Costs of Volunteering
Money is a big issue when you are planning to volunteer in Africa. No, it's an absolutely huge issue. There are so many little details to take into consideration. First of all, and most obvious, it costs a lot of money to travel these days, especially for a long trip such as to Kenya. For Africa, September is the beginning of the low season of travel; I'm not sure when the high season starts, probably April or May. At any rate, it is cheaper to buy tickets in September than in August. Still, it cost me $1460 after taxes for my ticket, which was considered a very good price. I saw tickets prices that spiraled into the high $2000s or even more than $3000. I purchased my ticket from AirfarePlanet.com, as was recommended by my doctor friend. Once that was out of the road, I figured there wouldn't be much else to spend money on. I was wrong.
A list of costs:
- - Health/travel insurance: $150
- - Putting together a REAL first aid kit: $180
- - Immunizations: up to $500 ($60 for typhoid, $120 for Hep A, in addition to Yellow Fever, Hep B, tetnus, and plenty for malaria prophalaxis)
- - GSM ("unlocked SIM" or world) phone: $80
- - Water Treatment Pills, Mosquito sleeping nets, other various necessities: $180
- - Lonely Planet for Kenya: $30
- - Tropical Med books: $90
- - Pimsleur Swahili CDs: $40
- - Clothes: $100
Basically, it's expensive. Fortunately, I already had a big backpack, most of the clothes I need to travel with, and some of the other essentials. Of course, there was the loss of income as well. I had to take a leave of absence, which I originally planned to be unpaid, but HR required me to use 30 hours of my PTO in order to keep my health insurance at the hospital. While that income will be nice ($600 a week), it will completely drain my PTO bank. In fact, the only way it's possible is because I'll actually be accruing PTO hours while I'm gone, and will use some of those hours by the end of the six weeks. In conclusion, the financial stake in deciding to volunteer in Africa can be substantial, and being able to swallow that cost is absolutely necessary. If the money is more important, don't do it. On the other hand, I believe all that money is tax-rebatable, so keep your receipts for everything.
