South Africa: Community Health and Social Policy Spring 2020
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South Africa: Community Health and Social Policy Spring 2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS COUNTRY OVERVIEW ....................................................... 3 GENERAL INFORMATION.............................................. 3 CLIMATE AND GEOGRAPHY.......................................... 3 LOCAL CUSTOMS .......................................................... 3 DIET .............................................................................. 4 SAFETY, SECURITY, AND HEALTH.................................. 5 HOMESTAYS ................................................................. 5 OTHER ACCOMMODATIONS ........................................ 6 TRANSPORTATION........................................................ 6 COMMUNICATION ....................................................... 7 PHONES AND E-MAIL ................................................... 7 MAILINGS ..................................................................... 8 MONEY ......................................................................... 8 VISITORS AND FREE TIME ............................................. 9 PACKING GUIDELINES..................................................... 10 CLOTHING GUIDELINES .............................................. 10 EQUIPMENT................................................................ 10 COMPUTERS AND OTHER ELECTRONICS .................... 10 GIFTS........................................................................... 11 WHAT YOU CAN AND CANNOT OBTAIN IN COUNTRY 11 ALUMNI CONTACTS .................................................... 11 PACKING LIST .................................................................. 12
in the south and nearly 1500km (932 miles) from
COUNTRY OVERVIEW Port Nolloth in the west to Durban in the east.
Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and
Swaziland run from west to east along South
Africa's northern border and Lesotho is entirely
GENERAL INFORMATION contained within South Africa’s borders. South
Africa is the seventh largest African country and
Given the historic events in South Africa over the twice the size of Texas.
last two and a half decades, this is an extremely
exciting time to be in the country, witnessing
history in the making. After nine years under a AVERAGE HIGH/LOW TEMPERATURES in
presidential dispensation that allowed and fostered DURBAN (°F)
corruption, the promises of a better future for all
have been revived. After years of economic JAN FEB MAR APR MAY
stagnation, the new president is restoring business 81/69 81/69 81/68 78/64 76/57
confidence and rebuilding essential state functions
by dismissing corrupt officials and building capacity. SEPT OCT NOV DEC
Free tertiary education for the poor and the
74/59 75/62 77/65 79/67
implementation of a national health system are
exciting projects that require significant funding,
while maintaining existing essential services. Under
It’s position just south of the Tropic of Capricorn
the blueprint of the constitution, South Africa is
makes South Africa a mostly dry and sunny place, but
working hard again towards the progressive
the climate is moderated by its topography and the
realisation of rights to health, education, housing,
surrounding oceans. The further east you go, the
social welfare, gender equality and dignity.
more useful your raingear becomes, but there are
also damp pockets in the southwest, particularly
KwaZulu-Natal is the epicenter of the AIDS and TB around Cape Town. At 56 feet above sea level, Cape
pandemic. Cutting-edge medical research situated Town has a climate similar to that of California.
here has played an important role in understanding
Expect warm weather in December and cool, wet,
and fighting the diseases. Rigorous randomised windy weather in May. Along the southern coast the
controlled trials have provided excellent drugs, but weather is temperate, due to the Agulhas current, the
the new challenge is to develop qualitative
east coast becoming increasingly tropical the further
methodologies to accurately measure the north you go. In the winter, the days are sunny and
effectiveness of behavioural interventions. warm. Durban’s summers are hot and humid, similar
to Miami winters are milder, but it never gets too
Our rural excursion takes us 100 miles west of
cold to stop Durbanites swimming and surfing.
Durban, to traditional Zulu homesteads at the foot
Durban’s average annual rainfall is about 1000 mm (40
of the Drakensberg Mountains. As the most
in) February gets very hot and humid, with risk of
populous province with a high percentage of rural
sunburn and/or dehydration.
occupants living in poverty, KwaZulu-Natal faces
many challenges; yet it also provides cost-effective
solutions arising out of cultural commitment to
strong community spirit. LOCAL CUSTOMS
South Africa is one of the most multicultural countries
CLIMATE AND GEOGRAPHY in the world, it has eleven official languages and as
South Africa extends nearly 2000km (1242 miles) many different ethnic groups particularly in urban
from the Limpopo River in the north to Cape Town areas. It is difficult to generalize on South African
etiquettes and culture due to the diversity, however, someone speaking, and don’t hold eye-contact with
here are a few things to keep in mind. elders you are greeting
DIET
SIT Study Abroad provides experiential learning
opportunities where students become embedded in
their host community. As such, we strive to
accommodate serious food allergies where possible
but simply cannot ensure that all dietary restrictions
or non-medically mandated diets can be
accommodated.
