D is a first year medical school student, her school has an intern opportunity in Jimma, Ethiopia. It will last about 3~4 weeks this summer. Its definitely not a Peace Corp or any thing like it, but it is a volunteering opportunity to learn. We are very concerned about her going to Africa. We think she can have her intern some where better than that, besides we have to foot the bill that is including the air fare and living expenses.
Whats your opinion? or if you can share your experiences.
How old is your D? I assume she is an adult. There must be a very good reason the program is in Ethiopia, as opposed to a relatively wealthier country like Morocco. It probably has to do,with the kinds of illnesses she is likely to encounter in a desperately poor country. Are you worried about her being around poor, sick, hungry people? Let her go. She will be fine, and no doubt she will do some good. Your worrying isn’t going to help her or the people she can serve.
I don’t think Ethiopia has the level of terrorist stuff going on that other countries do, does it?
My D had a wonderful internship lined up in El Salvador this summer, also health related, and funded (!), but the national org canceled it due to security concerns there. So I suppose it’s worth doing some research into where she’d be, what the living and working arrangements would be, etc.
Current travel warning seems limited to very specific areas: http://allafrica.com/stories/201602230759.html
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/ethiopia.html
Also, Africa is HUGE. I was amused when people were panicking about Ebola, canceling vacations to anywhere in Africa, because where Ebola was centered was thousands of miles away from places like Morocco, which has a large tourist industry. Your child is not particularly safe anytime she gets in a car, but I am sure you don’t worry about that.
It would probably be a great experience. Just make sure she gets all recommended (and, obviously, required) vaccinations and takes health precautions.
For world travel, in addition to the U.S. site, you can look at others like the Canadian or Australian travel advisory sites to help make decisions.
http://travel.gc.ca/destinations/ethiopia
https://smartraveller.gov.au/countries/ethiopia
For example, Australia says re-evaluate your need to travel there currently. Canada says exercise a high degree of caution. So ya, I would be thinking about whether that is a good choice if there are other possibilities. It’s easy to say it would be a great experience but having a kid (they are still kids) across the world can certainly be stressful when they are in a country that is in turmoil and it is not your own country! However, 3-4 weeks is a really brief time, it’s not like she is there for months, so that is a positive (but will still be a long 3-4 weeks for you). Would she be traveling with others? That could certainly influence the decision.
Maybe a dumb question, but does the student always have to pay their way to volunteer in this situation?
Just fyi, if you enroll in the Smart Traveler Program, the local U.S. embassy knows you are in that country if there is an issue:
https://step.state.gov/step/
Good luck to all of you!
At a time when all the warnings (US, Canada, GB) said to stay out of Haiti, a young friend did nearly a year at a clinic in the hills. You need to check out the level of protections an individual organization offers.
Thanks for all your concerns. I will try to answer some of the questions.
Medical school is a graduate school, D is 24 years old, a very responsible adult. But that does not mean she can make a sound decision in this case.
There will be four or her classmates going to Jimma together plus one of the faculty members, it is a school sponsored annual program. They will stay near an university and teaching hospital. Unfortunately, their work is absolutely not compensated. You have to pay everything, in exchange, you get to learn medicine.
What I am trying to get out of CC is if there is anyone been to Jimma and what is it look like there. Jimma is the largest city in Ethiopia. I used to have a friend from there but she cannot be reached after 30 years.
Friends worked in Addis. Will ask them. They had many postings around the world and adored Ethiopia.
Meanwhile, I assume your D or you have read Cutting for Stone? Which gives a history of both medical care and the history of the country.
Given the involvement of medical faculty, I would worry far less than if she were someone just traveling through. I’m sure the med students are very valued guests of the country and that city, and treated with a great deal of respect and caution. This sounds established, vetted, and will be a valuable piece of her education.
Realize that the human rights situation in Ethiopia (as in most of Africa) is not good.
I talked to my friend who said, yes, great place, by all means go and have a great time. However, he noted that it sort of does not matter where you are these days, as no place is 100% safe. Be cautious, have your wits about you, and pay attention to basic safety measures. But this advice makes sense for LA, NYC or any number of places in the world.
Thank you Glm, I will put that into consideration.