
Contact Details
Office: +27 (0)44 3820122
Fax: +27 (0)86 615 1857
E-mail: info@edgeofafrica.com
Page 6
Address: EDGE of AFRICA - Suite 88
Private Bag X31 - Knysna – 6570, South Africa.