Here is some information on packing from you Africa leaders. The main thing to remeber is to pack light. There’s a lot you can do without. The suggested ministry supplies will really help, so take out the extra clothes and replace them with some ministry supplies.
FYM/Awakening South Africa Teams
(These are either extra or very important items we would like for you to bring)
Personal Items
1. Any kind of bedding (sleeping bag, sheets, ect.) MUST fit in one of your suitcases. (you can buy sheets, comforters, and pillows in J-Bay)
2. Personal hygiene items (soaps, lotions, deodorant, toothpaste) can all be bought in J-Bay. Bring just enough for training camp and save room in your suitcase.
3. Your own plate, bowl, plastic or metal mug (for chai or coffee) and silverware. Bring something unique to who you are, so that your stuff can be easily identified.
4. Pack light. There won’t be a lot of room for suitcases. You can get by on less clothing than you think.
Ministry Items
J-Bay does not have a large supply of craft supplies and the ones they do have are very expensive. We work with a lot of children and the more supplies we have the more projects we can do with them.
Here is a list of things that you could possibly use on your trip. There are many people waiting to contribute to your mission experience. THESE THINGS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE PURCHASED OUT OF YOUR OWN POCKET!!!
Post a list at your church, talk to your pastors, talk to your youth groups and college groups. Talk to Target, if you have one in your area. Target will almost always give you a $50 voucher to spend on supplies at their store. Isn’t that nice of them? If not Target, try another store. Shoney’s or Chick-fil-a will usually donate crayons. Yes, you will probably run into several dead end roads when asking for donations. But do not give up! Do not lose heart! Here are some things you can use:
1. Household scissors/children scissors-Don’t pack them in your carry on
2. Craft glue sticks
3. Craft sticks (popsicle sticks)
4. Construction paper. Please don’t buy the kind you have to tear out of a book-no fun. (We cannot get construction paper anywhere in J-Bay)
5. Balloons (regular, water and animal )
6. Streamers
7. Small paper bags for making puppets or putting prizes in.
8. Lots of stickers
9. Crayons
10. Duct tape (any color)
11. Balls (bouncy balls or larger balls that can be deflated)
12. Zip Lock bags (all sizes)
13. Baby clothes (if you have any that fit in your bag we know many babies that need clothing)
14. Socks (any size, these are great for puppets and many street kids need them as well)
Every time I have used an ATM in Africa I haven’t been charged a fee. Make sure your bank knows that you will be using your card while in Africa.
Question: How is our sleeping bag supposed to fit in our suitcase? And we can take two suitcases still, right?
Pretty sure I have the duct tape covered (in MANY colors) I’ll bring as much as I can!!!
Hey ya’ll when looking to get this stuff don’t forget to check out some of my favorite places, the dollar store and thrift shops. Inexpensive, but good stuff! 😀
Quick question about purchasing these items with our own money.
How does the whole currency exchange work over there? Do we bring cash to convert or just our bank acct. number and then trade through that way… etc? I know there’s several ways to convert, but how does AIM do it? Is there anything specific that we need to exchange currency?
ummm…. is it going to be possible to bring my guitar?
My mom can get free betadine where she works…would that be beneficial??
I was also thinking of bringing my guitar.
Would I need to take it as a carry on, or would I need to check it?
Answers for:
Beth – You are allowed 2 suitcases for your international flight. You may need to pay for the extra for you domestic flight getting down here. For training camp you can bring sheets or sleeping bag. Get them in your suitcase somehow.
Loretta – Bring an ATM card and you can withdraw money out of the machines in Jeffreys Bay.
Nicole & Kevin – Bring the guitar, you can carry it on the plane and check it at the door.
Jess – You won’t get in to Jeffreys Bay until 9:30 PM. Everything will be closed. You’ll need to bring something with you for the first night or two.
I know this question has been asked many times, but where is a good place to get international insurance from? I know several people have put their recommendations down somewhere I just can’t seem to find that place.
If we get supply donations after we leave, could the supplies be mailed?
Kevin’s question goes for me too..my mom has some baby clothes, more than could fit in my suitcase and was wondering if there was a way she could send them to me once we get there.
