Medical & Public Health Program — Art in Tanzania
Tanzania needs medical professionals. This placement puts you where the need is greatest.
Access to healthcare in Tanzania is uneven, under-resourced, and stretched thin. Village clinics operate with minimal staff and equipment. Hospitals serve populations far larger than their capacity was designed for. And the gap between what communities need and what the system can currently provide is one that motivated, well-trained medical students and graduates can meaningfully help to close.
Art in Tanzania's Medical Program places you in that gap — across two settings, two disciplines, and a breadth of clinical experience that is genuinely difficult to find anywhere else.
About the Program
Since 1996, Art in Tanzania has placed approximately 250 participants annually in hands-on community programmes across Tanzania. Our Medical & Public Health Program operates in Dar es Salaam and the surrounding Madale village area, combining small village clinic placements with access to a larger hospital, giving you a comprehensive picture of healthcare delivery across the full spectrum of Tanzania's health system.
The programme covers two interconnected tracks that can be combined or focused on, depending on your academic background and clinical requirements.
Track One: Clinical Hospital Placement
Hospital-based placements are available across a wide range of clinical departments, allowing you to be placed — or rotate — according to your field of study and professional development goals:
- Internal Medicine
- Paediatrics
- Obstetrics & Gynaecology
- Emergency Medicine
- Radiology
- Laboratory
- Ambulance & Pre-Hospital Care
- Psychiatry & Psychology
- Orthopaedics
- ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat)
- Pharmacy
- CTC (Care and Treatment Centre — HIV/AIDS)
This breadth means the programme is relevant to medical, nursing, and pharmacy students, radiographers, laboratory scientists, and a wide range of allied health professionals.
A note on pharmacy: Village pharmacies in Tanzania operate well below Western standards and represent an acute need. Pharmacy interns and students can make a particular impact here — providing training, advocacy, and practical support to help local pharmacists develop safer, more effective practice.
Track Two: Public Health & Community Education
The public health track takes the work outside the clinic walls and into the communities where prevention, education, and awareness are the most powerful tools available.
🥗 Nutrition Education Work with village communities on nutrition awareness and food security — addressing malnutrition, dietary health, and sustainable food practices at the household and community level.
🏃 Sports, Exercise & Wellbeing Promote physical health through sport and exercise programmes — supporting community wellbeing in settings where structured physical health education is rare.
🎨 Art Therapy Use creative arts-based approaches to support mental health, trauma recovery, and community resilience — an innovative and increasingly evidence-based area of public health practice.
🌿 Sustainability & Environmental Health Address the connections between environmental conditions and community health — supporting awareness and behaviour change around water, sanitation, and sustainable living practices.
🔴 HIV/AIDS Counselling, Testing & Advocacy: Contribute to HIV/AIDS counselling, testing programmes, and community awareness events — work that remains critical across Tanzania, where informed, compassionate interns can have a real impact.
The Clinical Reality
Medical facilities in Tanzania operate under constraints that will challenge and develop you in ways that placements in high-income countries rarely do. Equipment is limited. Patient volumes are high. Clinical decisions are made with less diagnostic support. That environment demands adaptability, initiative, and a patient-centred approach that no amount of classroom training can fully prepare you for.
It also produces clinicians who are more confident, more resourceful, and better able to work effectively under pressure — qualities that employers in any healthcare system recognise and value.
How It Works
Hours: 8 hours per day, Monday to Friday Start date: Flexible — the programme runs continuously year-round Duration: Adjustable to your academic and clinical placement requirements Group size: 15–40 international students at any time, drawn from 400+ partner universities worldwide
Your placement is fully tailored to your clinical background, academic requirements, and professional interests. All medical and allied health disciplines are welcome.
Life in Tanzania
Beyond your clinical hours, Tanzania offers one of Africa's most extraordinary living environments. Dar es Salaam is a vibrant, fast-growing coastal city, and the country beyond — Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, the Serengeti — is within reach. Affordable, sustainable safaris and tours are available for you and visiting friends or family.
Funding
Erasmus+ funding may be available for this placement. Speak with your student office about grant options that could fully or partially fund this experience.
Ready to Apply?
📋 Apply now 🌐 Visit our website 🏡 See the compound ✈️ Pre-travel info 🎓 EVOLVET volunteer development programme 💬 Read testimonials 🎁 Benefits & perks
Get in Touch
Tell us about your clinical background and placement requirements — we'll build a programme around them.
📧 < E-Mail aus Sicherheitsgründen gelöscht > 📱 WhatsApp: +255 767 777 73 🎥 Schedule a Zoom call — reach out by email
