Nutrition Internships Abroad in Kenya

You learn under supervision. Undergraduates mainly shadow dietitians and nutritionists and may help with simple tasks that a supervisor assigns. Graduate students and licensed professionals work only within their training and the host site’s rules.

Outside the hospital you attend lectures and simulations, help at community clinics and teach health lessons in schools.

Areas of interest include clinical nutrition, community nutrition and public health nutrition, where the host sites offer them. You list your interests when you enroll.

Nutrition interns do not rotate to a new department each week as most IMA interns do. Your placement is the Food and Nutrition Department, confirmed in your acceptance email.

Most days run from about 8 AM to 4 PM, with six to eight hours at your placement. Afternoons can bring a lecture, a community clinic or a hygiene lesson.

Weekends are open for treks or extra hospital time. Here is a sample program schedule for Mombasa.

From two weeks up to 12, year-round. Programs start every Saturday.

Most interns stay four to six weeks, and IMA suggests at least two.

You receive a certificate of completion, and you can request a letter of recommendation. Your hours are logged by role and shift and validated by IMA’s U.S.-based Medical Director.

Academic credit is your school’s decision. Many interns have earned it, and IMA supplies proof of hours, letters on your duties and faculty evaluations. Settle the approval before you enroll.

In the U.S., the steps are set by the Commission on Dietetic Registration and explained by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. You need at least a master’s degree and ACEND-accredited coursework.

You also complete supervised practice in an ACEND-accredited program, such as a dietetic internship, and pass a national exam. Many states also license dietitians.

An internship abroad can add to your experience along the way. It is not one of those required steps.

IMA’s placements are all overseas. Closer to home, start with hospital nutrition departments, community health programs and your college career center.

Many students begin by shadowing a dietitian. If you want the RD credential, your dietetics program director can explain the accredited path.

Still in high school? IMA runs healthcare internships for high school students.

Neither. These are not paid positions, and they are not free: you pay a program fee to attend. Need-based and merit-based scholarships can cover part of it.

Two weeks in Mombasa costs $3,995, and eight weeks costs $7,895. A separate $995 program deposit applies to every program.

Your placement, teaching, housing, meals, transport and insurance:

• Hospital placement and clinical mentorship
• Orientation, the Global Health Lecture Series and clinical simulations
• Shared housing in a gated residence with 24/7 security, three meals a day and Wi-Fi
• Airport transfers and private daily transport to your placement
• Travel medical insurance with $1,000,000 in coverage
• 24/7 in-country and U.S.-based support
• Weekly community outreach and local cultural outings
• Alumni graduate school admissions support

It does not cover international airfare, vaccinations, visa costs, optional laundry or personal spending. IMA-branded scrubs are required and bought separately. The $995 program deposit is extra.

Yes. IMA offers need-based and merit-based scholarships. IMA offers flexible, interest-free payment plans, and Program Mentors give specific guidance on the plans available for your program dates.

IMA’s Funding Guide covers outside scholarships, grants and fundraising on sites such as GoFundMe and FundMyTravel. Some interns also use financing through Uplift.

Plan on $50 to $100 a week. Meals, housing and program transport are covered, so spending money goes on meals out, souvenirs and weekend activities.

Optional treks cost extra. The Masai Mara safari starts at $3,595.

Most purchases in Kenya are in cash. Bring newer U.S. bills from 2009 or later, because older ones get a lower exchange rate.

IMA reports a 100% safety rating, with no incidents involving interns or staff in any of its programs. The details are on the program safety and security page.

You live in a gated residence with 24/7 security and travel only in private program vehicles. Staff are on call around the clock.

Orientation covers health and safety before your first day. Post-exposure prophylaxis is available at no cost, and families have a 24/7 U.S. contact.

In a shared IMA program residence near your hospital. Residences sit in gated communities with 24/7 security staff. Rooms hold two or three interns, and common areas include Wi-Fi, a kitchen, a dining area and a lounge.

An in-house chef cooks three meals a day, and housekeeping staff look after the house. Optional laundry costs $155 for the first two weeks and $55 for each extra week.

Only in Mombasa, Kenya. IMA does not run nutrition internships in Europe or Asia.

Mombasa is IMA’s largest and longest-running program, and IMA recommends it for most college students. It runs in English and year-round, so it fits most calendars.

Whichever program you consider, ask five questions. What will you do, and who supervises you? What teaching is included, what is the full cost and who helps if something goes wrong?

This page answers each one for IMA.

It is a supervised internship. You pay a program fee, and in return you get a hospital placement, mentors, lectures, housing and support.

Part of each week is volunteer-style community work, such as clinics and health lessons in schools. So if you searched for nutrition volunteering abroad, this program covers that side too.

Yes, and you can check the details yourself. International Medical Aid Foundation is a federally registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit based at 1629 K Street NW in Washington, DC. It launched in 2012, and its alumni come from more than 1,250 universities.

You can read accounts from interns and parents on the alumni testimonials page. Every intern is covered by $1,000,000 in travel medical insurance.