Frequently Asked Questions

Transcription

1 Frequently Asked Questions 1. How do I get to Pemba (book my flight)? 2. How do I get a visa? 3. What kind of ID should I bring? 4. How much luggage can I bring? 5. What can I bring to donate to the Iris Center? 6. What should I pack? 7. What kinds of expenses can I expect? 8. What is the best way to bring money? 9. What health issues should I be aware of? 10. Do I need any health insurance? 11. Will I be able to communicate with anyone from home? 12. What will the living conditions be like? 13. How can I serve in Pemba? 14. What should I do when Mozambicans ask me for things? 1) How do I get to Pemba (book my flight)? It is important to note that Iris Pemba is located in the far NORTH of Mozambique. No matter where you fly from, you must have a connecting flight to the Pemba airport. We do NOT recommend that you arrive at another airport and try to make the trip to Pemba by bus/car due to distance and safety issues. If you are the leader of a team of more than 20 - it is vital that your team does not travel to Pemba via Dar Salaam, the capitol of Tanzania. This might be a more affordable option, but we have had major problems with teams getting stranded for days and having lost/delayed luggage. Please make sure your team arranges flights via Maputo, Mozambique or Johannesburg, South Africa. Regarding tickets- make sure you do not lose your paper plane tickets (team leaders-warn your teams in advance!). Mozambique is a third-world nation without many of the computers and communication standards that many visitors take for granted. If you lose your paper ticket, you will have to purchase another one! Many visitors to our Pemba children s centre are also travelling to other destinations. Please make every effort to secure all of your travel plans before you arrive here in Pemba. We have limited transportation and staff options for making arrangements once you have arrived. Tips for when you arrive at the Pemba Airport: If you have sent us your flight information, we will pick you up at the airport. We are not hard to miss at the airport! The baggage area is very small, so try to move quickly with your bags and simply

2 walk out. You do NOT need to get in the customs line unless the customs official specifically stops you. It is really best to simply grab your bags and head for the door. We will be waiting outside the doors for you. PLEASE be aware that if you let the very eager boys at the airport help you with your luggage, they will expect/demand a tip and occasionally things go missing. Just say No thank you and keep a grip on your luggage. Please note that you will not need to use any of the luggage trolleys provided, as these can not be taken outside. TEAMS: Do NOT wear TEAM T-shirts with Iris Ministries/Mozambique or that type of wording when traveling in our airport! Customs officials will see your team and go through all of your items in your luggage. Most of the time they will make you pay for any gifts brought to us. It is best to not look like a team until you leave the airport baggage area! If we are running late, almost everyone in Mozambique has a cell phone- simply ask people standing around if you can make a quick one minute call on their cell phone. IF YOU TAKE A TAXI, PAY NO MORE THAN $4 US DOLLARS FOR A RIDE TO OUR BASE! 2) How do I get a visa? We advise our visitors to obtain a visa from the Mozambican Embassy in their country before they fly to Pemba. This will ensure that there are no problems at customs. To apply for a visa for entry into Mozambique, you will need a letter of invitation from Iris Ministries. In order for us to send this letter we will need the following information: Name (As it appears on your passport) Passport Number Country of Citizenship (Country from which your passport was Issued) Date of Arrival in mozambique Further information to apply for a visa will be sent with your letter of invitation. It is possible to get a visa when you fly into Maputo the cost is $25 USD and is for a 30 day single entry visa. If you fly directly into Pemba the cost for the 30 day single entry visa is $84 USD. ***PLEASE CHECK THESE PRICES ONLINE AS THEY ARE ALWAYS CHANGING*** 3) What kind of ID should I bring? You will need to obtain a notarized copy of your passport prior to arriving in Maputo/Pemba. This is a photocopy of your passport with a stamp of notary on it. This is a requirement for all who visit Iris Ministries. Every time you leave the centre for any kind of outreach or ministry opportunity you will need to bring this notarized copy with you. A photocopy without the stamp of notary on it is not sufficient. We ask that you obtain this simply so that you will not have to bring your original passport with you when you go on outreaches or ministry. It is much more difficult to replace the original passport than it is to replace a copy, should something happen and it be misplaced. 4) How much luggage can I bring? **PLEASE CALL YOUR AIRLINE(S) FOR UPDATES ON LUGGAGE ALLOWANCES! If you are travelling from the US most international carriers allow two 50 lb bags per person but with varying size dimensions specific to the airline. If your baggage is checked directly to Pemba-the carriers will allow all 100 lbs. However, if you have a layover in London, Johannesburg or Maputo it is likely you will be charged for the second bag - the airlines might allow two bags if you explain that you are an international traveller. NOTE: South African Airlines alone will only allow 50 lbs per bag (or 23 kilos)

