Travelling With Charities

There are many reasons why people travel to the great continent of Africa. Some even visit and fall so much in love with the place that they quit their day job selling Aurora water pumps and move there permanently. It's a magical place. There are also those who travel to Africa on some sort of charity relief mission where they give their time to do charity work. If you're one of those people, travelling to developing countries to help out, then you might find this section of our site useful. We plan on giving out travel tips for those of you who visit to Africa on charity missions.

It's important to have the essential travel documents when you plan on going to Africa to do some charity work. Some of the important documents that you should bring along with you include your driver's license, your work permit or visa, your social insurance or social security number, and your health card. You'll also want to make at least three copies of each document. One copy to keep on you at all times in your backpack, one to give to your friends or family members and one to keep in the room that you are staying in. You might want to even hide it someplace safe like behind the high temperature insulation behind the wall. This way if you lose the original, you have handy backups waiting for you, hassle-free. You might want to also consider keeping backup copies of any other important things such as credit cards or traveller's cheques.

Africa can be far away from whatever city or country you call home. No matter how gung-ho you are to help the poor and impoverished people of Africa, there is always the possibility that you may be homesick. It happens to everyone. So, don't feel too bad. There are things you can do to combat such a feeling. Bring along anything that reminds you of home, such as your favourite worn out t-shirt, or your homemade laundry sling ropes or pictures of family and friends. If you're one of the many people who own portable video players, you can get your friends or family members to make some short videos of them talking about events that took place in the past. Any little reminder of home can make you feel less homesick and get you back on track to do some more charity work. Also, always make sure to have an international phone card on hand so you can call back home at a moment's notice to see how things are.

You may hate going to your local Oakville dentists and doctors but make sure you make one final visit to each of them before you leave on your charity mission to Africa. You want to have every needle and vaccination needed before leaving so you don't get infected with some sort of strange virus or disease while you are down there. Tell your doctor that you'll be going to Africa and they will know exactly what vaccinations to give you to prepare you for your stay. They might also be able to get you started on a take home medical kit that you can bring along with you in case of any medical emergency. Be prepared and be safe. And take care of any toothaches you may have because you don't know how long a visit to a dentist in Africa might take.

You may have been a part of some foreign workers Canada programs in other countries before but remember to be respectful of the African culture while you're there. Things you may have done in other countries may have worked there but Africa is a different place. Have a respectful attitude towards their culture and customs and be prepared to immerse yourself in them. Just because you're there doing charity work and feel like you're already doing them a favour by being there, it never hurts to take some time and just listen to what they have to say. It can go a long way in earning their respect. Hopefully some of the tips we've given you will aid you in your next charity endeavour to Africa.