The trip to visit Ludlati Carepoint children, Go-gos and Community in Swaziland is planned for September 4 – September 15, 2010. 

Airline tickets have been purchase.  Look below in this forum for the flight itinerary.

UPDATED TRIP PLANS are scheduled as follows:

  Saturday, Sept. 4th - We begin our flights (Indianaopolis (IND) to Atlanta, then board a direct flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg (JNB)).

  *Day off trip:  The Swazi Team has elected to visit Hlane - 1/2 day visit in Swaziland - Will occur on Monday, Sept 13th.
                Some teams take a day off from the intense work at the carepoints, and visit a wildlife park or safari in Swaziland or South Africa.
                It provides a chance to rest before the trip home, experience South African culture, and see the beauty of God’s creation in Africa.
               
  Tuesday, Sept. 14th - We drive back to Johannesburg on the morning of the 14th, and catch the flight home in the evening.

  Wednesday, Sept. 15th - Arrive back home.

More detailed plans for the trip:  http://www.knowntome.net/Swazi_Team_schedule.pdf

Questions, comments, information and news about the trip can be posted in this forum thread.

We currently have six people on the list who are going.  Feel free to email questions or comments to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Each individual is responsible to decide what vaccinations they feel they want or need.  A short overview of recommendations for Swaziland from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is given.  Please refer to the website for full details, and consult your health care provider for their recommendations for you personally.

Here is a direct link to their website and all the recommendations and information they have about traveling to Swaziland:
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/swaziland.aspx

If you want and need to get the Hep-A & B shots, you need about 6months to complete the series.  There are other options that provide short term immunity.  The full series is not required, but gives long term protection.  Ask a health care provider or Doctor about your options.

Six months prior to Sept 4th is April 4th.

Check prices and availability for vaccinations from these resources:
  Your Health Care Provider: ?
  Champaign Urbana Health District (age 19 and over):  Theresa 531-2922
  Maternal Child Health Department (under age 19):  Lisa 531-4319
  Carle Travel Clinic:  383-1554

In brief overview, the following is a list of recommended vaccinations against preventable diseases for Swaziland:
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Routine vaccinations - Recommended if you are not up-to-date with routine shots such as, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccine, poliovirus vaccine, etc.

Hepatitus A - Starts with one or two shots now and a final dose 6months later is recommended for full immunity.  You can also get shots in one appointment to cover you for the trip.  Recommended for all unvaccinated people traveling to or working in countries with an intermediate or high level of hepatitis A virus infection where exposure might occur through food or water.  Cases of travel-related hepatitis A can also occur in travelers to developing countries with “standard” tourist itineraries, accommodations, and food consumption behaviors.

Hepatitus B - Has similar schedule as Hepatitus A, and can be received as a combination HepA&B shot series called TWINRIX.  Recommended for all unvaccinated people traveling to or working in countries with an intermediate or high level of hepatitis A virus infection where exposure might occur through food or water. Cases of travel-related hepatitis A can also occur in travelers to developing countries with “standard” tourist itineraries, accommodations, and food consumption behaviors.

With regard to Hep-A & B:  “Ideally, vaccination should begin at least 6 months before travel so the full vaccine series can be completed before departure. Because some protection is provided by one or two doses, the vaccine series should be initiated, if indicated, even if it cannot be completed before departure. Optimal protection, however, is not conferred until after the final vaccine dose. Travelers should be advised to return for completion of the vaccine series.”

Typhoid - Can be administered orally or by vaccine.  Recommended for all unvaccinated people traveling to or working in Southern Africa, especially if visiting smaller cities, villages, or rural areas and staying with friends or relatives where exposure might occur through food or water.

Rabies - Recommended for travelers spending a lot of time outdoors, especially in rural areas, involved in activities such as bicycling, camping, or hiking. Also recommended for travelers with significant occupational risks (such as veterinarians), for long-term travelers and expatriates living in areas with a significant risk of exposure, and for travelers involved in any activities that might bring them into direct contact with bats, carnivores, and other mammals. Children are considered at higher risk because they tend to play with animals, may receive more severe bites, or may not report bites.
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I personally have all of the above vaccinations, but again, please consult your Doctor or health care provider to obtain recommendations.  Unlike myself, they are qualified to answer questions and concerns.  If you have other medication or health issues, they will also be able to address these for you.