3 without a fee. However, many of our guests have expressed that they are visiting an orphanage and bringing donations and the airlines do not charge fines...sometimes other visitors must pay fines/fees. This simply depends on God or the customs agent! LAM (Mozambique s main airline) has a policy for flights within Mozambique for one bag (44 lbs or 20 kilos) and two carry-on bags at 5 kilos each. The cost of bringing an extra bag (44 lbs) is around $60. 5) What can I bring to donate to the Iris Centre? We often have inquiries as to what people can bring by way of donation. Please let us know if you would like a copy of our Wish List and we will send it separately! We welcome your donations! Please notify Hospitality about any donations you are bringing on your trip! We can help make this a wonderful experience as you give into the lives of the people here! Due to Airport Customs Regulations: If you bring anything as donations, please take everything out of packages and distribute it through your luggage so it does not draw undue attention. If not, you may have to pay a large fee or the customs clerk may take the items from you thinking you are intending to sell for profit. Teams bringing items should try not to pack donation bags; instead, mix the items with the team members personal items and don t have anything look new!! Take everything out of the wrappers/bags, etc. If your luggage is checked by customs, a good rule of thumb is to volunteer as little information as possible! If they question you, tell them you are visiting Ministerio Arco Iris and brought things to help the children. At times, our visitors have had to pay an import tax (up to 50% for the value of the items) on the items they bring. Let them know your things are to help and not to sell - but they may still insist on payment. Please also write the hospitality department and let us know BEFORE you leave if you are bringing major amounts of donations- ESPECIALLY MEDICINES. We may advise you not to bring certain items. Mozambique has strict guidelines about the medicines administered to their people. Please be in communication with us!! Please bring tents and sleeping bags with you for outreach, after your stay if you would like to donate these items to us, we would be so completely blessed, as we have evangelism teams go out to the bush throughout the year, that are always need of tents and sleeping bags! 6) What should I pack? We currently have a shortage of bed sheets, please bring a blue single fitted sheet and a blue single top sheet with you, so we can ensure we have enough for everyone! CLOTHES: We at Iris dress in a way that is sensitive & honouring to the Mozambican/Muslim culture as well as our brothers and sisters in Christ by being Holy before our Lord! We want to draw our pre-christian friends to the Lord and not ourselves. You will see other tourists in town that are not following these guidelines. We ask you to please maintain them while you stay with us. There are certain guidelines that we are asking you to respect during your stay with us: Women: BOTTOMS: may wear loose fitting pants/trousers including, 'Capri' pants/trousers, and loose long skirts or dresses below the knee. We ask that your skirts be thick enough to not see-through when