Hey… I know I talked to Vickie about this allready… but could you all possibly put together an official letter to give to businesses like Target… and others so we are not just some bumb off the street being like…”GIMME GIMME GIMME FOR THE MISSION TRIP.” A letter would make it more official for the stores we would go to. And it would give them more reason to trust us. 🙂
Yeah I wrote up a little letter and put in the list that is in the blog. People were more thann happy to give when they had an “official” letter. Second hand stores are great to donate baby clothes and stuff too.
hello…I’m filling out a donation request form for fred meyers and they ask for a 501 (c) (3) Tax I.D. Number is it possible that I could get that number?
Do we need to pack anything like laundry detergent or a laundry bag? And will it be enough to just have sheets and two throw blankets rather than a comforter or sleeping bag?
Answer for Sama: Please do not try to bring laundry detergent. You will be able to get it easily in J’bay.
So I am still confused…should we bring a sleeping bag, blanket, or comforter or does it matter either way?
Mary – it really doesn’t matter either way what you bring. Personally, I think you’re going to be too exhausted the first night to really care what you sleep on (even if it’s a bare mattress!), and you can get any of that stuff in JBay. If I were you, I would just bring a sheet to sleep on and then buy a comforter or a blanket when you get to SA.
I have several questions… Sorry there’s so many!!!!
1. We can have two 50 pound bags correct for our flight?
2. How do you suggest we pack for the week training camp? I remember reading in the hand book that our stuff could get stained if we got it in the dirt/clay. Is it expected that the stuff we want to take for camp is going to be trashed? I guess I’m looking for a way to avoid getting all of my clothes that I wanted to take for Africa not stained and somehow keep my camp clothes separate. Should I just use my carry on bag for camp? Any suggestions on what people have done in the past and how ruined should we expect our things to get while in GA?
3. Is there an alternative plan for these hurricanes and for the rain that I’d assume that could hit GA?
4. When we use the ATM in Africa do you remember the charge for using the ATM?
5. Do you have an estimate on how much of our own personal money we should expect to use during the duration of the 8 months in Africa?
6. We read that there is a 14% sales tax in Africa and that visitors could be reimbursed if you save your receipts. Is this possible for our group, or are we not considered visitors since we will be there for so long?
Thank you so much for your time and help!!!
Erin.
1. Yes, you can have two bags that are 50 lbs…if they go over you are responsible for paying the fee.
2. Last year for training camp a lot of us used our carry-on to put our stuff in for training camp. You aren’t going to want to lug your huge bag down to the cabins and it helps you be a little more organized. I trashed a lot of my clothes after camp. When we got to camp last year, we were able to get out anything else we needed from our big bags and then we stored our big bags for the remainder of the time. It worked out pretty well. Your laundry will most likely be done one time right before we leave for Africa.
3. From my experience last year…training camp is still a GO in the rain. Bring a rain jacket:) It makes life more interesting.
4. I don’t remember the charge at all…maybe one of the others recall…but if there was one…I dont think it was very significant…I can’t remember.
5. The amount of money just depends on what you are planning on doing while you are there. There were people on our team that lived off of just the weekly allowance…but if on your off days you are wanting to do other things and buy things to take home…then you’ll need more. It depended on the person how much we needed. I know that’s not very clear…
My bank told me there will be a 1% fee each time I use the ATM, AND a 1% fee for each purchase with my credit card. My aunt is living in Turkey right now and she said they just created a $5 fee every time you use the ATM. I don’t know if this is true in Africa, but true in Europe.
I just looked up my bill from last year and I was charged about $1.50 every time I used the ABSA (a bank in Jbay) ATM. Then i was charged about .10 for a cross boarder fee (I still dont know what the really means). It’s hard to say a set price because everyone has different credit cards and each bank is different. But yes we were all charged some for using the ATM.
And do as Isabel said. Contact your bank and your credit card company so they know you will be in South Africa. That’s very important to do!!! And I used my own personal money every week. I dont think that I week went by that I only used my allowance. It’s doable but I didn’t do it. I spent my own money and my allowance mainly on food (i liked to go out to eat with the team…on several occasions through out the week! haha.) and internet. I also used my money to buy some of my ministry needs. Such as food for some families or toys. So that was my experience with the money and ATM’s.
