Dear Readers, my name is Rajan Jethwa. I am a 28 year old surgeon from the UK, who resigned from his job to travel around Africa and provide educational and medical services on a voluntary basis.

Having Kenyan parents and having lived in Kenya as a child, before returning to the UK to complete school and university, Africa, and in particular Kenya, was undoubtedly in my blood. I had originally left Kenya 18 years ago and despite frequent visits to the African continent, for some reason or the other I did not return to Kenya. However, I noticed that at each of my visits to Africa, as soon as I set foot on the continent, I was filled with a sense of fulfilment and belonging that just did not exist when I was “home” in the UK. In 18 years, not one day went by when I did not reminisce about my days in Kenya, or when I did not feel the unrelenting and subliminal pull of Africa. So, having qualified as a doctor and completed my postgraduate basic surgical training, I began to plan how I could make my pipedream a reality and come home to Africa.

It took two years of dreaming and two years of planning to save enough money and arrange things to make such a trip possible. I sold my car and re-mortgaged my home in the UK to generate enough money to pay for the trip, resigned from my job and began my adventure! Originally, I had allocated a year for the whole trip, but swiftly realised that an adventure in Africa does not submit to a prescribed timeline! Immediately after having left my job, I volunteered to be the expedition doctor for a 74 man trip to Iceland and its glaciers and after 2 weeks in Iceland, I flew to Cape Town to begin the African leg of my journey.

The aim of the trip was to travel from Cape Town, South Africa, to Axum in Ethiopia, and back again, visiting Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Mozambique and Madagascar. Along the way I had planned to volunteer as a teacher and or a doctor at various places. In addition, I wanted an unrivalled life experience, of which only total immersion on the African continent can provide.

Once in Cape Town, however, the start date for my travels kept being pushed back as I got involved in another charity based expedition, but this time as a cyclist and a doctor. The trip was for the Macmillan Cancer Relief Fund and involved a 700km cycle ride across seven mountain passes and through some of South Africa’s most beautiful terrain on the Garden Route.

This trip delayed my departure until late November, when I chose to drove through Namibia, spending four weeks absorbing the beauty and mystery that is contained within the Namibian people and their country. Before continuing on through Botswana, I made a quick sortie back to Cape Town for Christmas and the New Year.

Leaving Cape Town again in February 2006, I drove through Botswana, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, to get to Kenya and Ruiru in late March. In between my arrival in Nairobi and arrival in Ruiru, I managed to squeeze in a quick trip up to Point Lenana, on Mount Kenya, where I watched sunrise from 4895 metres above sea level. Undoubtedly, this has to rate as one of the most breath-taking and spectacular sights I have ever seen. Thank you Kenya!

Having arrived in Ruiru, I began my service to Out of Afrika by installing software onto computers and teaching a few classes at a local school. After this, I was drafted in to mark exam papers at two local schools, before visiting the rehabilitation centre in Ruiru itself. Whilst here, I was treated to numerous lessons in football by the ever-energetic children of the centre and was given the pleasure of teaching first aid to the staff at the rehabilitation centre.

In between my contributions to Ruiru I have been providing a voluntary diagnostic service to people in Nairobi who cannot afford to pay the consultation fees at the local hospitals, or who have a limited amount of time and hence cannot wait the several hours one would have to at Kenyatta National Hospital.

I was hoping to be able to contribute to the health centre in Ruiru by lending my medical and, or, surgical services at their convenience. However, unfortunately, due to some element of disorganisation at the administration level and some governmental red tape, I have been unable to fulfil the administrative requirements to volunteer at the health centre.

After two months, my time in Nairobi and Ruiru is drawing to a close. I will be leaving in the first week of May, to drive North-westwards, visiting Lodwar and Turkana before crossing the border into Uganda. Unfortunately, my plans to visit and work in Axum, Ethiopia have fallen through. Having reached Kampala, I plan to make my way through Uganda and through Rwanda, before returning to the North of Tanzania and leading an expedition up Mount Kilimanjaro in June. On this particular expedition, I will be the trek leader as well as the lead doctor.

Having reached the summit and watched sunrise from the Roof of Africa, I will rapidly head for Zanzibar and a well-deserved beach holiday!! After a few days lounging on the beach, I will drive down the East coast of Tanzania, into Mozambique and then try and get a ferry across to Madagascar, where I will spend a month, before returning to the mainland and back to Cape Town.

I hope to be back in Cape Town by early September 2006. If any reader would like to keep up with my travels and experiences, please visit my website at www.rajaninafrica.org . Your thoughts and opinions would be gratefully appreciated.