4 the sun shines on them! Please DO NOT bring any shorts that expose the knees, as they would be considered immodest in the Mozambican culture. NO LEGGINGS WITH TSHIRTS OR TIGHT PANTS! TOPS: We also ask for modesty in the tops you wear. Please NO tight fitting, low neckline or baring mid-riff (stomach) tops. Modest sleeveless tops are perfect for our warm summer weather! Singlet s or Spaghetti-strap Tanks are becoming less acceptable here in our culture due to the lower cut styles. Please let your sleeveless tops have a two-three finger width straps. SWIMWEAR: NO BIKINI S PLEASE! Please make sure you have long board shorts or a swim skirt that comes to the knees. Tankini s are ok if the top and the bottom do not expose your middle section. Modest one-piece suits are best. Please be modest in the necklines too! MEN: SHORTS: Please make sure your shorts cover your knees. Your shirts should be on at all times except for at the beach. Thank you! Swimwear: NO SPEEDO S PLEASE! Please make sure your swim shorts come as low to the knee as possible. You may want to bring a shirt for swimming. The sun is very powerful here and you can get a major burn. It is ok to swim without a shirt, however. For church services and other times of ministry, the nationals wear their best. It is disrespectful for visitors to show-up in "grubbies." Ankle length dresses or skirts are most acceptable for ministry outreaches or church services. Women will have opportunity to buy capulanas--traditional skirt wraps-here in Mozambique. (About $8-$12 US dollars) The weather is warm-hot year round, but evenings can get cool (especially during the winter months- -May through August), so bring a light sweater or jacket. We do ask that piercings be removed except for normal ear-piercings and maybe a small nose ring for women. Never bring expensive jewellery or watches to Africa. HELPFUL ITEMS: 1-2 rolls of toilet paper to use until you can buy some, small packets of tissues (can be used as toilet paper when needed), small packets of hand-wipes, a few medium-sized garbage bags, bug spray with DEET, sunglasses, SUNSCREEN (at least 15 SPF), a hat, a towel, sandals/flip flops, tennis shoes, Bible, flashlight/torch, small container of detergent to hand-wash your clothes, small water filter/iodine tablets (unless you want to buy bottled water), umbrella or light rain jacket, items specific to your dietary needs, trail mix, power bars, dried fruit, and if you are coming anytime May through August please bring your own plastic utensils as the visitor kitchen may not have enough to supply everyone. The beach is right across from our centre, so if you plan to get in the water you should bring water shoes because of the many sea urchins. (A mask and snorkel are also great to have!) Electrical outlets are European two prong volts. Note: a pillow is provided. We do not provide mosquito nets! If you would like one we suggest that you bring one from home. You can purchase one here but the quality may will not be as good! *Please bring a tent, sleeping bag and backpack if you hope to participate in a weekend bush outreach.* Due to the lack of tents that we have you must now bring your own tent and sleeping bag. If you are traveling with a team pair up with someone! 7) What kinds of expenses can I expect? Your expenses depend on you. We encourage you to eat meals each day in our cafeteria. Our meals are very simple in keeping with the African culture. Breakfast is a bread roll with a cup of sweet tea. Lunch and dinner are both rice with some sort of topping/sauce (beans, cabbage, fish, greens, etc.) Important note regarding allergies peanuts and peanut, coconut, and sunflower oils are extensively used. There is a weekly visitor shopping trip to town so you will have the chance to purchase things in a western-style grocery store. There are a couple restaurants within walking distance of the Centre, though we encourage you to eat with the children and local bible school

5 students as often as possible. We have a small visitor kitchen, which is at your disposal to prepare simple meals when you cannot eat what is served. Though each visitor s expenses vary wildly, the average budgeting guide in Pemba would include: (in USD*) 1. Each individual will need $15 USD to pay for your first box of water (12 1-litre bottles of purified water) and 1 roll of toilet paper. This will supply you until we take you to town for the first time. We will collect this as you are given keys to your room (which leads me to the next one)... Please bring exact change! If you are traveling with a team please pool all of your water money together and bring us larger bills. We can not exchange $1 or $5 USD This is very much appreciated. 2. Key Deposit! We are asking for a $20 US key deposit from each individual! WHY SO HIGH? We lose TONS of keys every year and they are VERY expensive and hard to get here. We are hoping that everyone will be extra careful with their keys! THIS IS REFUNDABLE WHEN YOU TURN IN YOUR KEYS AT THE END OF YOUR TRIP! ***WE NEED EXACT CHANGE : BRING US Bills but not $1.00 denominations!! IT IS DIFFICULT TO MAKE CHANGE! Thank you! We can accept Mozambique metacais for the box of water. $15-30 per week for bottled drinking water (not needed if you bring a filter/iodine tablets) $20-30 per week snack food/ eating out $20-$100 souvenirs and gifts** (**The amount of souvenirs that you can take out of Pemba varies on a daily basis. As of this writing it was 3. Please ask for a receipt when you buy souvenirs. However, there is no guarantee that you will be able to take all of your souvenirs with you.) $84* Entry Visa obtained at Pemba Airport (If you do not have an Mozambican embassy in your home country) *If you fly LAM your first port of entry will be Maputo, Entry Visa s are $25 in Maputo! *Unless you are bringing your VISA bank card, you will need to bring US Dollars, as it is very difficult to exchange other currencies in Pemba. US Dollars must be newer bills, later issue than Please DO NOT bring $1 or $5 as they can not be exchanged here. At times it can be difficult to exchange $10. You will get a lower exchange rate for $10 and $20 and you will get a higher exchange rate for $50 and $100. PLEASE NOTE: Iris Ministries is a faith ministry, entirely dependent upon the generosity and responsiveness of the Lord's people to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. While there is no direct charge for your accommodation with us or our ministry to you, we ask that you remain sensitive to the many expenses related to your visit (including accommodation, meals, transportation, ministry projects, etc.) Many of our visitors are very generous, both financially and through gifts and supplies they donate to Iris. We would ask that all donations of supplies be given directly to John or Cindy for distribution, please label items as to who they are for and what wish list the items came off of, and that all cash donations be given to Raphel in the finance department to ensure that they are expended in keeping with the Ministry's current priorities and needs. If you wish to designate a particular area to benefit from your contribution, we will certainly honour your intention as much as possible. If you need a tax-deductible receipt for your donation, please send your donation directly to our Redding Office (Iris Ministries PO Box Redding, CA ) before or after your visit.

