Walter’s South Africa Experience

“I love my internship experience. A couple of highlights are that I had the chance to speak with patients about their HIV status. Many people have confided in me to share how they contracted the virus. I’ve always made clear that while I am not a medical professional, I can be someone they can talk to. Very eye opening.

I also feel like I made a difference at the placement. Outside of my clinic work, I was able to visit a neighborhood in Khayelitsha where children between the ages of 2 and 10 were learning the English language. The other interns and I were able to read to them and play games. Spending time with them really made them happy. I had genuinely never seen a happier group of children. Their being able to play with all of us almost instilled hope in them for a brighter future. I felt blessed to be able to meet them and talk to them about my experiences as a student and ask them about their experiences in school and with their peers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also, Kaya was able to organize my entire trip for me which I am very grateful for. Aside from booking flights, I feel like most of the work was done for me. When I arrived at Cape Town International Airport, the ground team told me that Kaya had already forwarded everything to him and all I needed to do was settle into my place of stay. My internship site was aware of my arrival and so were the other interns I met from all over the world. Not to mention, the Kaya staff was always sending me emails with updates and checking in while I was abroad. This was much appreciated.

Everything Kaya did for me was awesome!”