Students are encouraged to participate in the local
food culture as a central aspect of daily life. By trying
to replicate your diet at home you may miss out on an
important part of your host culture. Due to the
Cultural Dos unique living and learning community central to all SIT
programs, we cannot separate food and eating
Be polite – Greet people when you meet them, communally (including with your host family) from the
Greetings are leisurely and include time for social program experience. Please consider local diet
discussion and exchanging pleasantries. Thank seriously when selecting your program of choice.
people when they do something for you and say Your admissions counselor is a great resource in
goodbye when you or someone else leaves. Clean better understanding the local diet.
up after yourself – you are expected to clean
after yourself in your home stay, in the classroom, You can expect to eat breakfast around 7am, lunches
in hotel rooms. Be on time to class and meetings. around 12pm, and dinners around 7pm. During
Respect others, regardless of their viewpoint and homestays and when on the road, expect to eat a lot
respect yourself. Dress conservatively – of chicken and starches, with quite a bit of oil. Vegans
especially when on excursions to organisations and bring peanut butter and crackers in case there are no
when in more-traditional areas. other options. There are refrigerators and a
microwave at the program office/classroom, so
Gift giving is important when entering a students can complement their homestay diets with
homestay – a Xhosa idiom states that a visitor does foods they buy from the fresh food market below the
not come with an empty hand. An extra-large T- office, using their lunch stipends. Water is clean and
Shirt, a dishcloth, mug or glass with a logo from potable from the taps in the cities of South Africa.
your home town is always well-received. Offer to
help and be prepared to receive help that is Please note that South Africa is very much a meat-
offered. eating society, and to some, the concept of
Cultural Don’ts vegetarianism or veganism is difficult to comprehend.
Do not smell food at the dinner table. Do not Many of the protein-rich vegetarian and vegan foods
smoke indoors. Do not bring alcohol into the available in the U.S. are not available in South Africa,
homestay, hotel, lodge or classroom. Do not use or may be quite expensive. While students will not be
laptops in class without the permission of the expected to eat meat in the homestay or while on
lecturer. Don’t say “Bless You” if it disrupts excursions, students with specific diets need to spend
a little more of their personal funds if they want more
variety in their meals. These students will be expected
to take individual responsibility for arranging protein children or a large extended family with many people
substitutes and should expect to have limited choices. coming and going all the time. Additionally, please
Kosher, Halal and other diets are possible to keep, bear in mind that, in many countries, the idea of what
but less-educated homestay families will not always constitutes a “home” may be different from what you
get it right, no matter how well we explain. Students expect. You will need to be prepared to adapt to a
will be expected to engage homestay families and food new life with a new diet, a new schedule, new people,
outlets themselves, with SIT staff assisting with and adopt redefined needs and expectations.
translation.
Each program’s homestay coordinator will be
SAFETY, SECURITY, AND HEALTH responsible for placing students in homestays, which
have all been previously screened by the academic
Maintaining good health is critical to having a
director. Some placements are made based on health
successful semester. To help you do that, we have
concerns, including any allergies or dietary needs, to
provided Health Guidelines and Requirements
the extent possible. Other placements are allocated
for your program.
according to alphabetical order, so as not to turn
It is very important that you read the Health participants into consumers. Please note: SIT may
Guidelines and Requirements document as early as make final adjustments to homestay
possible and examine it with your medical provider. placements after student arrival in country.
The guidelines include recommended immunizations; Therefore, SIT will not provide information
a suggested calendar for immunizations and other about your homestay family before you depart
prophylaxes; and valuable information on how to for the program.
avoid exposure to common carriers of disease.
