Volunteer Info
VOLUNTEERING | pRE-DEPARTURE INFORMATION

PREDEPARTURE INFORMATION

At the end of the day, we want your volunteering experience to be personally rewarding and fulfilling whilst always remembering that we are all doing this for the young people MYC programmes focus on. We are happy to have you contact us with your ideas of what you would like to do and we will do our best to match your interests with our needs.

Generally, volunteers are self-funded but we do assist with providing accommodation in our volunteer dorm close by to the MYC office. Below are a few answers to some of the most commonly asked volunteer questions. Obviously if you have questions that are not answered here, please contact the office via email - bosco@swazi.net

These topics are dicussed below. Click to find out more information.

• COUNTRY INFORMATION
• CLIMATE
• COST OF LIVING
• ENTERTAINMENT IN SWAZILAND
• WHAT TO BRING
• COMMUNICATIONS
• SAFETY AND SECURITY
• MEDICAL CONSIDERATIONS
• GETTING TO SWAZILAND
• TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES

country information
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Swaziland is a small landlocked country of around a million people. It sits within the borders of Mozambique and South Africa. It is made up of one tribe of people and has always been a peaceful place and a refuge from the hostilities of the previous apartheid era in South Africa, and Civil war in Mozambique. The people are generally very friendly and welcoming and you don’t need to go far to find a smiling face and a waving child.

Swaziland is considered a lower middle-income country, although this is quite a deceptive statement with around 70% of Swazis live below the $1 a day poverty line. It is wealth of the Royal family and other elite that skew the per capita GDP. The majority of people still live in rural settings, surviving still on subsistence agriculture. Manzini, the largest town, has around 80,000 inhabitants.

The Royal family reigns over the country, with his Majesty King Mswati 3rd ruling over his subjects. Swaziland continues to practise polygamy and the king’s wives now run into the double figures mark.

HIV/Aids is the biggest tragedy to hit Swaziland. Swaziland leads the world in terms of HIV/Aids with over 42% of the adult population testing positive. Of the 25-29 age group, over 56% are HIV/Aids infected. This disease is devastating the country and leaving the care of many single and double orphans to the elderly grandparents, already overstretched extended families, or institutions.

That said, Swazis continue about life in a positive and cheery way, focussing on the moment and leaving the future to sort itself out. The sound of singing is heard all over, as is laughter and a sense of hope.

Climate
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One of the many great things about Swaziland is the weather. Although it can get unbearably hot in the summer time, the wintertime is full of blue skies, crisp morning and glorious sunshine. The rainy season is in the summer months (December to around March), whilst winter months are generally rain free.

In terms of what clothing to bring, skirts, shorts and t-shirts are appropriate for summer times, and jeans, trousers, skirts and layering appropriate for winter. It is rare that a winter coat is really required here, despite what the Swazis say. It is quite a conservative country, so singlet t-shirts, short skirts and mid rift tops are not really appropriate most of the time. Women here generally wear knee length or longer skirts, men generally wear trousers and t-shirts. There are shops here to pick up bits and pieces at a reasonable price, so whatever you forget you can grab here.

Cost of Living
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Swaziland uses the Lilangeni (plural, Emalangeni). This is pegged to the South African Rand. You can use Rand notes here, but make sure you have changed all Emalangeni back into Rand before you leave Swaziland, as you cannot change this local currency once outside the country. At the time of writing, the Emalangeni/Rand was at around 8 to 1 Euros, 10 to 1 Pounds and 6 to 1 US$.

Costs of living here are generally a lot cheaper than in Europe or abroad. A decent meal and a middle level restaurant, with a couple of beers, will probably cost you around 60 Emalangeni. A beer at the local pub costs you 9 Emalangeni. Bread cost 3.75 Emalangeni a loaf. If you wish to live pretty comfortably whilst here, and be able to go out on weekends and travel around a little, around 3000 Emalangeni a month is a good figure to try and target your savings around (375 Euros a month). You can obviously survive on much less, as most Swazis do, but your entertainment options etc will be limited accordingly.

Entertainment
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Depending on what you are looking for, there are enough entertainment options to keep you happy here.

If you are the outdoors type, there are many great hiking and camping options within Swaziland and nearby in South Africa. The beaches north of Maputo or anywhere on the South African east coast are incredibly beautiful and only between 3 and 5 hours away. There is an outdoor adventures organisation here that can take you on activities such as white water rafting and there are outdoor clubs, cycling clubs and the like which you are welcome to join.

In terms of nightlife, here you have to be a little more creative. The main local pub is called Malandela’s and in the hang out of locals and volunteers alike. It is a great place about 15 minutes drive from Manzini and has a great live music entertainment venue attached. Every two to three weeks they put on a live show with music groups or DJs from South Africa or elsewhere coming to perform.

