Travel Information
YOUR VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE IN ZIMBABWE
Travel Dates: All clinic dates as well as general travel dates to and from Zimbabwe, are posted on calendars on both the HAZ and FOPD web sites, shortly after the conclusion of each quarterly mission to Zimbabwe. Specific dates for start-up clinics may not be immediately available, but will be announced via the appropriate mailing lists, as soon as they are determined.
Announcements and Notifications: All registrants to the Clinical Services Program, including but not limited to the Volunteer Clinician Program, are entered into the HAZ Clinics mailing list. The clinics mailing list is the primary means by which announcements related to the Clinical Services Program are and will be made. The mailing list system has an, opt-out option. To opt out of the mailing list, please simply follow the instructions included at the bottom of all messages you receive from us to, opt yourself out.
Immunizations/Medical: While the CDC web site offers a comprehensive health guide for travelers to Zimbabwe, and while we do not intend or profess to substitute information provided by the CDC on their travel advisory web site, we believe that we can offer more specific personal health information that our volunteers traveling to Zimbabwe need to heed. We encourage you to nonetheless visit and study the CDC web site, in addition to the information we provide in the current document.
All volunteers traveling to Zimbabwe, from outside Zimbabwe are advised to visit with their physician at least 4 to 6 weeks prior to departure for Zimbabwe. Some of our clinical activities are situated in rural Zimbabwe. We advise our volunteers to consult with their physician about Malaria prophylactics prior to traveling to Zimbabwe.
Although the HIV prevalence rate in Zimbabwe has been reported to be on the decline lately, it remains very high. Volunteers are advised to take proper precautions to reduce any risks for infection by HIV. Primarily, this means refraining from any behavior or contact, which may involve direct exchange of bodily fluids with anyone whose HIV status is unknown to you.
Immigration: Before traveling to Zimbabwe, please ensure that you hold the proper valid passport and immigration documentation to enable you to re-enter your country of permanent residence at the conclusion of the Zimbabwe clinics mission.
We also advise that you contact the Zimbabwean Embassy in the country of your residence, at least three months prior to traveling to Zimbabwe, for Zimbabwe’s visa and immigration requirements.
The Zimbabwean Embassy in the USA is located at:
1608 New Hampshire Ave
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: 202-332-7100
Fax: 202-483-9326
E-Mail: info@zimbabwe-embassy.us
URL: http://www.zimbabwe-embassy.us/
Professional Licensure: All volunteers serving under the Clinical Services Program (CSP), are expected to show authentic and verifiable proof of professional qualification and licensure in their country of permanent professional practice. Foreign professional volunteers are not required to hold Zimbabwean professional licensure to serve in the CSP. Zimbabwean professionals will be expected to hold and show Zimbabwean professional licensure. All volunteers will work directly under the supervision of qualified, senior Zimbabwean licensed professionals, and authorized staff. We are also exploring the possibilities of facilitating the licensure of non-Zimbabwean, medical professionals for independent practice in Zimbabwe. We will make an announcement once the mechanism for doing this has been identified. Volunteers are welcome to independently investigate licensure procedures in Zimbabwe, but are advised not to practice independently of the identified, authorized and licensed HAZ and partner professional staff, until they are fully licensed by the Zimbabwean government.
Flights: Volunteers are encouraged to search for and purchase airplane tickets to and from Zimbabwe, at least two months prior to the beginning of the intended travel period. Good ticket deals to and from Zimbabwe from the USA are typically around US$1,500. Peak season tickets can exceed US$3,000. We will share via the mailing list, information on travel agents identified with the lowest prevailing ticket prices to and from Zimbabwe, from the USA, as soon as such agents are identified. Please contact us if you are aware of good deals, or better deals than those we may announce, for the benefit of other volunteers also traveling to Zimbabwe.
