Help provide medical care to homeless people and migrants in a clinic run by doctors volunteers!
This volunteer program is especially suitable for:
International Napoli Network (INN) is a cooperative that partners with local public schools and NGOs to provides resources that support health and welfare, environmental conservation, education. Volunteers and interns are placed with partner NGOs and we support you and our partners during your placement.
INN is supporting an NGO who started about 25 years ago in providing assistance to people in serious poverty conditions and support to reintegrate homeless people. They offer psychological counseling services and legal support to reintegrate homeless people and at the end of a specific personal project the beneficiaries are hosted in a shared apartment where they can reacquire a dimension of autonomy and self-care.
The NGO created a clinic inside an area of the public dormitory where they can provide free general care and medical examinations equipped with volunteering doctors which are present on rotation. There are a cardiologist, dermatologist, orthopedist, otolaryngologist, infectiologist, ophthalmologist, gynecologist, nephrologist, dentists. The clinic is understaffed and mostly based on volunteering work. They are used to take care as average of 30 persons in a day, and over 7000 in a year.
You would be there to assist Martina, the nurse who runs the clinic, helping her in collecting and managing datas and also assist the doctors (e.g. for the dentist prepare the tools and clean up the room whenever patients leave).
It happened to some of our volunteers that the President of the Clinic, a surgery doctor, invite volunteers to shadow him one day at the hospital where he works in Naples, in particular the one who are studying or practicing as an otolaryngologist can assist him regularly in the hospital.
Volunteers can have the following tasks:
- Observation (doctors, nurses and dentists)
- Supporting in doing examinations (such as. electrocardiogram)
- Helping with rehabilitation
- Sharing health information and updating patient files
- Clinical Assistant and Prep-Room duties
This placement offer a real learning opportunity and a gratifying volunteer experience. The staff there will benefit from your extra help and you'll be familiar with the healthcare routine of a clinic. The programme is not only for general medicine and nursing students in need of an internship period, but also for all the professionals with a medical background
After the initial orientation, you will have your timetable and you will work for approximately 4-5 hours per day. You may therefore plan daily activities which could include sightseeing, shopping or taking Italian language lessons.
This is the typical weekly timetable at your placement:
- Monday: 3-6pm
- Tuesday: Off (But if you'd like you can volunteer in the afternoon at the counseling center of the Ngo, or maybe join the President at the Hospital he works for)
- Wednesday/Thursday : 9.30am-1pm, 3-5pm
- Friday: 9.30am-1pm
Volunteers have the weekends free. Italy is universally recognised for its history, art, culture, cuisine and natural beauty, so there is absolutely no shortage of things to see and do while in Naples or further afield in Italy!
Naples has many UNESCO World Heritage sites and volunteers can fill their free time visiting the many historical sites and attractions, tasting the amazing cuisine, sipping espresso in the many café bars or simply exploring parts of Naples by wandering through the beautiful alleys.
Rome, home to the Colosseum, Vatican and Sistine Chapel, is just an hour from Naples by train, and the ancient ruins of Pompeii or the gorgeous island of Capri are also just 45 minutes away.
Nature lovers can hike the nearby Mt. Vesuvius and visit the beautiful Almalfi Coast to complete the “Walk of the Gods”. Volunteers staying for longer durations, or who wish to travel before or after their program, can visit areas further afield in Italy including; Venice, Cinque Terre, Florence, Milan, Pisa and so much more! Volunteers can make travel arrangements once in Naples, with the advice and guidance of our local staff.