6 8) What is the best way to bring money? We recommend that you bring NEW US dollars (without any writing, ink stains or ripped) and a VISA credit card (new dollars with the large portraits are the only ones accepted here now). Large bills are better than small (we get a better exchange rate for $100/$50). Please do not bring small bills. (Under $10 USD.) Euros, the British Pound and the South African Rand are difficult to exchange here. Travellers' checks and cashiers checks can not be used here. Please do not bring them! Visa can be widely used with a pin number to get cash from ATMs. There are ATM's around the city, including at the airport. 9) What health issues should I be aware of? Currently, the Yellow Fever vaccine IS required for the entry port through Dar es Salaam, Tanzania & Nairobi, Kenya. You should be up-to-date on standard vaccines such as tetanus, typhoid, Hepatitis A, etc. Please check with a travel nurse or the CDC website for current recommendations. Malaria prophylaxis is compulsory**. Some are daily pills, others are taken once a week. You must bring these medications with you. We will provide a mosquito net for you. **Due to drug interactions and other issues involving side-effects, the Bakers ask that you do not use Larium (mefloquine) malaria preventative medication. Malerone and Doxycyclin are most commonly used. **WE DO NOT PROVIDE MOSQUITO NETS, IF YOU WANT ONE YOU MUST BRING IT WITH YOU** 10) Do I need any health insurance? Yes! All visitors MUST have international health coverage and a copy of their policy with them. Be sure you have enough money available to cover ALL expenses up front. You must pay in full at our hospitals and clinics if something happens. Your insurance company will reimburse you after you file your claim. NOTE: Travel insurance MUST include enough coverage on the plan for emergency lifeflight (insurance can claim $25,000 US Dollars for life-flight). It should be listed on the policy. Please ask your agent about emergency life-flight inclusive on your plan. (Medivac) Most domestic insurance plans do NOT cover travel to foreign countries, so check with your plan administrator to verify your coverage. If you need additional coverage, we recommend Seven Corners International travellers are able to obtain free, no obligation on-line quotations from them. In addition, if you like the quote, you can purchase coverage that will be effective the following day through SRI's secure server and receive a Virtual ID Card immediately. 11) Will I be able to communicate with anyone from home? Telephone and Internet usage on the base is limited to Iris staff only. No phone service (incoming or outgoing) is available to visitors except in cases of emergency. Please do not promise to call home upon arrival! You can bring an unlocked triband cell phone and purchase a Mozambican SIM card for only $4. There is one internet cafés in town, however there Is no guarantee that it will work, that either charge by the time or the bandwidth. The best way to communicate is to purchase an unlocked cell phone here for approximately $50USD and use our local MCell network. 12) What will the living conditions be like? Our visitor center consists of several dormitory style rooms and then some smaller, private/family rooms. There are three bathroom/shower areas within the visitor center, but if the water is not