Another reminder about the Hep-A & B shots.  If you want the long-term immunity, it takes six months to complete the schedule.  April 4th is six months before we leave.

Can’t recall but how necessary/advisable is the rabies vaccination?  This seems to be the one that is stumping my primary care physician.

Don, my husband was wondering what the communication options are for talking to loved ones back home and how often the possibility will be. Any thoughts?

jmikewor - 22 March 2010 07:24 PM

Can’t recall but how necessary/advisable is the rabies vaccination?  This seems to be the one that is stumping my primary care physician.

Josh,

In my opinion, the Rabies shot could be considered optional.  The description on the CDC site recommends it if you are planning to go camping, hiking or work with animals (i.e. veterinarians).  There are some very tame dogs occasionally around the carepoints, but I was never concerned by them.  I think it is safe to skip that one unless someone has a special health circumstance.

Some people also feel the Typhoid is optional as well.  If you read the info on CDC for this one, it only covers 50-80% of people who receive the shot.  Again, getting recommendations and opinions from health care providers is best.

I do think the Hep-A vaccine is strongly recommended, and if you are getting Hep-A you might as well get the Hep-B vaccine.

Let me know if you have more questions or comments.

Don

Michelle - 22 March 2010 08:38 PM

Don, my husband was wondering what the communication options are for talking to loved ones back home and how often the possibility will be. Any thoughts?

Todd and Michelle,

We stayed at the Tums George Hotel in Manzini for most of our 2009 trip.  They offer a descent speed internet service from their business office.  I was able to use the internet service to chat every evening from my laptop, and I even used Skype Video-Call to see and talk with Barbra and my family on one occasion.  I would have used Skype Video-Call more, but I did not bring a headset.  I know another person used Skype to talk quite a bit on-line.  One of our team leaders purchased Verizon cell phone minutes, and shared his phone so people could make short calls to home.  The Verizon minutes are quite expensive, and can limit the conversation to a few minutes.  The on-line chatting worked well while I was there, but there were only two network connections in the business office, and we shared connection time among the 10 team members.  It was not too difficult to get 20-30 minutes of chatting in.  The connection worked pretty well, and did cost some money.  Not to expensive, but not super cheap either.

There were two moments where we met at the CHC/AIM office in Manzini.  I was able to send a short email from there, and they had two or three connections we could use with descent speed.  I don’t know if anyone used chat or Skype there.

On our trip we visited Nsoko which is South of Manzini, and more rural.  Down there I had little time to get on-line when we ate at the restaurant in the main building.  We stayed in cottages on a mini-safari, and the cottages were a few minutes drive from the main building back into the bush - no internet back there.  I think the cell phone worked there, but I never used it.  For the two days we were down there, I was not able to communicate very much.

During the 2009 trip, I think we saw one short black out of power, but I was never without power when needed.  There are times when the power can go out or be unreliable.  Other countries in Africa can be really bad for power, but South Africa and Swaziland have Western style development of infrastructure with descent reliability.

The Tums George Hotel connections had network cables only, they also had one or two computers.  The CHC/AIM office had network cables and computers.  The Safari place near Nsoko had wireless internet in the main building.  I will take my wife’s Dell mini-9 netbook laptop, perfect for traveling.

I think we will have a similar experience for the 2010 trip, but it is possible for power and internet problems to occur.  In these cases, CHC asks family members to consider no news is good news.

Let me know if you have more questions or comments.

Thank you Don, This is better information than what I was expecting! I do not have a laptop so that could pose a challenge but at least there are options! Thanks Don!