Ground Transportation, Room-n-Board: Arrangements are often made to pick up foreign-based volunteer teams from and back to, the Harare International Airport. Transportation is generally also offered to and from both the Harare and Mutoko clinics. If available funding permits, arrangements will be made to offer free transportation to authorized volunteer teams, to and from the Bulawayo clinic site, and also the Chitungwiza clinic site.
Foreign-based volunteer teams have historically stayed at the beautiful Baobab Bed & Breakfast lodge just within the outskirts of downtown Harare, when serving at the Harare clinic. The lodge accepts fees paid in cash in US-dollar currency at about US$30 to US$50 per night. Breakfast is provided as part of the US$30 to US$50 per night fee. Volunteers provide and prepare their own lunch and dinner meals.
If available funding permits, arrangements are being made to offer free modest accommodations for authorized volunteers electing to serve at the Bulawayo start-up clinic. No alternate accommodation arrangements are necessary for the Chitungwiza start-up clinic, as volunteers will return to Harare after the day clinic at Chitungwiza. If available funding permits, modest accommodations will be arranged for authorized volunteers electing to serve in the start-up clinics, at no cost to the volunteers.
Finances: The USA government limits carry-on cash to below US$10,000 per international traveler. While in Zimbabwe, you are advised to secure your cash, and if possible, to keep it in a secure locked facility at all times. Be weary of the security of any money or other valuables you carry on your person, especially if you should decide to travel into high human traffic areas.
Starting early in 2009, the Zimbabwean government authorized the use of certain foreign currencies as legal tender in Zimbabwe. The currencies that are acceptable for tender in Zimbabwe include the United States Dollar and the South African Rand. Goods and services still remain relatively more expensive in Zimbabwe, compared to the United States and South Africa, even when using the relative currencies. Please check with us, or with someone who has recently been to Zimbabwe for a relative comparison of the buying power in Zimbabwe, as compared to our world destinations.
Politics: Although the political tension in Zimbabwe has recently started to subside (February – March 2009), we still advise the practice of general caution by all travellers to Zimbabwe when dealing with all things political. The mission of the volunteer clinical teams while in Zimbabwe is simply and solely to offer medical services to the people of Zimbabwe. Please comply with the laws of Zimbabwe. If you are not a Zimbabwean citizen or resident, we caution that you see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil as far as the political issues of Zimbabwe are concerned. Almost everyone in Zimbabwe holds a very strong political conviction. Do not discuss any political issues, if you can help it, and particularly so with anyone from within Zimbabwe. Keep your opinions to yourself, at least until you are safely out of Zimbabwe. Avoid using your camera or even carrying your camera in areas where the use of images potentially captured using your camera may be questioned or misconstrued. If possible, visit the local police station to check if it is okay to take pictures in non-tourist areas, and to obtain permission to do so. Never take a picture of anyone without their consent and please respect the confidentiality and anonymity of minors and persons who may be HIV positive.
Other Safety Considerations: If you are traveling through South Africa, you are cautioned to practice extra vigilance while transiting through South Africa. South Africa is known to have one of the highest crime rates in the world. You are also cautioned not to check in valuable items that you can possibly store in your carry-on luggage.
Although Zimbabweans are generally very kind and generous people, the economic situation in the country does force a few to consider other desperate and illicit means to make ends meet. As such, always maintain vigilance when you are around people you do not know. Avoid traveling at night or alone if at all possible. Always carry the name, street address, and telephone numbers to the hotel/lodge/accommodations you are staying at. Always notify one of the team members of where you are going, before you leave, and also of what time you can be expected back. If possible, also carry the telephone number of at least one other team member that will not be going with you. Should you find yourself lost or stranded, call someone from the volunteer teams, or call the lodge or hotel and let them know you are with the volunteer teams. If you have to, borrow the use of a phone to make your call, Zimbabweans are generally kind enough to let you use their phone in such an emergency. When paying for transactions or services, take precautions to conceal your carry-on cash from any possible prying eyes, and fingers.
