Important: make sure you have adequate health insurance and familiarise yourself with local health facilities and emergency numbers. Be vigilant and careful, especially in rural areas where access to rapid medical assistance may be limited. Consult your doctor before travelling to your destination and make sure your vaccinations are up to date. It’s important to be prepared, as health and safety measures vary from country to country and region to region.
Travel first aid kit: protecting against health risks
In smaller towns and rural areas, some medicines may not be available.
A well-stocked first aid kit with essential items such as insect repellent, sunscreen and personal medication is recommended. Anti-diarrhoea and painkillers are also always advisable. Here are a few examples for your consideration:
- Insect bites, sunburn
- Headache, toothache, joint pain, earache
- Travel sickness, fever, cold, cough
- Blisters, wounds, bruises, sprains, abrasions
- Heartburn, stomach pain, diarrhoea
Travel insurance: essential cover for volunteers abroad
It is very important to take out comprehensive travel insurance. It should cover both medical emergencies and repatriation to your home country.
Depending on the policy, you may be covered for medical treatment, hospitalisation and medication abroad. This will protect you from unexpected expenses and allow you to receive good medical care.
A good travel health insurance policy will also cover emergency evacuation, including repatriation to your home country. This is important if you need to be evacuated due to serious injury or illness.
Make sure you fully understand the terms and conditions of your policy and take copies of your policy documents with you. Some policies offer cover if you have to cancel your trip early for medical reasons.
Flora and fauna: all that glitters is not gold
Many African countries are renowned for their amazing wildlife.
If you volunteer in rural areas, you may come across wild animals. Of course, you won’t always see the big five, such as buffalo, rhino and elephant, but you may see baboons, scorpions, snakes and spiders. Always keep a safe distance, especially from larger wild animals. Avoid walking alone or exploring areas where larger wild animals live.
There are also many plants in Africa, some of which can be harmful or even poisonous. Ask your mentor or host family about possible dangers and what to look out for to avoid accidental poisoning or health problems. They will usually know best where to find these plants and what to look out for. If in doubt, do not touch or eat plants in the wild and seek medical advice immediately if you suspect poisoning. Be careful, wear sturdy shoes and respect the environment you are in.
- Don’t reach carelessly under stones or into holes in the ground (scorpions); this also applies to piles of wood, bushes, branches and similar undergrowth where a ball can get lost during training.
- Even when sitting or lying down (especially outdoors), be aware of possible animals.
- Protect your feet and wear closed shoes, especially on meadows or in tall grass. Get into the habit of shaking out your shoes before putting them on, especially in rural areas.
- This also applies to blankets, clothing and your hat.
Food and drink: hygiene as a guarantee for your health
Different regions offer many opportunities to immerse yourself in an authentic way of life by sampling local street food. However, it is important to be aware of the potential health risks associated with eating street food and drinking water, not only in rural areas, to ensure a safe and healthy stay.
Street food
Street food can give a good impression of local cuisine and culture and should be a positive memory. The hygiene practices of some street vendors are inconsistent and often unregulated. Some vendors do not have access to clean water or adequate sanitation, which can pose a health risk. Eating food on the street therefore carries a risk of food-borne illness. Unchilled and improperly stored food can become a breeding ground for bacteria. The most common illnesses are diarrhoea and stomach upset.
Street vendors don’t always follow the strict preparation guidelines you may be used to. This can result in undercooked or contaminated food. Eating undercooked meat or poultry can lead to dangerous food poisoning.
It can also be difficult to accurately identify the ingredients used in street food dishes, posing a risk to people with food allergies or dietary restrictions. Cross-contamination is also a concern, as street food vendors may not have separate cooking utensils for different dishes. Keep this in mind, but don’t let it stop you from trying new and delicious things.
People often eat directly with their hands without using cutlery. Good hand hygiene is therefore important to avoid illnesses caused by bacteria. Take some hand sanitiser with you and use it before eating, especially if you are out and about. However, there is usually a sink or bowl and soap to wash your hands before and after eating.