This information will be updated over time.
Swaziland Trip Fees and Expenses as of 05/17/10:

Tax deductible fees paid to Childrens HopeChest (CHC):
  - As a team we decided to include the 1/2 day Safari Trip in Swaziland for an added fee (~$100)
  - Here are the total trip fees payable CHC depending upon the number of team members that go:
    -  6 people - $1600 per person
    -  7 people - $1530 per person
    -  8 people - $1475 per person
    -  9 people - $1430 per person
    - 10 people - $1400 per person
    - 11 people - $1370 per person
    - 12 people - $1375 per person
    - 13 people - $1355 per person
  - Fees cover all food, water, room and board, transportation on the ground, and drivers/guides.
  - See donation/gift payment and mailing instructions in another post below…

Airline Tickets:
  - Last year Don bought tickets for just under $1200.00
  - Today’s prices are ~$1800.00
  - Don has email notifier set up to search for better prices.
  - Best route is Bloomington, IL (BMI) to Johannesburg (JNB) on Delta Airlines (assuming they still give free extra baggage for mission trips).  Otherwise, the best value cost most reliable flight schedule will be selected.
  - Target purchase of airline tickets by June or July this year to finalize trip itinerary with CHC.

Additional Expenses:
  - Personal shopping plans for souvenirs and gifts you might want to bring home from Swaziland.
  - Food expenses while traveling through airports to and from Johannesburg.
  - Small amount of funds for “snacks” while traveling 4.5 hours by vehicle between Johannesburg and Swaziland

Fund raising is planned to raise money to support team members and money for giving toward needs at the carepoint and surrounding community.  Many needs are identified, but some at the top of the list include the following:
  - Money for purchase in Swaziland of school uniform shoes for Ludlati kids.
  - Money for purchase in Swaziland of school uniforms for Ludlati kids.
  - Donations toward two weeks worth of food in a gift package for community home visits.
  - Sports equipment for use at Ludlati Carepoint.
  - etc.

Instructions for Swaziland/Ludlati Carepoint Trip Donations and Gifts:

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Funds for Trip Expenses on the Ground in Swaziland and Airline Tickets:

Here is the updated or modified plan with regard to funds raised for the trip.  We can request reimbursement by Childrens HopeChest (CHC) only for airline expenses from gifts and donations paid to CHC after a respective team member’s trip fees are covered.  CHC will issue one check for the group to the team leader.  As the team leader, I will use my personal credit cards to purchase each members airline ticket.  I do ask that I not have to bear the faith (or risk ) for airline tickets for the entire team.  Once I know the funds are available at CHC to cover a team member’s airline cost (above trip fees), I will purchase those members tickets as a group.  Ideally, we will all be fully funded at the time of airline ticket purchase which makes this process simple.  If a team member is not yet fully funded at the time of desired airline ticket purchase, we can consider a few options:

    1. Use your own personal credit card and faith to send money into the CHC trip account (ref# SZ100901T) to cover your expense within the group purchase.
    2. Purchase your own airline tickets on the same flights with your own credit card and faith that it will be covered.
    3. Wait until sufficient funds are collected so I can purchase your airline ticket or you can purchase it at a later time (may be at a higher price, but the point is to get you there).

Given this option to purchase tickets for the group with a reimbursement from CHC, you can ask for all your fund raising gift requests to be payable to “Childrens HopeChest”, and not worry about dividing the trip fees from the airline ticket.  In your letters and fund raising activities, please have checks payable to Childrens HopeChest, and add to the memo line the trip ref# SZ100901T.  The trip ref# should be added to the “Notes:” box available in the on-line payment website (see below).  Please email information to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) about on-line donations on your behalf.  Please send the funding gifts (checks) to my home address where I will collect and track funds for each member, and forward organized payments for the team in packages to CHC.