7 working for some reason there are latrines and buckets for bathing to use instead. The visitor's kitchen is extremely small with one refrigerator and one stove; therefore, priority is given to visitors who have food allergies or special circumstances. Visitors are also responsible for keeping the visitor s center clean, so please be considerate of others. It is important to realize that most of our visitors stay in our short-term compound, sharing their living space with other visitors from all over the world. We really want each visitor to get "wrecked" while they are with us...what better way than with 180 kids waking you up in the morning with their songs/prayers? Living in close community, quite honestly, has its challenges: sometimes it s noisy late at night or early in the morning (don t forget earplugs!); some people may not clean up after themselves in the kitchen; someone may drink your soda by accident, thinking it s theirs However, living in close community can have its benefits as well: someone you just met stops what their doing to pray with you; God uses someone to give you a word of encouragement or a prophetic word; you see God work through you and people you just met on an outreach trip; you exchange addresses to keep in touch with people all over the world... As we cannot foresee what challenges and blessings your particular trip will hold, we pray that you will ask God to prepare your hearts with much patience, hope and flexibility! 13) How can I serve in Pemba? Visitors must plan on being as self-sufficient as possible. Our hospitality staff is limited to generally overseeing visitors- we are simply unable to organize personal ministry opportunities and projects for every visitor. Please be prepared to take initiative in finding opportunities and serving within the guidelines given at orientation. It is not possible to list everything here that you may be able to do while at Iris, but this may help you in terms of advance preparation to know some of the things you could be doing. Outreaches (prison ministry, hospital ministry, pray for people, preach the gospel, extend God s love), teaching/discipleship for all ages, helping in the carpentry or sewing schools, approved construction projects, helping with a particular children s dorm (you could do work projects in the dorm, bring donations of clothes, bedding, towels, etc., organize an activity with them, pray with them at bedtime- the options are as endless as your imagination), medical clinic (for those of you with medical, nursing or first aid experience), organize athletic events (which would best be accomplished if you bring the equipment as we have very little), work projects (various needs throughout the Centre for administrative tasks, electrical, plumbing, mechanics, or computers). Let us know what your gifts are!! We have various projects and outreaches we offer our visitors to participate in. Here is an example of one of God s first fruits in our province, Cabo Delgado! Mieze Model for village transformation: For updates on adaptations of the Mieze Model, see **For new Mieze video clip, see 14) What should I do when Mozambicans ask me for things? **IMPORTANT INFO** Be aware that our centre children, the street kids, and the community know you are a new face here and may try to take advantage of you. It is very common for Mozambicans to approach Iris visitors to ask for anything from money for food, medicine, roof/house repairs, a sick relative, to shoes, backpacks, batteries and CD players. Most of these requests will be from village adults and children, and sometimes even the guards in the centre. Our Iris staff and kids have what they need even if they tell you otherwise. While you may hear heart-wrenching stories, be warned that MANY simply are not telling the truth.

8 One boy recently told a group of visitors that his house had been destroyed in a storm, and took them to see it. Sure enough, he took them to a ruined house, but it wasn t the boy s house. He successfully got $200 out of them (a huge amount of money here) and started the same story with the next group of visitors before he was caught. Some other kids will walk around barefoot for sympathy and ask for shoes. If you give them shoes, they often will sell them and keep walking around barefoot asking more people for shoes. Iris has an established system in place for people with legitimate needs. People from the community know they need to go to our Mozambican receptionist to discuss their need. Yet many people/children prey on visitors to go around the system. As a visitor, we DO encourage you to listen carefully to the Holy Spirit in this area. But due to the difficulty of this issue within Iris, WE ARE NOW ASKING THAT VISITORS GIVE NO MONIES TO ANY PERSON. We are asking that any giving be given through the Directors of a Department only. Directors of Hospitality can help guide you in this process. We have seen relationships in God crumble over the power of money on the poor. Please respect what we ask in this area. It is from much experience and prayer that we have come to this decision. Thank you. If the request is of a medical nature, kindly remind the person that Iris has a clinic at our centre that can help them and direct them there. The hospital downtown also takes people regardless of their ability to pay. Prescription meds are not covered and many do have legitimate needs with this but again, ask a nurse or doctor in our clinic before dealing with any medical needs in a local Mozambican. Under NO circumstances hand out any over the counter drugs to anyone! This could be fatal in someone who may have an undetected allergy to something as simple as Tylenol. On a final note, please do not promise anything (and remember that maybe or later is considered a promise). At one Iris base, a visitor promised a village man enough money to build a house, but then never sent the money after he left. The villager then preceded to the spread the news that the Iris missionaries had stolen money from him and it was very detrimental to our work in that region. Important Note: Iris Ministries cannot and does not guarantee your safety, health, or comfort. We are serving in an underdeveloped country, in unpredictable conditions. You will be joining us in trusting God as provider and protector. You will not have the full attention of any missionaries, staff or translators. Once again, please plan on being as self-reliant as possible. We see again and again that God does amazing work in each visitor. Be open to what God may do with you here! He is good! Please take note of the contact numbers below and be sure to advise us if there are any last-minute changes to your arrival plans. It may be helpful to print these out and bring them with you so you can contact us at any point along your journey. The Pemba Hospitality Team