There are a couple of other options including the infamous Why Not, the casino, Quartermains, Mvubu Falls and others. Maputo is also only a short distance away and there you will find infinite more options.

What to Bring
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In terms of household items, the Salesian dorms have pretty much everything. Although it is a simple set up, kitchen items are all supplied, as are beds and linen. Always a good idea though to bring your own sleeping bag and mosquito net. If you are into camping, it is advised to bring a tent as it keeps costs down if you want to travel regularly.

You can buy all toiletry type items here and the supermarkets are stocked with food items that you would recognise from home. The benefit of being so close to South Africa is that Swaziland supermarkets are very well equipped. There are several same day service Laundromats around so no need to bring your entire wardrobe. Best not to bring anything that you couldn’t possibly afford to lose but obviously we recommend bring a camera to capture all those moments.

Communications
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You can purchase a MTN starter pack for your cell phone for around E60. This sim card can generally go into most cell phones. From there you can purchase airtime as needed. You can text back to some countries using this sim card.

There are several Internet options close by. You can open an account and then pay around E60 for up to 8 hours use. The services are pretty slow, and can be very frustrating so often it is better to try and type up your emails off line then just connect up to send.

There is a post office in the centre of town. You can use the MYC post office box to receive any mail or parcels. PO Box 3700, Manzini M200, Swaziland.

Safety and Security
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Swaziland has a lot of poverty and with that comes higher levels of crime than most of you would experience at home. Generally during the daytime, you can walk around with relative ease and little hassle. Keep bags close to you and zipped up and watch wallets in back pockets. Very, very few volunteers have been mugged or robbed. Just be aware of who is around you.

At nighttime, you should not walk around, even in numbers. Streets get very quiet here at night and this is when most crime takes place. Taxis are difficult to come by so if you plan to go out at night, make plans to get a lift with someone with a car. Make sure you have a lift arranged for the return journey. Do everything you need to do such as supermarket shopping, banking etc during the day. There are incidences of car jackings and attacks at night but fortunately very few incidences have affected volunteers. Car doors should be locked at night and after checking all directions, you should go through red lights at night. None of this is said to scare you but more to make sure that you are sensible and realistic about the situation. If you are careful, you will be fine.

Make sure you lock your accommodation front doors whenever you leave. When working with our boys, do not leave you bag sitting unattended. Let’s not put temptation in front of them when we are trying to rehabilitate them.

Medical Considerations
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Probably best to consult with your travel doctor on what vaccinations you should have when coming out this way, as well as what risks there are. Generally there is very little malaria in Swaziland, but most of you will probably travel to Mozambique and places like Kruger Park, so some sort of anti-malarial is generally recommended. Most volunteers staying for more than six months generally avoid anti-malarials but at the first sign of any potential symptoms go and get a test at the local clinics.

Particularly for the longer term volunteer, we would recommend such vaccinations as Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A & B, Tetanus, Tyhphoid, Rabies, and TB but please consult with your doctor and do not rely on these recommendations alone. We are not doctors!

Most volunteers will get some sort of stomach bug whilst here. It is all part of the experience. There are several clinic/doctor options near by and medical treatment is not too expensive. That said we recommend you have comprehensive medical insurance so that, in any emergency situation, you can be immediately evacuated to a first world hospital in Johannesburg or Pretoria.

Getting to Swaziland
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The cheapest option is to fly into Johannesburg international airport and then catch a taxi to the main bus rank and await a kombi for Swaziland. The kombi ride costs around R120 and takes you to the Manzini bus rank were someone from the organisation can meet you. The kombis leave up until around 12 or 1pm and can take anywhere between 5 and 8 hours.

The more expensive option is to fly into Swaziland’s only airport, based at Matsapha. The flight is on a little 20 odd seater and takes under an hour.

Travel Opportunities
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Swaziland is a great base for travel around South Africa and Mozambique. Only a 2 and a half hour drive from Maputo, 4 and a half from Johannesburg and 5 from Durban. The roads are generally all pretty good and there are a large number of wonderful game parks within Swaziland and in world famous locations such as Kruger National Park (only 3 hours from Manzini). You are encouraged to get out and explore the region as much as possible and the staff can now advise you as to the best places and ways of getting around.

Flying around the region is expensive, so most people travel by kombis. There are approx 15 seater mini buses. If you are here for a while, you might also consider purchasing a cheap car, which you can then sell when leaving. For something reliable, you are looking at spending around E25,000 (bit over 3000 Euros), plus insurance etc. Petrol is quite expensive but for a long stay, you might find it very worthwhile. Car hire is quite pricey as well, although if there are 3 or 4 of you, it might be another good travel option.

A Lonely Planet guide, or some equivalent, is recommended to assist your planning. Other long-term volunteers though will be able to give you additional valuable information and you are encouraged to pick their brains on where and when to go.