Go with us to Africa in August 2009!

Matamzana Dube School dancing Nov2007

Our summer adventures to South Africa and Malawi are fast approaching. We invite you to join one of two 2009 group trips to travel to South Africa and Malawi as we visit school building sites (www.eshowe.net) and Books for Africa (www.booksforafrica.org) recipients. The two trips, led by Henry Bromelkamp and Barb Ryan, will repeat the same itinerary – tentative dates are Aug 1-16 for families, and Aug 15-30 for adults. We are estimating the cost/person will be around $5200 including airfare, with $1000 of this being your tax-deductible contribution. These trips will result in building two new classrooms, enough for 80 students to continue their education  We can give tips and a web site to help you raise funds.)  Accommodations range from clean, safe, and simple to very nice. The itinerary includes some flights within Africa, and a few drives of several hours in large passenger vans. The itinerary will include:
                Arrival and overnight in Durban, South Africa
                Four days in the region of Zululand near Eshowe, South Africa to visit school sites, meet and teach classes
                Four days on safari in two wildlife parks: St. Lucia wetlands, and Hluhluwe large game park
                Two days in Johannesburg and Pretoria, including Soweto and the Apartheid Museum
                (recommended) Four days in Malawi, including the capital Lilongwe, Lake Malawi, Mua Mission and Museum, and perhaps Zomba the original capital
                (not included but a worthwhile add-on: Cape Town)
This will not be a conventional package tour of Africa. While we will see wild animals on safari (a treasure of Africa!) most of the trip will be philanthropic and cultural. Seeing the need first-hand has a significant impact on those who join us. You will meet wonderful people and learn about the promise and challenges of education. Imagine 300 Zulu school children putting on a dance and music performance for their American visitors! Imagine trying to explain ice fishing or snow to high school students who have never experienced freezing weather. You will be surprised. You will have fun. You will see the world in a new way.
 
The trip will be preceded by some cultural, historical, and language learning opportunities. (Most people speak English, but it is respectful and interesting to know some of the local language, especially when we meet young children.) We want to visit with an understanding of the health, political, and economic issues that challenge our African neighbors.

Here are some video links from YouTube of our November 2007 group trip to South Africa:
Let It Shine in Zululand
Ingoma boys dance at a South African school in Zululand
Boys dance
Xavier embarrasses a girl in Zululand

Is this enough to pique your interest?
               
Please contact us to let us know your level of interest in order to for us to make planning decisions: for example, are you 50% likely to go, or 80% likely to go? Tell us 0% and we’ll remove you from future informational mailings.
 
We look forward to sharing with you the places and people we cherish.