McWilliams / Sutherland List of Essential Gear for Short Term Missions to Uganda (and elsewhere)
The Reconciliation Travel Manual has more items to take for the trip than you will need for Uganda. Why this list? It's a simple checklist to make sure that you have the "essentials," while some items are luxuries. Jim Sutherland put this check list together and Barry McWilliams added some options, hints and various links. No, St. Paul didn't pack them. [Though Wm Ramsey (Paul the Traveller and Roman Citizen Chapter V, Section 2, pp. 94ff) speculates that Paul's "thorn in the flesh" (Gal 4:13; 2 Cor 12:7-8) was recurrent malaria contracted in swampy Perga, forcing him to recuperate in Galatia (Acts 13:13-14). And in his later travels, Paul did have the good Doctor along!) It is good stewardship to be prepared.
Army duffel bags (including padlocks) for ministry items, etc. going to Uganda; and for those souvenirs coming home. I pack several smaller bags into a duffel for travel. Check with your airline for size and weight restrictions for all carry-ons, as well as checked baggage. Sometimes the restrictions are different for international flights. Most are now only 50 lbs per checked bag. British Airways' limits are changing, if possible, try to check your bags through from the USA to Entebbe. One carry-on bag (Max 13.2 lbs and girth of 46" (length + height + width = girth), but London Heathrow no longer accepts a briefcase/ laptop/ purse/ personal item carried separately - everything has to fit in the carry on. Here are some packing tips - minimize as much as possible.
Backpack and/or nylon or other valise ( I picked up a Jansport backpack in the duty free store on the way, and found it nearly essential. I got one with outside pockets for water bottles. Since we were away from the guest house from breakfast till after dark, I was able to take along everything I would need for the day.)
Fanny pack (you will want to carry bottled water, sanitary "kit", etc.)
Cash $30.00 for visa (on entering, if not gotten ahead of time - airport separate tax to debark no longer required) - The rest in big bills ($100, $50 preferably new and in good conditon) which will have a better exchange rate in Kampala.
Clothing: bathrobe, 4 dress shirts and 4 pants, 5 sets of underwear, socks, hat, rain jacket/poncho, sandals, shoes (well-waterproofed) - Be sure and have a change of clothing in your carry-on luggage. For a hat, you might consider a number of crushable sun or river hats that will keep the sun or rain off.
Suit jacket(perhaps one you can give away when you leave) - and tie(s) - Ugandans dress their "Sunday best" for church services. You will need one when you preach, though you might be able to get by with one of those fancy African Dashiki (or Kampala Jumpas) (an African shirt with gold embroidery trim - traditionally Ugandan men wore the long shirts.)
Sweatshirt or sweater. (For travelling and mornings)
Repellent: Army issue DEET for mosquitos (100% spray bottles can leak, melting various plastics, etc.) or REI's Jungle Juice or Ultrathon. Permethrin can be used to treat clothing and mosquito nets - especially if you will be in the bush. Travel Medicine is a good source for repellent supplies.
Mosquito net(check for holes before you buy it, if used)Travellers' is popular. (Use Permethrin to treat the mosquito net - do this before leaving.)
Insect spray for bed (against bed bugs, earwigs) - make sure it is safe for you. However, insecticides are not allowed in airline luggage now, so you will need to get it there!
Cord, nylon 100' braided utility cord for mosquito net (don't need parachute cord)
Ear plugs
Sunblock (Get some "high caliber SPF" stuff - you can even burn through a cotton shirt on the equator, and remember it goes on before the mosquito repellent.)
Sunglasses(and a spare set of eyeglasses, if you wear them)
Breath spray or drops (dental gum?) - [also dental picks and floss will likely be needed too.]
Flashlights: Garrity heavy-duty disposable flashlights (don't use no-name brand) or the UKE Penlight a. I found the Photon Keychain light quite handy on a keyring with my luggage keys in my pocket; a Maglite flashlight (which converts to a "candle" lite, and don't forget the spare bulb under the spring inside). Power outages are frequent, some places only have power a couple of hours in the evening. I tried the LED/ headlamp such as the Petzi Zipka and the Princeton Tec Aurora - hands free, long battery life, and with the latter, a variety of light settings. But unfortunately, outdoors in Africa at night, a headlamp makes your face a bullseye for bugs!! It is useful indoors however.) A Phorm Light Voyager Folding Book Light (for those nights you are up late preparing for the next day after lights out for the rest of the team) is quite useful - this fluorescent light can be a small desklamp or clipped to the side of a clipboard; another possibility is the Sharper Image Slim LED Booklight or the Sharper Image "Bright As Day!" Daylight Spectrum Booklight which look like good lights for after dark crusading, clipped to your Bible's spine. However, It might not hurt to take along a couple of "lo-tech" candles and some matches as well.
Granola/fruit bars (see options below)
Knife, spoon, fork set - Ugandans eat with their fingers generally.
Laundry bags-2 nylon mesh (@ clean and dirty clothes )- see Walmart
Luggage Locks and Nylon Zip Ties: The new airline rules discourage locking luggage, but you will still probably want to take along locks for all bags while in Uganda as security can be poor even at the guest house. To secure your baggage for travelling, get a package of self locking nylon zip ties (available in hardware stores like Lowes or Home Depot for bundling cables) and use them for securing your luggage in flight. If your bags need to be searched they can easily be snipped to allow inspection of your bags. You will need to snip and replace them too, so take along plenty of extras. About two feet of #1 welded link chain might also come in handy.