On this program, you will be staying in two
Students are thoroughly briefed on safety homestays. It is not possible to tailor-make each
considerations during in-country orientation and are homestay experience to the individual expectations of
updated throughout the semester if circumstances each student, but we will place students with special
change. For information regarding safety and security, medical and dietary needs in homes where these can
emergency communications, SIT policies, accident and be better-supported. Within reason, students are
illness insurance, and general program tips, please expected to adapt to their unique family, and accept
read the Safety, Security, and Health document that some families are more sociable and/or better
and Student Handbook. able to provide than others are. All homestays are
with Zulu-speaking families, and the majority of
homesteads are female-headed with fathers absent.
Students will have their own room and bed in the
HOMESTAYS Cato Manor urban homestay, and will stay with
As many SIT Study Abroad alumni will tell you, the another student in Nzinga, but will never be expected
homestay experience can be one of the most to share a bed with a stranger. Houses usually have
rewarding and most challenging aspects of the cell phone reception and are reasonably clean, but
program. We hope you will come prepared for the some Nzinga homestays use pit latrines and draw
experience and committed to moving beyond cultural water from communal taps, rainfall-collection tanks or
immersion as you begin to question, distinguish, and springs. Students will be given bottled water in cases
analyze the host culture vis-à-vis your own culture where water may not be potable.
and come to a deeper understanding of both.
The main homestay is in Cato Manor, a township
about three miles from the University of KwaZulu-
Family structures vary in every culture. SIT Study Natal, home to about 5000 medium and lower-
Abroad values the diversity of homestay families, and income Zulu-speaking families. Each student will have
your family may include a single mother of two small his/her own family but will be within a mile of other
students placed in the same three blocks of Masxa transportation to and from Windemere to and from
section. The homestay coordinator selects families their ISP/Internship sites.
from one neighborhood. All houses have cell phone
and 3G Internet reception, flush toilets, and electricity During ISP/internship students remaining in Durban
and are constructed of cinder brick. This homestay is will continue in the same independent
five weeks in duration. accommodations. The program will arrange
accommodations close to rural hospitals and clinics as
You will also experience a short (four-night) homestay approrpriate. Those returning to Wentworth or
in the rural area of Nzinga, near the town of Nzinga will stay with homestay families.
Impendle. Students stay in pairs with a variety of
families.
The Nzinga excursion provides insights into the TRANSPORTATION
experiences of rural Zulu-speaking The program uses 16-seater Toyota Quantum
South Africans. The families do not speak much minibuses that are the safest in their class with
English. The Nzinga excursion is in an area close to a reclining seats and three-point safety belts all around.
town with a well-run community health centre. During the Cato Manor homestay period, door-to-
Families in Nzinga are traditional, with homesteads door transportation for official program activities is
growing their own food and keeping livestock. Our provided every morning around 7am. Shared UBER
co-ordinator there is the second wife of a respected taxis are used to transport students home, at around
traditional preacher in the community, and other 4pm.
homesteads include teachers, nurses and community
care givers.
We do day-excursions into Wentworth, an industrial
suburb 30 minutes away from Durban City. Residents
in this community find themselves between the
“Black” and “White” Apartheid categorizations and
have their own stories to tell about their place in
democratic South Africa. We visit the Blue Roof Life
Space and do the Toxic Tour of the South Durban
Basin.
OTHER ACCOMMODATIONS
Orientation accommodations start at Emerald Lodge
in Johannesburg in dormitory accommodations. We During the Independent Study Project or internship
continue on to Marloth Park, where we stay in 5-bed period, students based outside of Durban will be
chalets on the boundary fence of the Kruger National bussed to and from their sites at the beginning and
Park. end of the period. Durban students will be taught
Independent Durban accommodations are at how to use Durban City busses, or will travel by
Windermere Apartments, on the Durban beachfront. UBER. Two days a week, students in Durban will be
Each Apartment has four beds, and some students provided with a stipend to allow transport to more-
may share with students from the other Durban SIT difficult interview sites and/or the program office. In
program. Students wishing to find alternate general, the program organizes the safest possible
accommodation must finalise these by week four of transportation for program functions. During
the program and will be responsible for their own ISP/internship, students are required to use the
ISP/internship stipend to take safe local
transportation. Social events are paid for from the Abroad staff, students will learn how to use their
students’ own accounts and Uber taxis cost about $1 smart phone, how to purchase and use an appropriate
per mile per vehicle. Excursions and the local SIM card, and how to acquire minutes for calls
evaluation/orientation period trip to Marloth Park are and texting. SIT Study Abroad requires that each
by road in Quantum buses. We finish the program student have a local SIM number for communication
flying to Cape Town, staying in dormitory with the homestay family and program staff.
accommodations at Zebra Lodge. We do a 1-day
excursion around the Cape Peninsula. While we recognize that alternative communication
methods can be free or cheaper than cell service i.e.