Let me chime in on the money thing. We had to make some budget changes this year and there is no longer a weekly allowance as there was last year what Amber and Aaryn were referring to. So any money you plan on spending is out of your pocket. We will be providing some internet time for you, but going out to eat will be on your dime. So how much you spend is up to you. Your room & board is all taken care of, but personal expenses are on your own.
So our food is included as long as we are not eating out? Is it possible to use a credit/debit card to avoid paying ATM fees? Does anyone have a round about amount that a person should expect to spend maybe monthly in Africa (things like personal hygiene items and any extra expenses)? Are items in Africa the same amount in the US even after their tax? I’m just trying to have an estimate on how much I should have in my bank account for the trip and how much I should anticipate on spending while there.
I am with Erin on this one too! I would like to know at least an estimate of how much money we need. Will we have to buy any of our own food except for going out? If I remember right we make our own meals at night in the house, will we have to pay for that food out of our own pocket?
The only time you will need to pay for a meal is if you decide to eat out. ALL you meals are taken care of and paid for out of the trip cost. If you decide to eat out (on a day off) then that meal is your responsibility.
You can use credit cards and you will get the exchange rate your bank charges. As far as a monthly amount, maybe someone who was there last year can give you an idea.
One of our team leaders told me about $700-800 would be a good amount.
i have tons of baby clothes!
Hey can we leave some of your personal stuff over christmas break? or do we need to take it all back home?
It all depends on what location you’ll be at in January. If you go to Swaziland, you won’t want to leave stuff in Jeffreys Bay, but if you return to JBay, you can. But you won’t know that until sometime in October.
Are there just the two locations for January? JBay and Swazi?
There will probably be 3 locations, JBay, Swaziland and another one yet to be determined.
So Should we wait to book our Christmas flight in case we aren’t going back to JBay?
Quick question for the leaders, is there anyway for me to get my medicine in Jbay?? Just for 3 months worth it was over $1,000, and thats just for one of my 3… I haven’t checked on the other two yet…
Jess – You should be able to get your meds there. I’m not exactly sure what kind of medicine you need, but JBay has a good number of pharmacies that should be able to provide you with whatever you need.
So, this doesn’t actually have anything to do with packing but I don’t know where else to ask this question. I don’t have the money yet to come back for Christmas. My family is wanting to help with that as much as they can, whenever they have the means. I did however have a supporter ask if they could send in money to my account for that as well. So, my question is-if people sent in money to my aim account for a christmas ticket, which would be on top of the other money I have, would there be a way to buy my tickets using that money?
Thanks Chris!I’ve been looking on-line to see if theres anything special that I need to bring with me from my pharmacy. Do you know if there is??
Jess – you shouldn’t have to bring anything special with you. Again, whatever you need should be there!
Hey Jess, I’ve just been talking with some of the leaders and we feel that regarding your specific meds, you should get those here in the States. African meds are not the same and could be quite a bit more money. So we feel that you should attempt to get whatever you need med-wise here in the States before you leave. Try to get as much as you can from your doctor because if you mail them it could take quite a bit longer.
Also, Jess I am taking some heavy pain pills with me and my doc. was concerned about if I need more, I would have to ship those pills through customs. They might not allow them to go through b/c they might think I am trying to sell them. I have never done this before so I’m not sure what would happen, but I am taking all the pills with me at one time.
I lost my insurance card and the email in which the card came. Can I get a copy of it at training camp?
Erin, About Pills through customs. You will have no problem if you simply put them in a bag that you check. You can carry some in your carry on with no problems, but put the rest in your checked bags.
Right, I was just concerned about if my parents needed to send me more later thats when the problem might arise. But that’s good to know as well so thank you.
Anyone know if the address in the handbook is still correct? It is
AIM Jeffrey’s Bay
1 Periwinkle Place
Jeffrey’s Bay South Africa 6330
Erin – It’s actually Periwinkle Street. And that’s the physical address. However, if you want anything to get mailed to you, you need to have it sent to:
PO Box 921
Jeffrey’s Bay
6330
South Africa
O, that would have been helpful to know before i put it in my church bulletin and everywhere else lol oh well we will put the correction in, thank you.
If we choose to buy our sheets, comforters,and pillows in Jeffrey’s Bay will we have time to get them the first day we get there? Or what would do the first night we are there?