Drinking water
Access to clean, safe drinking water is also unequally distributed in many regions. Many communities still rely on untreated or inadequately treated water sources such as rivers, wells or municipal taps.
Lack of access to safe drinking water increases the risk of waterborne diseases. Drinking contaminated water can lead to diseases such as cholera, dysentery and hepatitis. These diseases can have serious health consequences and require medical treatment.
In areas with limited access to treated water, households often use alternative methods to purify water, such as boiling or adding chlorine tablets. However, these methods are not always effective, and improper storage of treated water can lead to recontamination. Make sure you know the condition of the water.
If you are drinking water in rural areas and the situation is not clear, it is safer to rely on commercially bottled water that has undergone quality control. Before drinking, check that the seal has not been broken.
Malaria: prevention and symptoms during volunteer work
Depending on the region you are volunteering in, you may need to consider additional precautions such as malaria prophylaxis.
Whether you are planning to stay in a malaria area or volunteer in a malaria area, it is important to take appropriate precautions throughout the year to reduce the risk of malaria infection. Use malaria prophylaxis recommended by a medical organisation such as a tropical institute. This will depend on the region, time of year and duration of your volunteering.
Apply insect repellent to exposed skin, especially in the morning and evening when mosquitoes are most active. Cover as much of your body as possible with long-sleeved shirts, long trousers and socks. Use mosquito nets when sleeping.
If you have malaria-like symptoms such as fever, chills and flu-like symptoms, see a doctor immediately. Early diagnosis and treatment are important.
Yellow fever: Vaccination and precautions for travel to affected areas
Yellow fever is also a life-threatening disease that occurs in certain areas, such as Kenya, and is transmitted by mosquitoes.
As a volunteer in affected areas, it is important to take appropriate precautions and make use of vaccination opportunities. Vaccination is not mandatory everywhere, but is required if you are travelling to another country from a yellow fever area. For example, if you are travelling from Kenya to South Africa. You should be vaccinated at least 10 days before travelling to ensure adequate protection. Please bear this in mind when planning your trip. In addition, the vaccination can only be given at approved yellow fever vaccination centres. Check with your family doctor or a travel health professional.
You should also check with your health insurance provider to see if it covers the cost of the vaccination. After the vaccination, you will receive an international vaccination card that can be checked when you enter the country. Keep this with your travel documents.
Emergency numbers: Important contacts abroad
Credit card
If you lose your credit card, it is important that you have the contact or cancellation numbers for your credit card company. Cancellation can now often be done directly from the app on your phone or online.
Emergency numbers
Make a note of your local police emergency number and medical emergency number. Store these numbers in your mobile phone and pass them on to other volunteers.
Consulate
Telephone numbers and email addresses of consulates from your home country are useful in the event of passport loss or crisis situations. Don’t forget that your passport is one of your most important documents.
Special emergency numbers
In some regions, special emergency numbers are useful for faster and better help. For example, in a national park such as Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town. In an emergency, you can bypass the ‘normal’ emergency call centres, which can save time and provide more direct help.
Medical treatment
You should also have the telephone number of your international health insurance company handy in case of complications with billing and reimbursement in the event of an emergency or hospitalisation. This will save you a lot of stress and allow you to concentrate on your recovery.
Remember, the quicker you can get help or avoid bureaucratic hassles, the quicker you can get back to your volunteer project.
If you follow these tips, you should be able to enjoy your time abroad as a sports volunteer.
The information on this page is provided in good faith, is relatively general and represents only a fraction of what may be encountered in the daily life of a volunteer. Personal experiences or insights of other travellers or volunteers may be very different from your own. Prices, schedules and laws may change. Particularly in relation to malaria, vaccinations and health in general, we recommend that you do your own research in other sources (including official sources). If you find any errors or discrepancies, please help us correct the information by emailing info@coachabroad.de - Thank you very much!