Facetime, Skype, WhatsApp, etc. those programs
alone do not satisfy our need for regular
communication with the local program staff and
partners, nor do they meet our emergency
communication needs. Therefore, local cellular
capacity on each student’s phone is required for the
duration of the program. Students are required to
maintain a minimum amount of phone credits at all
times for emergency calls. Full compliance with this
policy is expected.
COMMUNICATION International plans in South Africa are possible but not
While you may want to be in regular communication recommended as they are expensive. iPhones are
with friends and family from home during the term highly sought-after by criminals. We thus suggest that
abroad, please bear in mind that different time zones, the US phones be put in our lockers at the program
patchy internet and changing program activities can office and students use the hired program “burner”
complicate communication. smartphones. The Durban Community Health
program will thus issue a pre-paid smart phone
It’s important to be clear with family and friends about registered to the Telkom mobile South Africa
your availability during the term. You should also network, and take $35 deposit. If returned in working
consider the impact of constant communication with order with no cracked screen, $25 will be refunded.
friends and family at home on your cultural Students wishing to insure the program phone will
immersion. Late night calls in homestays are not need to pay a further $5 which is non-refundable. The
possible. cell phone is very cheap with no frills and is therefore
less desirable to muggers. All incoming calls are free
to the receiver, and outgoing emergency calls are also
PHONES AND E-MAIL free. The smart phones are used as hotspots to access
As part of SIT’s commitment to student safety and the internet and social media. Note that calls to the
security, all students are required to have a working US on the cell phone will cost the caller between $1
smart phone capable of making and receiving both and $2 per minute. Do not buy travelling phone
local and international calls throughout the duration cards, especially not off the internet, as they do not
of the program. For that purpose students are work on local cell phones and many do not work at
required to either (a) bring an open, unlocked smart all.
phone from the U.S. to the program that is able to
accept a local SIM card, and is GSM compatible to be Bandwidth in South Africa is expensive, and
usable at the program location, (b) hire a program Skype/Facetime eats it up especially if the video call
issued smart phone, (c) bring a dual SIM smart phone, function is used. Students may use their smartphones
or (d) bring a smart phone with an international plan. to connect to Skype but this comes out of their own
During orientation, with assistance from SIT Study money and may cost as much as $10 an hour as theApp uses up data purchased. The program provides 4 Student Name
GB a month per student, which is sufficient for all The School for International Training
emails and research, with 4GB left for Skyping and Postnet Suite 372 Private
social media. This is sufficient for most students. We Bag X10
do provide wifi at the program office, but not for Musgrave Road
high-data apps such as Netflix, Spotify, Facetime or 4062
the uploading of pictures. South Africa
We also encourage students to utilize the texting
feature on Facebook. College emails sometimes give MONEY
students trouble. Gmail (Google) has proven quicker In addition to tuition, SIT Study Abroad program fees
and more reliable during the semester. We send cover room and board throughout the program.
messages to students via Whatsapp during the When room and/or board are not taken with the
semester. group, students will be given a stipend to cover
related expenses. SIT will cover daily commuting
On arrival, students will be able to email concerned costs, if any, and excursions that are part of the
friends and parents on the hostel wireless internet. normal program itinerary. During the ISP/internship
Sometimes servers go down, so they should not period, students will receive a stipend for basic room
panic if they have not heard from you in 24 hours. and board only, based on the cost of living at the
They may also call SIT in Brattleboro for program base. Any domestic travel,
information. interpretation services, or supplies necessary
for the ISP/internship are the students’
responsibility. Please plan accordingly.
