Medical volunteers Cameroon | Orphanage volunteers Cameroon

Volunteer WorkThrough our partner NGO in Cameroon, we at Love Volunteers are looking for volunteers to start straightaway. There are opportunities in a variety of fields just waiting to be filled. All of which will make a palpable difference to the lives of people who have been blighted by poverty, un-modernised practices and inequality.

Cameroon has suffered severe environmental degradation, which has offset some of the economic progress the country has experienced in recent years. Very rapid urbanization is another problem, which has left casualties in its wake. HIV/Aids has left children orphaned. For these reasons, amongst others, Cameroon schools, orphanages and medical services rely heavily on volunteers.

Volunteering in Cameroon is a considerable challenge and is bound to catapult you into an environment vastly different from anything you are likely to have experienced before. Volunteers in Cameroon come from many different walks of life and age groups. Some decide to volunteer during a gap year before commencing higher education; during their university vacations or after graduating. Others volunteer while on a sabbatical or while they are between jobs. What all Volunteers in Cameroon gain is a completely hands-on, memorable experience of living amongst local people in a country where the effects of poverty are profoundly felt and economic imbalance requires urgent attention.

Former volunteers in Cameroon say that they have developed a more enlightened outlook on life, re-appraised their personal values and have a more compassionate view of humanity. Of course the volunteering experience in poorer countries can cause feelings of frustration, which may seem overwhelming at times, but can also be far more rewarding than any other type of work. Above all, it generally equips the volunteer in Cameroon for future challenges in life. In Cameroon you could be engaged on projects helping children in orphanages, working in schools or on medical programs. Your efforts are never thrown away, but will have a genuine impact on the individuals and families you encounter during your stay.

Lying in west central Africa, Cameroon encapsulates much of the continent’s character, possessing every type of landscape - from the most untouched national park terrain to hectic, fast-growing cities. For more information about Cameroon check out Lonely Planet's West Africa Guide.

Volunteer Cameroon

Start and Duration

Volunteers in Cameroon can choose from short term to long term stays lasting up to a maximum of six months, and can start on any day of the year. The arrival point is Doala International Airport.

Volunteer Requirements

Love Volunteers invites individuals, couples, families, students, researchers and groups (whether from churches, colleges and student associations) who are highly motivated, able to face up to a very different culture and who speak English fluently. Apply Now!

Project Descriptions for Cameroon

Working With Children

Volunteering in CameroonWorking with children aged 0 - 12 years old, volunteers in Cameroon can really improve the lives of Cameroonian orphans. These children have been orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS, or have been taken into care direct from the streets, or, lastly, have been abandoned in hospital after birth. They include permanently handicapped children. Volunteers contribute to giving them the prospect of a brighter future, by teaching the school-age children, providing counseling, lending a hand with feeding, cooking, and cleaning, devising and leading fun activities with the orphaned children and, in general, showing a caring attitude by devoting time to individuals. This also includes motivating the children to carry out their own chores and to do their homework.

Teaching in Schools

Volunteer In SchoolsVolunteers in Cameroon contribute to the delivery of a range of subjects, among them English, sports, computer skills, and basic life skills for those with disabilities. To volunteer in Cameroon where you will be working at one of the under-resourced schools, no formal teaching qualification is required. Equally, while valuable, holding a TEFL certificate is not a stipulation. Typically, the children concerned will be between 4 and 17 years of age. Once orientation is completed, and familiarisation achieved, volunteers in Cameroon may be allowed to teach on their own. Otherwise, your role will be to assist local teachers.

Just as importantly, your presence on the program will make a significant contribution to improving the pupils’ conversational English. Often, the local teachers themselves gain great benefits and a confidence boost from the contact with native speakers of English which the volunteer in Cameroon provides. This exposure to English and the practice which they will gain can enhance the teachers’ career prospects.

Medical Volunteering

Medical programs in Cameroon welcome volunteers with a wide range of levels of experience, including qualified medical personnel, medical students and pre-med students. Attendance on a medical volunteer project is itself a helpful preparation for a medical career, for this reason, provided they are enthusiastic and truly eager to help in the health sector, even individuals without medical experience can be accepted. Medical volunteers in Cameroon serve on placements in clinics and hospitals where an effort is made to tailor the placement to the volunteer’s level of experience and interests.

In developing countries such as Cameroon, a far lower standard of medical service and resourcing is noticeable. Patients whose condition is at an advanced stage are far more commonly found, this can represent a considerable challenge and learning experience for the volunteer on a medical project.

Tasks include observing and directly assisting doctors and nurses. This is achieved by accompanying doctors on rounds and helping in various ways.

Branches of medicine requiring volunteers: Nursing, Midwifery, Dentistry, Traditional Medicine, and Physiotherapy.

Program Costs

Love Volunteers is a not-for-profit organisation and is one of the most affordable ways to help out in a developing country while being immersed in the local culture.

Fees for volunteer programs in Cameroon start at US$150 (€114) per week for two weeks, which includes accommodation, three meals a day, an airport pick-up (if required), orientation and 24/7 in-country support.