  Check Payments written to:  Childrens HopeChest
  Add to Memo:  Ref# SZ100901T

  Collect and Mail to:
  Don King - Swazi Team Leader
  860 CR 2100E
  Sidney, IL 61877

  Payments may be made to CHC securely on-line with a VISA or MasterCard credit card.
  The trip ref# SZ100901T should be added to the “Notes:” box available in the on-line payment website at the following link:
    https://secure.pursuantgroup.net/pursuant4/hopechest/chcselect/donation.asp

Schedule of “Trip Expenses on the Ground in Swaziland” Payments

June 12, 2010 items due at CHC (give some lead time to send to Don):

  Passports (a quality photocopy of the picture and signature of traveler)
  Children’s HopeChest Short Term Mission Applications
  First deposit: $250 per person. 

July 10, 2010 items due at CHC (give some lead time to send to Don):

  Second deposit: $250 per person.

August 7, 2010 items due at CHC (give some lead time to send to Don):

  Final payment of the remaining balance.

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Funds for Airline Tickets:

  As explained above, after a member’s trip fees are covered, airline tickets will be purchased for the group out of the CHC travel fund reimbursement by the team leader (Don King).  Other options for ticket purchases will be pursued for members not yet fully funded.  Date of purchase is targeted for June/July when a good price is found (target is $1200 to $1400).  Don King will discuss this with the team members when the opportunity arises.

Flights we want to book:

  Team target flights (unless something much cheaper is found):
    Departure Flights:
      Leave BMI (Bloomington) in AM on Saturday, Sept. 4th
      Arrive in ATL (Atlanta) in time for Delta Air Lines Flight# 200 leaving at 7:25PM on Saturday, Sept. 4th
   
    Return Flights:
      Delta Flight #201 at 8:20p from Johannesburg to ATL (Atlanta) on Tuesday, Sept. 14th
      ATL (Atlanta) to arrive at BMI (Bloomington) around mid-day on Wednesday, Sept. 15th
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Airline tickets for a team of six people have been purchased.  All flights are on Delta Airlines.  Delta graciously granted our team a luggage waiver for missions request.  Because of our mission trip, they are supporting our team by waiving the fees for each team member to bring two extra 50 [lb] checked luggage bags!  Let someone at Delta Airlines know you really appreciate it if you like, because we certainly do.

Our flight itinerary is as follows:

Outbound Flights (IND>JNB)

  First Flight:
      Delta   Flight #2677 | 1h 38m | Economy Cabin
      Sat, Sep 4   2:20p from Indianapolis, IN (IND)
      3:58p in Atlanta, GA (ATL)

  Time between flights:  2h 57m

  Second Flight:
      Delta   Flight #200 | 15h 55m | Economy Cabin
      Sat, Sep 4   6:55p from Atlanta, GA (ATL)
      4:50p in Johannesburg, South Africa (JNB)

Return Flights (JNB>IND)

  First Flight:
      Delta   Flight #201 | 16h 25m | Economy Cabin
      Tue, Sep 14   8:20p from Johannesburg, South Africa (JNB)
      6:45a in Atlanta, GA (ATL)

  Time between flights:  3h 16m

  Second Flight:
      Delta   Flight #1268 | 1h 48m | Economy Cabin
      Wed, Sep 15   10:01a from Atlanta, GA (ATL)
      11:49a in Indianapolis, IN (IND)

Here is the latest version of the trip schedule:  http://www.knowntome.net/Swazi_Team_schedule.pdf

We also plan to be flexible with the plans.  We are trusting the Lord to bring all things together according to His plans and for His glory.

So many people have jumped in to help, work and give.  It is amazing to see so many details the team did not consider coming together for the trip.  We appreciate your prayers and support.

Letter from Childrens HopeChest to Family Members of Team Travelers:

Dear Family Member of the Ludlati Carepoint Swazi Team,

Children’s HopeChest is very excited to have your family member partner with us to care for orphans in Swaziland.  Please be assured that our national staff is taking very good care of your family member(s).

In the event you have a family emergency here in the U.S. that would merit a call to Swaziland, you may contact me (my information is below).  I will then contact our national staff.

Also, if you do not hear from your family member, this is good news.  Our motto here at Children’s HopeChest is…

“No News Is Good News!”

During business hours Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm (Mountain Time)...