MAILINGS
Unlike receiving a package here in the US, receiving a The local currency is the South African Rand, at time of
package at your program site is usually expensive writing valued at R14 to US$1. A Big Mac with medium
and problematic. Customs agents must inspect all fries and soda costs R55 – about US$4.00. Travelers
packages and you, as the recipient, are responsible for Checks are difficult to change and use, whereas credit
duty and storage fees. In addition, there are cases of cards and debit cards are very easy – we strongly advise
items being lost in the mail or taking so long to reach
against Travelers Checks, as students will not be able
the recipient that the recipient is nearly back in the
to facilitate trips to the specific banks that will change
US by the time the items are received. For these
US cash or Travelers Checks. Students are advised to
reasons, sending packages should be done only for
ensure that they can access account details online so
emergency situations. Additionally, sending valuables
they can keep an eye out for cloned card fraudulent
is highly discouraged.
debits – we will teach students how to avoid scams, but
they will need to be cautious. Cards with chips are
For this program, DHL and FedEx services are
available in country. Despite cheaper prices, advisable as they are not as easily cloned.
reliance on the US Postal Service is not advised due We do not open bank accounts for students in
to delays and unreliability. When given the option, it’s country as the process is extremely cumbersome and
always a good idea to send packages certified and time-consuming. We allocate cash to students on a
with a tracking number that allows the sender to weekly basis. When attending lectures students have
track the package. access to a locker in which they can store cash,
laptop, passport, iPod, camera and other valuables
Posted letters and packages should be sent to the (please bring a padlock). When in homestays students
following address: are advised not to display valuables. A small lockbox
may be useful here and also when travelling generally,but students are given keys to their rooms in
homestays, and thefts of cash and personal items are Books, printing, supplies: 50 USD
rare when compared with incidents at the average US
college dormitory. Potential up-front medical costs
(UBERs to doctors): 100 USD
If using a debit and/or credit card, you should contact
your bank and/or credit card companies regarding
your travel plans. If you don’t inform these companies Potential ISP/internship travel 50-350
that you will be away, they will often assume the card expenses: USD
has been lost or stolen and will put an immediate hold
on the card. You should also check on costs of 700-1000
Estimated total:
withdrawal, as these costs vary and can sometimes be USD
very expensive. Renewing and receiving reissued
credit and debit cards while on the program will be an VISITORS AND FREE TIME
expensive and highly inconvenient process. Before you
SIT strongly discourages and will not provide
leave for your program, please check the expiration
support for any visitors to students during the
dates on your cards to ensure that they will not
term, due to the rigorous nature of the program and
expire while you are abroad. It is also very important
the disruption that such visits cause in program flow
that you make photocopies of all your debit/credit
and group dynamics. Students should be sure that
card information and leave them with someone you
relatives and friends are aware of this policy and that
trust in case your card(s) is/are lost or stolen. If
visits are scheduled for dates after the formal
getting a new card, check the pin works by
conclusion of the program. Students will not be
withdrawing from an ATM at home.
excused from program components to attend to
visitors. See the Attendance and Participation section
Following are suggestions for spending money during
of the Student Handbook.
the program, including estimates for textbooks,
ISP/internship-related expenses, medical expenses, Please note that any visitors during the course of the
personal spending, and gifts. Figures are based on program must plan their own independent
recent student evaluations, though individual spending accommodations; SIT Study Abroad homestay families
habits vary widely and these costs are averages. A can accommodate only their assigned student and,
suggested total amount of money to budget ranges due to cultural and contractual understandings with
from US$700 to $1600. To determine where you SIT, should not be asked to host students’ guests.
might fall in this range, please examine your spending During the program, students follow an intense
habits during a typical semester at your home school schedule of classes and field-based learning
and consider any exceptional expenditures you may assignments, even during the ISP/internship. Free time
have on the program, including travel costs for your for pursuing an independent interest or hobby during
planned ISP/internship or a specific personal expense. the program will be limited. Your admissions
counselor can advise you about particular interests
Check current exchange rates: you may have. For example, if you must keep in shape
http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/ for your next athletic season, or if you play a musical
instrument and want to know whether to bring it, we
Please budget approximately: can help you to understand your schedule and any
concerns or limitations that may exist. Please note
that you will not have a long break during the
Personal spending (from past program, such as Thanksgiving or Spring Break.
student suggestions): 500 USDPACKING GUIDELINES EQUIPMENT
You will NOT need to bring items such as a sleeping
bag, mosquito net, or water purifier, unless you
desire to travel to areas and situations where these
LUGGAGE would be necessary post-program. Game-viewing is
Please pack lightly and include only necessary items. much nicer with a small pair of binoculars.
