By Sun Zhenghua and Li Fangni
DAR ES SALAAM—Threeundergraduates from the Swahili program at the Communication University of China (CUC)served as volunteer interpreters at a two-day joint medical clinic held in the Ubungo District of Dar es Salaam on March 28–29, 2026, helping more than 1,000 patients access care from Chinese doctors during the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.
Wang Yitong, Yang Siqi, and Li Xiang — all Class of 2023 students at CUC’s School of Foreign Languages and Cultures — worked alongside the 35th Chinese (Jiangsu) Medical Team to Zanzibar and the 27th Chinese (Shandong) Medical Team to Tanzania, which deployed 33 specialists between them to staff a full-discipline clinic under the theme “China-Africa People-to-People Exchange, Heart to Heart; Foreign Aid Medical Mission, Hand in Hand".
Chinese doctors examining local residents at the Ubungo clinic.
The event drew senior Tanzanian officials. Kitila Mkumbo, Minister of State in the President’s Office for Planning and Investment, and Albert Msando, District Commissioner of Ubungo, visited the clinic and praised its impact on the community.
Prof. Kitila A. Mkumbo. Minister of State, President’s Office, Planning and Investment.
Working across surgery, dermatology, pediatrics, and internal medicine, the three students interpreted for consultations, examinations, and treatment discussions, having prepared in advance by studying medical terminology in Swahili. During the session for local residents, they patiently confirmed clinical details with patients and conveyed both diagnostic information and the medical teams’ attentiveness — becoming, as the organizers noted, an indispensable link in the day’s work.
The clinic served both Tanzanian residents and members of the local Chinese community, and accounted for the majority of the more than 1,000 patient visits recorded over the two days.
Wang Yitong interpreting between doctors and patients.
Yang Siqi interpreting between doctors and patients.
Li Xiang interpreting between doctors and patients.
For the students, the assignment was an opportunity to apply their language training in a setting where accuracy carries direct consequences. CUC’s Swahili program is part of the university’s effort to cultivate international communication professionals who are, in the school’s framing, “multilingual, interdisciplinary, and multi-skilled” — equipped not only with a working language but with the subject knowledge and practical capability to operate in it.
The Dar es Salaam clinic is one of a series of activities marking the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, an initiative aimed at deepening cultural, educational, and professional ties between China and African countries.
Original manuscript link：https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/OSWt6lfOWgOBsOuH58RBWg
Editor: Li Shuxuan, Fang Yiran
Managing Editor: Li Fangni
Editor-in-chief: Yu Ran, Yang Zhongtian