Meds: anti-itch gel, aspirin/ ibuprofen, bandaids, chewable Vit. C, vitamins, Tums, Pepto Bysmol, Doxycycline, Larium or Malarone (requires prescription Costco, Wlamart or WinnDixie cheapest located - they may need to special order it), Ex-lax, Immodium, triple antibiotic ointment with
topical pain reliever (generic); multi-vitamins and other vitamins, sleeping pills-generic,
melatonin for jet lag (carry all prescription drugs in carry-on bags, in case baggage is lost. Keep written copies of prescriptions in a separate bag - including for your eyeglasses. Its best to have everything in labelled containers for customs.)
Pillow- air traveler-style and/or compressible (camper) pillow - British Airways currently provides a kit with a useful sleeping mask (and socks) for their travellers and toothbrush - save it for use later.
Knife--sharp pocket knife/ scissors- be sure and put into checked baggage! (a sharp knife is useful for cutting nylon cord and fruit - I took a "multi-tool" last trip and it was useful.)
Mini-travel Alarm Clock - For getting up - the rest of the day will be on "Ugandan time!?" They seldom consult their watches, judging time by the Sun. Leave your "punctuality mentality" at home.
Tablet for writing - Journaling is highly recommended, if you can find time
Toiletries: shampoo in small container (Walmart sells empty plastic bottles), bar soap in
container, anti-perspirant for flights, safety razors, small size shaving cream for men,
washcloth, towel, shower thongs, smaller toothpaste, toothbrush in holder, polished metal
mirror, nail trimmers. (Use bottled water for brushing teeth)
Wash N' Dry --80 self-contained packets and/or disposable washcloths.
Waterless hand sanitizer, such as Purell (two or three small bottles of this, but it will take off skin after some weeks of use.)
Waterproof matches (Walmart) and safety matches
Zip Lock bags in various sizes - including one or two gallon sizes. (I packed my clothes in them and squeezed out the air before zipping shut.) They are also handy for organizing small items in your bags. Wal-Mart has some even larger Ziplocks! Having your things packed in plastic is good if your luggage ends up on top of the "matatu" in the rain
Some Options:
A new Study Bible to give away when you leave
For luggage - an Eagle Creek Travel Bag with both backpack straps; and a handle w/ rollers; plus a removable daypack may seem expensive, but would make travelling much easier. Shop around. I travelled with my suitcase, backpack, and other miscellaneous stuff inside a couple of military duffle bags, along with the benevolent items.
A camper-style water purifier Katadyn has a variety, perhaps their Pocket Filter will do, or other backpacker filter that can screw atop a Nalgene 1 qt. water bottle (the water doesn't pick up a plastic taste). I haven't had to use the purifier to date, but it's there in case, and I bring it home with me for next time. - given the limited usage - if you can find one - it would still be a good purchase.)
A travel laundry kit (universal stopper, twisted clothesline, a small bottle or packets of Woolite) is handy. While they gladly will do laundry for you, I have it on some authority that Ugandans are offended by washing other people's underwear. And since they will hand wash and air dry your clothes - allow a couple of days for your clothing to be returned to you. Best to do your own underwear and socks the day you arrive at a venue.
A bag of miniature candy bars, like Snickers, and/or a bag of Trail mix (hiker's "gorp" - you know, nuts/raisins/dried fruit/chocolate chips/etc mixes) for those nights when you just need some protein to supplement all the carbo's so typical of Uganda dietary fare. Be warned that peanut butter (like in Reeces) in a checked bag may hang it up at airport security. Sometimes they will let you lock a bag after it has been inspected.
A small pair of inexpensive binoculars comes in handy for viewing wildlife and birds, as well as entertaining a crowd of children. [It is certain that if you start giving out anything to children, they will increase in number exponentially.]
Regarding Cameras - (Digitals are now readily available. Small, compact - and pictures are already digitized to down load into my computer, enhance and post on my website, print out on my Inkjet, and for sharing by e-mail.) A zoom or telephoto lens will be need for game park pictures.
For laptops and electrical devices, a Surge protection/plug adapter is needed. Make sure your power supply handles 220 volts so it works in Uganda and at various connecting airports.
Solar shower (camp shower for places where no shower exists)
Eagle Creek has a variety of packing accessories including some nifty Pack-it folders, cubes and sacs, and compressors that can really facilitate your packing. REI sells them, and I got a starter set at Costco for a great price.
Spectrum Guide to Uganda by Camerapix (Compiler); Tourist Guide Paperback - 364 pages (March 1998) (Useful info, to travel light, cut-apart and take along the maps pages 17, 171, 204; and the grey section: pages 305-364)
Lonely Planet East Africa (Lonely Planet East Africa, 5th Ed) by Hugh Finlay; Travel Guide Paperback - 720 pages 5th edition (June 2000) [Travelling light? Take along pages 391-470 I think it has more useful information than the similar Footprint guide.]
And visit Eldrbarry's Uganda site for various Links and books concerning Uganda - which has all sorts of useful links. There are links there to Kampala Newspapers online as well.
* Be sure and prepare and carry separate from your money, passports,etc., these:
Essential TRAVEL NUMBERS: British Airways USA 1 800-AIRWAYS LONDON 08705511155 UGANDA 20288 Phone #'s of your Emergency contacts at home Debit/Credit Card #'s ("coded" Expir. dates) including the Bank Card companies' international telephone numbers for all your cards in case they are lost or stolen. Passport # USDept of State Phone #s: Counsular Affairs/ Overseas Citizen Services
Uganda (Kampala) AF/E 202-647-6453 -- 202-647-4000 Main
USEmbassy: Plot 1577 Ggaba Road 011-256-41-259-793 Uganda Addresses and phone #s: For your contacts in Uganda, and or the places you intend to stay.
(You may want to double check these numbers or adjust for different Airlines, etc.).