WHAT TO PACK - AFRICA

Non-comprehensive list of ideas of what to pack as a volunteer gong to Africa

Thanks to Sonya Reaves, who served in Chad and Tanzania; Eric Anderson, East Africa; Eric Drab, Kenya

ADVICE:

  • For packing I actually used large Roughneck Rubbermaid bins, those blue plastic ones. I duct taped around the edges of the lid and then used two luggage straps duct taped together so they didn't fall off. That might be hard to picture but it's great cause then you don't waste weight on the luggage itself and once you get where you are going it's waterproof.
  • Most places in Africa have a market with lots of clothes. So I really packed only what I would need for maybe a few days, and bought the rest there, as time went along.
  • Ask the project you are going to and find out there needs are and see if you can bring some things for them.
  • It's important to realize when you leave you can give most everything you have away as gifts. They will remember you longer when they have something to remind them. It's a nice gesture and they most likely will give you gifts too. Plus do you really want to wear the same shirt you've washed by hand a million times? Or the skirt you've been wearing every day for the last 10 months?

BOOKS:

  • Where There is No Doctor, by David Warner
  • Where There is No Dentist, by Murray Dickson
  • Where There is No Midwife, by Sarah Pinto
  • Language pocket dictionary
  • A new devotional book
  • A kindle is a must. Kindles can get internet even where iPhones cannot get it, and you can get books to read for much cheaper than buying local or having them shipped to you.
  • Maybe a few books in the local language to share with others.
  • A photo book from the town you live in to share with your new friends. They might have no idea what North America looks like or what snow looks like! Then when you leave, you can give it as a gift.
  • Pick up the magazines from the airport so you can use the pictures to cut out or at least read English.
  • I didn't bring many books. Usually some missionary will have some good reads, or you could bring an ireader, as long as you can charge it easily.

CLOTHES:

  • General Tips: Africa tends to be more conservative so pack accordingly. I brought about 10-12 shirts, a few pairs of jeans, khakis, and a pair of shorts or two. I recommend bringing light clothing that you don't mind getting damaged, because depending on your location, your clothes will probably feel the wear and tear of life in Africa (dust/dirt, hand-washing, sun-drying, rainy-seasons, dry-season, etc.). Many of my clothes were unusable by the end of the year so don't bring anything you can't part with.
  • I suggest always taking one nice outfit. Even if you don’t go anywhere, sometimes it's nice to dress up.
  • A sweater/sweatshirt.
  • Church Clothes: People in Africa like to dress nice for church. If you're in a place like Maxwell Adventist Academy, expect to dress like you do for church at home. In rural Africa (in my experience), dress pants with a button-up shirt are still the norm for guys (also traditional clothing is often worn). Women often wear skirts or dresses.
  • Comfortable/Durable shoes
  • Chaco's are the best of sandals (not the toe ones, but the unisweep--they hurt less)
  • Rain Jacket: I didn't bring one and I regret it. Find something light with a hood to survive the rainy season.Quality rain gear is really the hardest thing to get, so bring that.
  • GUYS: In Africa only little boys where shorts. The only place I wore shorts was in my house or when playing soccer, so you actually need more pants. But also you can have clothes made with the traditional clothes, and they are really comfortable.
  • LADIES: Long cotton skirts
  • LADIES: Makeup. In many countries you won't wear it but it still might be nice to dress up.
  • LADIES: A scarf or something similar to use as decorations
  • LADIES: Favorite perfume or lotion. It will help make Sabbath special.

HEALTH:

  • Any medications, immunizations, or precautions recommended by your doctor
  • Mosquito repellant/mosquito net
  • Steri-pen, or some kind of water-purifier
  • First-Aid kit
  • Contact Solution: If you're not living near a big city, this can be especially hard (and expensive!) to get a hold of. Estimate how long a bottle lasts you and bring enough to last the year if possible.
  • Better yet, invest in a pair of glasses to save on contact solution.
  • Pepto-Bismol Tablets (anti-emetics): Bring something to calm an upset stomach. I went through lots of Pepto-Bismol tablets over my year (mostly in Rwanda). Long, bumpy bus rides, pesty parasites, sketchy water sources, etc. can often cause a lot of nausea and intestinal problems, so bring something to combat the nausea. (You might try Sea-bands.)

FOOD:

  • Some hard candy so you can make friends with the locals on the bus (however be aware if you are in a humid place, the candy will get really gross.)
  • Packets of taco seasoning, other small instant packets (pesto sauce, fajita seasoning, spaghetti sauce, etc)
  • Comfort foods for the first little bit.

EXTRAS:

  • Backpack: Bring a durable backpack to use for teaching, shopping, or to take on weekend trips, camping trips, bush trips, etc. I recommend SwissGear.
  • Sunglasses
  • A favorite card game: Uno, Skip-Bo, etc.
  • Balloons! Currency to a child’s heart.
  • A few pictures printed out from home or summer camp.
  • A good camping knife, and…
  • Small tent, if you can squeeze it in. Even if you are going to a large city you will often have the chance to head into the bush and it's nice to have what you need.
  • Compressible sleeping bag: Great to have if you plan on going on camping trips/bush trips.
  • Headlamp: All cell phones in Africa have flashlights built-in, but a more powerful headlamp is a great thing to have especially because of the lack of electricity in many places. Bring a set of back-up batteries.
  • Compact/Light Hammock: Life in Africa is a much slower pace than in the US, and I had many Sabbath afternoons where I could just put up my hammock and read by the lake or behind my house. A Grand Trunk Ultralight Hammock weighs <1 lb. and compresses into the size of a softball, and is only $16 on Amazon.
  • I think the best things I brought were a pillow (they tend to be pretty hard there)
  • …And a solar shower. You may not have running water and it made washing hands a lot easier. We did bucket showers for showers.
  • LADIES: Small $1 lotions from bath and body works. You can give them as gifts to other SM's or locals.