gmail.comWe want:
To allow students to gain practical experience in developing countries and to experience teamwork.
To promote international understanding among the participants coming from different countries.
To develop problem-solving skills, research abilities and the knowledge of participating students about the field work realities as a complement to university education.
To make aware the IFMSA volunteers towards their responsibilities as cosmopolitan students and as future health manager or western citizens.
To promote inter-sectorial teamwork as a basic element of self-maintaining development and as a complement to university education...
IIMC in an NGO working in the rural areas south of Calcutta.
The project consists of different branches: the medical program, which nowadays has 2 indoor clinics (the headquarter with 18 beds and a second one in Dhaki, a little village in the south of Calcutta) and 5 outdoors clinic in the countryside. The medical part basically does primary health care (vaccination, prevention, medical education) but it also has a nutritional program, an health education and women awareness program.
The children treated are mostly affected by malnutrition, malaria, widespread skin infections, gastrointestinal infections.
The second branch is the educational program, with more than 2000 children going to school thanks to a sponsorship from western parents and 22 new schools built where no infrastuctures were available.
The third one is the micro-credit program, involving about 5000 women. It consists of giving little loans to women without guarantees who starts an activity and give back the money in 1 year with the interests (10% annual rate)
The Calcutta Village Project work consists in:
*fundraising through stands, parties, Indian dinners,...
*managing the rotation of the medical students who go to Calcutta to work in the project
*widespreading the knowledge of the project and the idea of the international cooperation
IFMSA volunteers can be helpful in different ways in Calcutta: their work there is a nursing work (giving injections, taking blood pressure, making dressings,...). They can follow the medical examinations with the local doctors. But, most of all, they can see how a cooperation and developmental project really works: they go and see whatever they want of the project, every area, and they can help in the educational program, give lessons to the nurses, preparing food for the nutritional program,...
IFMSA volunteers can be helpful also and moreover in their countries, fundraising for the project and most of all talking about it!
The application form consists of personal datas and questions about motivation, previous experiences in third word countries, previous experiences in work group...
We select about 6 students each month, for all the months of the year.
We accept both pre-clinical and clinical students.
The volunteer has to pay a fee of 150 Euro (accomodation+donation to the project). All other expenses (travel included) must be covered by the student