African Community News

Whether you are a seasoned adventure veteran, or a beginner off on their first exciting new trip, walking or trekking holidays could be the perfect break for you. Whether you seek to see some culture across Europe, or some mountains in Nepal, there is bound to be a location to suit you.

Something to be aware of when considering a trekking holiday is whether or not you will have a guide. Some treks are suitable for holiday makers to simply follow their own map, whereas others are only suitable when walking alongside a knowledgable guide (for example, in amongst mountains!). There are benefits for both self and guided walks – self guided involve a lot more freedom to go at your own pace, whereas a guide can offer invaluable tips and experience to make your trek unforgettable.

You may be wondering whether you will be fit enough to enjoy a walking holiday. Of course, each holiday varies in terms of challenge, so choose something that you think you will enjoy. It is sensible to have a reasonable level of fitness, and practice walking with boots and backpacks on before you depart!

Over 20 million people in Africa live in poverty and there are a growing number of aid projects in Africa helping build up communities by helping to build schools, providing wells with clean water and protecting children from disease and poor health. In this sceptical world many people are dubious about where there money goes when they give to charity and whether it makes a difference.

A lot of mainstream charities are now recognising that most people like to know where their money is going and exactly how it helps. Therefore you can now choose to buy a ‘gift’ with your donation such as a donation of £3 buying a lifesaving treatment for 8 children with diarrhoea or feed a family for £7.

These are a fantastic opportunity to give a practical gift that you know will help others within an African community who are trying to work their way out of poverty for their future generations. So next time your exchanging gifts with loved ones why not buy one extra, a gift for a community to really make a difference.

It has been discussed a lot on the news recently and unfortunately spokesmen from the US believe its going to get worse before it gets better.

Having previously been limited to remote villages, but with numbers reporting to be over three thousand and over 200 health-care workers have reportedly been infected. The hardest hit areas are the West African nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The concern is now that it will spread into the densely populated cities like Freetown and Monrovia (Liberia’s Capital). This is the worst outbreak in history and the World Health Organization has warned that the number of cases could hit 20 thousand in West Africa alone. On the 30^th July President Koroma declared a State of Public Emergency which includes restriction of movement to and from affected areas. Freetown is in low-level panic as it has now been confirmed that a four year old boy was admitted and died in a children’s hospital. Flights are becoming more restricted to the area. British Airways have suspended all flights to Sierra Leone and Liberia until 31^st December. The FCO advise against all but essential travel to the area.

Too often, when people think about a safari, what they see is a place out in the middle of nowhere, without running water, without cold storage for food and beverages, and without any quality services. What these people don’t know is that for the added cost of a hotel quality accommodation, you can find a safari holiday which offers precisely that, with excellent personal services, such as massages, hot-tubs, and steam showers, all in your own private cabin, where you have a staff of trained professionals at your beck and call to make the whole experience as luxurious as possible.

While most people go on a safari to see animals, it is also nice to be able to do so without feeling totally separated from all of the modern day amenities which people like to expect when on holiday. You can get all of this with a luxury safari holiday.