Electives, internships and volunteering options for students and professionals from the subject area of psychology, psychiatry and social work can be arranged at the "Mental Hospital", the psychiatric clinic of Zanzibar. The clinic has an outpatient's department which is open three days per week, receiving around 100 patients each day. 

Further there is an inpatients department for women that currently accommodates 23 female patients who are not allowed to leave the hospital. For men, there are two departments with together around 60 people, most of which are also not allowed to leave the premises.

Surprisingly, the duration which the patient spend at the hospital is relatively short - between a few days and a few weeks. Once they are released they often return. It is in most cases relatives of the patients who contact the Mental Hospital as their last hope if the treatment through traditional healers or general practitioners don't bring the improvements they expect. 

Another department of the hospital accommodates an area of occupational therapy where the patient are drawing and painting, and sometimes perform gardening work or work with wood.

If there are funds, staff of the hospital also drives to the Cottages Hospitals which are located at various locations of the island or visit patients at home. 

Psychological and psychiatric treatments don't play an important part in developing countries such as Zanzibar. For that reason the hospital has very limited financial resources. The hospital just employs one professional psychiatrist, but there are regularly psychologists and psychiatrists which are sent from the Cuban government as part of a socialist development and exchange program.  

All further staff are "psychiatric nurses", social workers and others. In Tanzania there is no possibility to study psychology, nor are there any possibilities for further training. Therefore the director and the staff depend on the support of foreign volunteers to guarantee a satisfactory standard of support for the patients. 

Particularly interesting, but also challenging, is the existence of traditional beliefs. Most mental problems are being explained through the possession of evil spirits, witchcraft etc. Instead of psychologist, in such cases it is normal to consult traditional witchdoctors first. Even the staff of the hospital is convinced about the existence of such phenomena and it will be interesting for foreign volunteers and interns to see how such ways of thinking can be combined with contemporary Western approaches to the topic.

Info box:

Place: Zanzibar, Tanzania

Duration: from 1 months

Specific qualification required: Yes 

Cost: free of charge (Trouble-free package for 500 € is optional). Fees might apply for individuals without any experience.

Accommodation: Not included

Meals: Not included

Inclusive of: Placement in the project; if you opt for the trouble-free package the whole range of services which is part of the trouble-free package is included

Not included: Travel, health insurance, visa, work permit

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