Volunteer period [weeks]	1	2	3	4	6
Working with children	-	US$315	US$370	US$420	US$525
Teaching and assisting in schools	-	US$315	US$370	US$420	US$525
Medical	-	US$315	US$370	US$420	US$525

Volunteer period [weeks]	8	12	16	20	24
Working with children	US$580	US$735	US$895	US$1050	US$1210
Teaching and assisting in schools	US$580	US$735	US$895	US$1050	US$1210
Medical	US$580	US$735	US$895	US$1050	US$1210

Other volunteers periods available. Please, contact LoveVolunteers for pricing of other periods.

A Love Volunteers registration fee of US$235 (approximately €170) is charged in addition to the program fees and covers any placements you undertake for twelve months from the start of your first placement. The fee is refundable if you choose not to volunteer more than three months prior to the start of your initial placement. This fee ensures 24/7 pre- and post-placement support from Love Volunteers, checking and vetting of local organisations, a comprehensive information pack, as well as administration and marketing costs. Given Love Volunteers is a not-for-profit organisation we also ask volunteers to cover any bank charges incurred by international money transfers.

Food and Accommodation

Accommodation CameroonOur local partner organisation has two apartments available to our volunteers in Cameroon. Each volunteer has a room of their own, with a bed, table and chairs. As well as having electricity, the apartments have inside toilets and shower facilities. This accommodation lies within reasonable reach of all project sites. Three meals per day are provided, these are cooked for the volunteers and are eaten at the Project Coordinator’s home, which is very close to the volunteer apartments. A variety of dishes are served, including typical dishes based on the cocoyam, maize, and cassava. Other staple ingredients found in Cameroonian cuisine are plantains, millet, potatoes and rice. Fufu is created by grinding up yams to create dough-like patties.

In Cameroon it is customary in the evening to eat a large, one-course meal. The staple item of the dish is accompanied by sauce or gravy containing ingredients such as spicy red pepper, Maggi (a piquant seasoning), palm oil and ground nuts. Dishes are often quite hot, spiced with salt, red pepper and Maggi. Traditionally, one eats without cutlery, scooping with the right hand. Meat is a fairly rare luxury. With meals, palm wine, water and millet beer are generally drunk. Among breakfast items are coffee, tea, fruit and baked goods, such as doughnuts and cakes.

Orientation

Volunteers in Cameroon are picked up by our partners at Douala Airport. They receive an introduction to all of our partner’s projects, and are shown around the local towns and villages. The team will help purchasing various essential items such as cell phones, snacks, etc. On-site staff support is available 24/7.

A Typical Week

Weekdays: Approximate work hours are 8am - 3pm, with a lunch break at 1pm. After work, during the early evenings, volunteers may want to join the School on Wheels program. This tours villages by bus, assisting children with an after-school program to improve their academic performance at school. Staff and volunteers may, for example, arrive with teaching materials which they will use to deliver remedial reading help. The timetable for School on Wheels is 4pm to 6pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Free time after work hours can be an opportunity for activities closer to home like swimming, chatting with new friends, picnic's, visiting local cafes or markets.

Weekend: During weekends, volunteers may like to travel further afield, they are free to visit national parks, the zoo, beaches and mountains or, possibly go on a safari. They may also like to sample other Cameroonian towns such as Kribi.

Kribi is a beach resort and sea port which lies on the Gulf of Guinea. It has sandy, palm-fringed beaches. Continuing the touristic theme, nearby Limbe is also popular with visitors due to its sweeping bay, mountain backcloth and nightlife. Additional draws include Limbe’s Wildlife Centre and the Botanical Gardens. Another town to visit is Bamenda, a provincial town of approximately half a million inhabitants located in the north-west of the country. It has a cooler climate, plenty of shops and two national football teams. This town also has a reputation for being the English language stronghold of the country.

About the Country

A triangular-shaped country, The Republic of Cameroon, in Africa’s west-central belt, has a coastline fronting the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. It lies next to Nigeria, while also being bordered by Chad and several other nations. English and French are the official languages, however, there are 200 distinct ethnic and linguistic groups. A mix of deserts, mountains, beaches, open grassy plains and rainforests, Cameroon' southern area’s claim to fame is Mount Cameroon.

Not surprisingly, for a keen sporting nation, the active volcano is the venue for an annual running race in which both men and women participate. Cameroon has also triumphed on the international football field. Music currently popular in Cameroon is the homegrown makossa which has given rise to the dance trend bikutsi, which has been sweeping the country.

Cameroon’s largest cities are Douala, Yaoundé, and Garoua. The capital, Yaoundé, is nicely situated amid green hills, which help to reduce the heat. With under a million inhabitants, its size is manageable. Some visitors rave about the grilled chicken widely available in cafes.

The weaving of baskets, carving of wood into sculptures, the production of ceramics, brass and bronze items, as well as calabash carving represent just a few of the crafts widely practised here. There are still Cameroonians dwelling in traditional houses; in the south these are made from mud and thatch and the nomadic Mbororo tribe build temporary structures from wood and leaves.

Apply now! Or check out the FAQ or contact page for more information.

Navigation

Destinations

Travel Insurance