Testimonial by Lindsay Bridgland
I did my first medical elective in Embu, Kenya in 2006. It was my first trip to Africa and, needless to say, I was not sure what to expect. But Adventure Alternative organized everything for me (housing, transportation, the elective etc.) and made my first trip to Kenya stress-free. Prior to finding Adventure Alternative, I tried to set up an international elective on my own and found it nearly impossible, so having it all set up for me was definitely worth the cost and made the experience very rewarding.
I enjoyed my experience so much, that I returned on two more occasions as an internal medicine resident to do further electives in Embu. AA helped arrange my medical license, because as a qualified physician, there were different requirements for me to undertake an elective than when I was a medical student. They also arranged for me to do an elective at Kenyatta Hospital on my third rotation there. At that point, I was the first person through AA to be approved to do an elective at Kenyatta. Andy worked very hard, as did the staff on the ground in Kenya, to ensure that this was arranged for me. I must say, I felt they went out of their way to accommodate me!
The staff from Adventure Alternative are all wonderful and definitely made my Kenyan adventures much more pleasant. They were professional, and friendly, and made me feel very safe and welcome in their country. I am now working as a consultant in the developing world and the experience I gained in Kenya, with the assistance of Adventure Alternative, was invaluable and helped prepare me for my current job. I have no hesitation in recommending AA!
Review by Mona Zaky
I firstly just want to say how awesome my experience was in Kenya... the culture, the people, the children... just everything has inspired me to want to do more to try and make some difference to people who need it in the world. The AA staff were brilliant and it was all very well organised.. I also felt that i could always rely on any of the staff there if I needed help or guidance. So this is a huge thank you to you and everyone for making this experience possible for me :)
Testimonial by Joanna Byers
Thank you for the trip of a lifetime, my medical elective in Kenya was packed with experiences and memories, and I knew AA were always there to facilitate things if I needed. The work you are doing here is making a big difference - well done, and keep it up!
Review by Sara Buck, Medical Electives Network
We have just returned from the most amazing trip to Kenya. What a wonderful country and it very quickly gets under your skin and the wonderful people more difficult to leave by the minute - as you said they would! I just want to thank you all very much indeed for your faultless organisation and extremely good care of us while we were there.
You have put together a solid, conscientious and professional team and we are fond of them all. Our trip would not have been so successful without them. Ken is just a star and the best driver - what a dear man and so much success ahead of him I'm sure; Osman has the potential to be a serious chef one day and he looked after us so well in some very basic situations; dear Rosie is constant, competent and flies the MM flag with pride and professionalism; we sadly only met Kelly briefly on Sunday but I just know we would have had some fun with him too.
The orphanage simply blew us away, especially Mama Rose and her team. The children are a joy and I think what you are achieving for them is fantastic and we will all remember our time there with great fondness and joy. We were truly spoilt and they could not have done enough for us - very humbling when we were supposed to be putting into their "pot". It was also a privilege to meet Kioni and the work force - he was described by Maurice as "1 and three quarters of a man" which says it all I think.
What we have taken away from our short time in Kenya will stay with us forever and you need to know how extremely grateful we are for all you have done for us and how much we value the team we have been so privileged to spend time with during the last few weeks. I'm sure our involvement with MM will continue so I look forward to all that follows. Thank you again and please tell our dear support team how much we enjoyed their company and how much we appreciated all they did for us - we could not have had support any better.
Review by April McKeown
The experience I had with Adventure Alternative was one that I will never forget, everyone was extremely helpful and so so kind. Any problems I had were dealt with quickly and without fuss. Every member of staff is genuinely caring about you as a person and it is clear that they want you to have the best experience possible. I had a life changing experience, at the orphanage, the school, the hospital, and every step of the way I had support and friendship from the adventure alternative team. I hope to get back out there, and I have strongly encouraged others to consider travelling with AA also.