Medical Missionaries of Mary

Working with MMM as a Volunteer

From its early days, MMM has had the practice of welcoming suitably qualified volunteers to work with us in our frontline healthcare services. This still happens. Most of our programs include many willing volunteers drawn from the local community. In addition, we have a small number of volunteers from overseas.

Connie O'Halloran from Ireland, pictured here, is currently volunteering with MMM in Singida, Tanzania, where she is Administrator of the Faraja Project which provides an extensive service to people living with HIV and AIDS.

Two-year Contract

With increasing difficulties regarding visas and reciprocity of qualifications, obtaining work permits, etc., the placement and processing of applications can take a long time. Because of this, there is a 2-year minimum commitment for a person who wishes to work with MMM as a Volunteer. Where it is necessary to become fluent in a local language, the contract can be longer. There have been some exceptions where a shorter term has been arranged, but this is not common unless special circumstances apply.

Current or recent voluneers include doctors, nurse-midwives, pharmacists, accountants, agricultural advisors and project administrators.

Medical Students

We receive many requests from medical students for placement during electives. This is not easy to arrange because places are very limited and our medical facilities overseas have long-standing arrangements with certain medical schools. However, we respond to enquiries.

It is not normally possible for us to arrange short-term placements during college holidays or during a 'gap' year because of the shortage of staff accommodation, and also because there are so many requests for employment from local people.

Difficult locations

Because many of our missions are located in difficult and remote places, there may be few outlets for recreation. We are unable to provide equivalent 'R & R' to that offered by other agencies who are based on volunteer workers. The mission may have to depend on a generator or solar panels for a limited electricity supply after dark, may not have access to the World Wide Web and is quite likely to be out of range of a cellular mast!

Having read above of the patience required and the difficulties that may be ahead, if you are still interested, then please contact us.

Please bear in mind that it can take quite some time for us to contact our missions and give them an opportunity to consider your application.

	Volunteers Stories:
	Education Specialist touched by volunteer experience at St. Kizito's Uganda, 2008
	Irish Volunteer helps to bring light to Kitovu Hospital! Uganda, 2006
	Endless possibilities with irrigation Malawi, 2006
	Irish Nursing students find there’s much to learn in Uganda Uganda 2006
	US Surgical Team meet 'A Great Dose of Reality' Nigeria 2005
	Education by Radio in Honduras Honduras, 2003
	Two exceptional doctors who share the name John Kelly Uganda/Tanzania 2003
	Young Irish Barrister sees huge progress in Rwanda Rwanda 2003