You should be able to carry all your luggage significant
distances on your own. Try to minimize both the
number of bags and weight of your bag(s) since you
COMPUTERS AND OTHER
will likely be acquiring more belongings while abroad. ELECTRONICS
South Africa’s internal flights limit baggage to only one It is essential that you bring a laptop computer, which
bag of 20 kilograms per person plus a 7kg carry-on. A will be your personal property and responsibility. It is
second bag costs $2 per pound. With careful recommended that you insure your computer, smart
planning, you should be able to bring the necessary phone or other valuables for full coverage in the
clothing and supplies and stay within the 20kg limit. If event of loss or theft. SIT is not responsible for any
you plan to bring more than 27 kilograms total you duty tax you may have to pay when you enter the
will need to budget for extra baggage fees. country, theft, or loss.
Suitcases with wheels help, but you will still be Ensure that all iphones and laptops you bring do not
required to lift your bags into vehicles by yourself so have automatic sync and/or sharing settings that will
pack lightly. automatically upload /download pictures or clips
If carrying prescription medications, you should carry to/from internet servers – they will eat up your
a letter from your doctor to prevent any concerns at hotspot data allocation.
customs or in transit. (Please see the “General Health
Tips” section in the Safety, Security, and Health pre- As most assignments will need to be completed after
departure document.) school hours, a laptop with MS Word installed is
essential. Smartphone hotspot connections make
Please check the current requirements of the conducting research from your own laptop fairly easy
Transportation Security Administration (at least in the South African context). You may also
(http://www.tsa.gov) as well as those of the airline on make use of coffee shops with wifi during the
which you are flying for domestic and international semester, after hours and during the ISP/internship.
baggage restrictions.
Please see the following website for information
CLOTHING GUIDELINES about electricity, voltage and electrical adapters.
http://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/. Do not
South Africans tend to dress very similarly to
bring any 110-volt electrical appliances without a
Americans, though there is some variation among
step-down transformer from 220 to 110 volts. The
different ethnic groups. Neat, somewhat conservative,
standard voltage in South Africa is 220/230volts AC.
comfortable clothes will help you to avoid unsolicited
Many electronic goods these days can handle both
attention. Revealing clothing is not acceptable when
220 and 110 (and other) voltage; refer to your
on excursions and will generally attract greater levels
owner’s manual for your devices to investigate what
of harassment.
will likely be needed. Please note that power surges
Please note that tank tops, short pants and short are common here and you are advised to plug your
skirts will only be acceptable in certain limited items into outlets with surge protection only (these
settings. For your rural visit, you will need to bring can be purchased locally at student expense).
two knee-length skirts or sarongs. Be aware that
some places are dusty and likely to stain light colors.
The clothes that you bring should be washable and Cameras are great but please note that to upload
breathable and preferably made of lighter, drip-dry images to Facebook or any picture website will use a
material. A black skirt or dress can be dressed up or lot of Data. A USB flash drive is essential for getting
casual and will not get stained. copies of some lecturers’ PowerPoint presentations,and great for storing the pictures you cannot WHAT YOU CAN AND CANNOT
download to web-based storage. Again, we suggest
insuring your belongings and keeping them locked in OBTAIN IN COUNTRY
your locker at the SIT office when not in use. If you do not already have these items, they can be
obtained in South Africa. Generally, prices for most
We suggest you bring a micro memory card to install items are reasonable. Toiletries and personal care
in your smartphone if wanting to use it to record items can also all be purchased in South Africa at
interviews. Note that the program phones only have similar prices to the U.S. However, if you require any
capacity to take a 4Gb memory or lower. form of medication, bring a sufficient supply to last
the duration of the program, as prescription drugs
GIFTS may not be mailed into South Africa. Remember to
bring a spare pair of glasses or contact lenses if you
wear them.