  Mindy Stewart
  719-685-7164 (direct line)
  719-487-7800 ext 1004

After hours or on the weekends…

  Mindy Stewart
  216-577-8120 (cell)

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Additional information from the Team Leader - Don King

  It is not uncommon for communications to be a problem in other countries where mission teams travel.  Infrastructures may be down, travelers may be in remote areas without access, etc.  If you are not able to communicate with your beloved team member, it is considered a good thing.  In the event, there is an emergency situation for the traveling team member, the national staff will be able to use special means to communicate with the emergency contacts back in the U.S.

  Last time I traveled in Swaziland, I was able to communicate each night via internet access from our hotel.  I have heard stories from others who have experienced problems with this, but I am hopeful we will be able to communicate part if not most of the days we are able to use the web access.  Last year I used Skype to text and Video-Call with my family.  This year I am planning to use Google Talk tools.

  Feel free to call or write me with additional questions or comments about this letter or the trip.

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
217-390-6798

Swazi Team Travelers Packing Check List:

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Personal Cash
Internet access was about $10/hr if I remember correctly.  Several people would get on-line for about 20min a night to send email, chat, or use Skype.  If you plan to communicate in this way, please bring some cash for this activity.  You can pay for this at the front desk.

Bring some cash for buying souvenirs to bring home.  You can find a wide range of inexpensive to more expensive things to purchase.  Your budget amount is up to you.

Money to cover any snacks or food you think you might need at airports.

A little extra cash to purchase a drink/snack during the road trip from Johannesburg to Manzini.  Last time we stopped at a gas station convenience store.

All other meals, lodging, transportation is covered by the travel fees that are fully paid.  Thank you Lord.

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Small flashlight (in case of power outage at hotel)
Clothing - Bring enough to cover the whole trip. Washing there is too
expensive and impractical.
Prepare for a wide range of weather: Lows 55 deg-F Highs 90 def-F
Skirts (5) (these will look cute on you and Donovan:) Don’t forget outfit
for church too
Known to Me Shirts
Other shirts
Sandals
Tennis Shoes
Pants/capri’s/shorts
socks
under garments
jacket and sweatshirts
long sleeve shirts
leggings (?)
Sleepwear
Sweats (lounging)

Mini sewing kit

Shampoo/conditioner
hairspray/hair products
hair dyer/ curling iron There are hair dryers in the rooms at Tums George
make up
body soap

toilet paper
Glasses/contacts/solutions
Kleenex
Pillow (if you want too)
Pillow cases
purse/backpack
Travel Tide
personal items hygiene
Wet wipes or flushable wipes
Hand sanitizer
chapstick
sunscreen
hat
Sunglasses
Watch

Bible
Devotionals
Games (card games) Something to do on plane
I-pod or Mp3 players
USB cable for I-pod or Mp3 players
Ear buds or head phones for music
Download movies on laptop/netbook - (plane has movie viewers for each seat)
Books
Laptop (netbook)
Power Cord for laptops
Head phones for Skype
Camera
Camera batteries & charger
USB cable for camera to download pictures
Extra SD card(s), camera accessories…
Video Camera and accessories

Cell phones
Grounded Plug Adapter for hotel rooms

PASSPORT!!!
Copy of passport to be left at home
Copy of passport to keep in suitcase
Passport pouch

Snacks (power bars, granola bars, trail mix, dried fruit etc)
Mints
Candy
Journal (trace hands of children)

Picture(s) of your family or church family (I shared my family pics with
some kids last year)

Medication list:
Michelle and I are planning to share most of the following supplies:
Dramamine - for air sickness and car sickness
Anti-Malaria
Anti-biotics
Ambien (sleep aid)
Compazsine ( Anti- Nausea medication)
Pepto-tablets
Tylenol
Ibuprophen
Ro-laids
Imodium (anti-diarrhea)
Beneful (Fiber) (lots of rice and beans may cause us to need this
Neosporin (Topical antibiotic)
Band-Aids
Probiotics (we plan to eat a lot of yogurt ahead of time

We have a couple team first aid kits.
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