Community Health and Development Tour

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Our health and community development group educational student tours explore health-related issues confronting Zimbabwe as well as their social and economic impact. We examine international, regional, national, government, civil society, community and private sector efforts addressing these issues. Particular attention is paid to the demographics of chronic, non-communicable diseases and infectious diseases, as well as their prevention and treatment. The educational group tour includes exposure to a variety of healthcare environments as well as community-based research.

Travelling to Zimbabwe for our health and community development group educational student tours is unlike other tourist trips, you are coming to immerse yourself within local communities – living through the public health issues as the locals do. Pre-medical school and public health students will find this programme ideal to expose them to African communicable and non-communicable diseases, some of which are endemic to Africa such as malaria.

Your Zimbabwe Travel Adventure - Day by Day
Day 1: Arrive in Zimbabwe Day 2-7: Harare
  • In-country orientation
  • Zimbabwe: a country of many contrasts
  • Local area & City tour
  • Health and safety workshop
  • Culture shock seminar
  • Welcome dinner
  • Local Area and City Tours
  • Service-learning project introduction
  • Infectious diseases
  • Diseases of poverty
Day 4-7: Mutare
  • Public health policy 
  • Community healthcare 
  • Health survey 
Day 13-15: Karoi
  • Maternal and child health
  • Rural healthcare system
  • Alternative medicine
Day 16: Departure
The above is a provisional 2-week itinerary, which Tiritose Sustainable Travel will customise to match your collective interests. We are flexible in how we put together group
educational student tours, and we will work with you to come up with a bespoke itinerary. Please download the client needs assessment form, complete it, send it back to us, and one of our worker bees will respond with a draft itinerary for your review. Do not despair if you cannot find an ideal placement site, the list below is only meant to highlight the diversity of our programmes, and not an exhaustive list.
Tour Destination Description

Harare
The capital city, and commercial hub of Zimbabwe, dubbed to have the best sunshine in the world. You will arrive at Robert G. Mugabe International Airport, where our friendly staff will be waving a big “Tiritose Sustainable Travel” sign welcoming you to the adventure of a lifetime! We will take you on a comprehensive orientation programme, providing background information on Zimbabwe, which will help put the upcoming tour in perspective. You will be able to appreciate the many contrasts that exist in present day Zimbabwe, and the legacy of colonialism. 

Accommodation: Bronte Garden Hotel: shared rooms, with twin beds and ensuite bathrooms in downtown Harare.

Marondera

Founded as a resting house for the colonial settlers who used to travel between Harare and Mutare, and then moved 6 kilometres north to be aligned with the Harare-Beira railway line. The town is one of the largest centres of Zimbabwe’s forestry, farming projects, and houses the Kushinga Phikelela agricultural and commercial college as well as a government research station: Grasslands Research Station. Marondera is also home to one of the most successful Rhino breeding programmes in the world - a programme responsible for ensuring one of the big five animals does not become extinct. 

Accommodation: Shared farmhouse-style house with communal bathrooms. (Imire accommodation)

Bulawayo and Matobo National Park

Bulawayo is the second largest city, cultural and until recently also the industrial/manufacturing capital of Zimbabwe. It is the place where the first organised black resistance movement stemmed from. The city provides a unique contrast to Harare, with its mixture of low and high-rise buildings, fading colonial houses with wide verandas, all adding to the relaxed and attractive atmosphere. 

About 40 minutes, southwest of Bulawayo lies a UNESCO World Heritage Site: Matobo Hills. Here, you will find the expanse of granite hills and caves, hiding the rich legacy of parietal art left by San or Bushmen.

Accommodation: Holiday Inn: shared rooms, twin beds and ensuite bathrooms

Victoria Falls

A place that needs no introduction to the world, one of the 7 Natural Wonders on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. There is, however, more to this town than the largest falling curtain of water on offer at this central hub of African tourism. Archaeological findings from the area has yielded stone artefacts from more than 3 million years ago. The Tonga people have occupied the Victoria Falls area since the 12th Century and have largely remained inhabitants of the area. In addition to the rich history from David Livingstone in 1855, to the beginnings of infrastructure development and rail network, to present day tourism for sustainable development, and the impending forced removals of over 20,000 inhabitants to pave way for the Batoka Gorge Hydro Power Project. 

Accommodation: Dzimbabwe Lodge: shared twin rooms with ensuite bathrooms.

Highlights Of The Tour
  • Multi-destination tour - see the country while learning about its rich biodiversity
  • Participate in hands-on learning experience on wildlife and environment management
  • Interact with locals, and share ideas on global conservation issues, and how to solve existing challenges
  • Get up close with wildlife within the natural habitats, and help protect and preserve these vulnerable beasts
  • Earn academic credit while enjoying an adventure of a lifetime

programme highlights

Ready To Book Your Trip?

The health and community development group educational tour explores health-related issues confronting Zimbabwe as well as their social and economic impact. We examine international, regional, national, government, civil society, community and private sector efforts addressing these issues. Particular attention is paid to the demographics of chronic, non-communicable diseases and infectious diseases, as well as their prevention and treatment. The educational group tour includes exposure to a variety of healthcare environments as well as community-based research.

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TESTIMONIALS

What people say

Stuart Smith United States, Ohio State University

This has truly been a life changing experience, especially because it was my first trip outside of the United States. The program taught me to be more open to taking new experiences, exposed me to paediatrics at the children’s rehabilitation unit, which I did not think I would enjoy.

Necrisha in Zimbabwe for her Global Health Clinical Rotation Internship with Tiritose Sustainable Travel
Necrisha Roach United States, Ohio State University

Coming to Zimbabwe for my medical internship and working with Tiritose was an interesting experience and I really enjoyed the exposure to the healthcare system, the people and the excursions

Christopher Zheng United States, Ohio State University

I was pretty happy the whole time and the Tiritose staff were very supportive. What I enjoyed most about doing my internship in Zimbabwe is that it was a new continent for me, a whole new perspective on medicine, a better appreciation for the luxuries of US.

Sola Morakinyo United States, Ohio State University

What I enjoyed most about doing my medical clinical rotation internship in Zimbabwe was seeing the differences and similarities in how medicine is practiced here vs. the U.S. and differences and similarities in disease incidence.

Van Don Williams II United States, Ohio State University

The programme was also very organised. Other than waiting on our supervising physicians at the Children’s hospital on some of the days, it was a pretty good internship. Oh! And it was made better by watching Black Panther in Africa.

Global Health Medical Rotation in Africa - Zimbabwe
Jessica Hippolyte United States, Ohio State University

I really liked the balance between the fun staff and the clinical rotations at the various hospitals in the city and the rural placement just blew me away. I was exposed to medical conditions that I would otherwise not come across back home.

Martins Ayoola-Adeola United States, Ohio State University

I had a wonderful time in Zimbabwe. There are times I find myself fantasizing about going back. The administrative staff were great and really took the time to make the trip as personalized as possible.

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