South Africa: Community Health and Social Policy

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"Rather than observing the culture from the sidelines, SIT helps students dive right in and embrace new perspectives and paradigms. I absolutely LOVED my experience studying abroad in South Africa."  

-- Hannah Wangberg, Gustavus Adolphus College, Fall 2009

Examine the interplay of health care policy, education, and practice in South Africa.

This program focuses on topics such as the relationship between traditional healing and state-of-the-art medicine, prenatal care, access to health care, and health education. Students consider how health policies have achieved mixed results in addressing the health care needs of the South African people. 

The program base of Durban, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, serves as a nexus of health teaching, research, and practice in both Western and traditional healing systems. Students receive lectures from academics and leaders of nongovernment organizations (NGOs), many of whom are on the cutting edge of research and policy development in South Africa.

Lecturers are drawn from institutions such as:

• University of KwaZulu-Natal
• Amatikulu Primary Health Training Centre
• South African AIDS Foundation
• The Human Sciences Research Council

Students live with South African host families in Durban as well as three selected rural communities to gain a better sense of health care in specific communities. Short excursions take students to Special Needs Schools, nongovernmental organizations, and local hospitals. A particular highlight of the program is the chance to live with community health workers.  

Browse this program's Independent Study Projects/Undergraduate Research