ALUMNI CONTACTS
If you have further questions, please contact your
admissions counselor and/or ask an alumni contact:
http://studyabroad.sit.edu/admitted-students/contacta-
former-student/.
Don’t miss the Packing List on the next page!
These packing guidelines are based on suggestions
from past students and your academic director.
Be prepared with a gift to offer your Cato Manor and Remember to place all valuable items and
Nzinga homestay families in gratitude for their prescriptions in your carry-on luggage while traveling
hospitality and as a means to share a part of your and all sharp items in your checked luggage.
culture with them. We suggest one or two gifts that
the whole family can enjoy. Pack a couple of small
gifts for children, such as small games, bubbles, or a
Frisbee. Even if your homestay family does not have
small children, you will engage with children in your
homestay community. Once you are on the program
and learn more about the local
culture, you will discover other ways to thank your
family. Remember to bring pictures of your friends
and family to share.PACKING LIST MEN
o 4 pairs shorts
o 3 pairs lightweight long pants
GENERAL – Men and Women o 1 pair jeans or other casual pants
o 1 warm outfit if not included in clothing below o 1 collared shirt
o Underwear – 10 day’s supply o 7 t-shirts or casual sports shirts
o 4-5 pairs socks
o Lightweight pajamas
o 1 pair sneaker TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
o 1 pair sandals o Passport
o 1 pair flip-flops o Yellow WHO Card where applicable
o 1 pair “going out” shoes o A certified photocopy of your passport,
o 1 fleece jacket stored separately from your actual passport
o 1 windbreaker/raincoat o Photocopy of visa (if applicable)
o Bathing suit
o 1 or 2 emergency light plastic rain ponchos
o Sun hat or bandanna HEALTH/TOILETRIES
o prescription medications used regularly
o a bath Towel
WOMEN o over-the-counter medications as approved by
o 4-5 athletic t-shirts (exercise, beach, daily your doctor (note that these are also available
wear) locally):
o 2-3 blouses (daily wear)
o pain reliever/fever reducer (Tylenol, Dayquil,
o 2-3 casual shirts/tanks (daily wear)
Nightquil, Advil)
o 2 maxi skirts/sarongs (daily wear, rural
homestays) o cold medication/decongestant
o 4-5 athletic/running shorts (exercise, beach, o laxative
daily wear) o anti-diarrheal medication (Tums, Pepto-
o 3-4 casual/jean shorts (daily wear) Bismol)
o 1 sweatshirt/fleece (random cool days) o motion sickness medication
o 1 sweatpants (rural homestay) o thermometer
o 1-2 capri leggings/workout pants (exercise, daily o small first aid kit including anti-itch cream,
wear) bandaids, antibacterial cream, Kleenex, hand
o 2 lightweight pants/jeans/leggings (daily wear) sanitizer
o 1 pair of Jeans (nightwear)
o malaria prophylaxis
o 3-5 dresses/rompers (nightwear, daily wear)
o 1-2 flannels/sweaters/button up layering shirts o for week 1, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, razor,
(daily use) deodorant, tampons, makeup remover
o 2 swimsuits (beach, pool)
o 1 baseball cap/sun hat/bandana/bucket hat (Please review the program Health Guidelines and
(beach) Requirements and the Safety, Security, and Health
o 4-5 pairs of Socks (exercise) document for your program for details). Note that
o 10-14 pairs of Underwear you will be in a medium to high risk malaria area for
o 4-8 bras and sports bras four nights in the first week of the program.
o Only if doing an Internship-
o 2-3 plain, Long sleeved or shouldered shirts OTHER IMPORTANT ITEMS
o 2-3 business casual pants o A small daypack (essential for excursions)
o An extra pair of glasses or contact lenses (and
saline solution)o A USB memory stick. (and optional micro o Travel Pouch/Purse
memory card) o Backpack for Classes
o Flashlight o Lock for your Locker
o Homestay gifts for two families o Laptop and Laptop Charger
o Phone and Phone Charger
o Sunglasses
o Earphones/Headphones
o Beach towel o South African Adaptor
o A notebook and pens
o Water Bottle
Remember to place all valuable items and any
o Sunscreen
prescriptions in your carry-on luggage while traveling
o Photographs of Family ( hard and saved on
and all sharp items in your checked luggage.
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