Project Teams Overview
Trip Length
PT teams typically depart on a Saturday arriving in Africa on Sunday, returning to the city of origin on Saturday two weeks from the day they left. Custom designed trips are available upon request.
Trip Activities
Activities vary depending on the group and the individuals that make up the group. However, beginning with the main prerequisite of a PT member, to have a heart of service, we strive to make use of individual gifts and talents, always defaulting to what is needed most at the orphan village. Important aspects of a typical trip will include community outreach, manual labor work on the village and/or in the community, interacting with the orphans and lastly adventure missions designed to experience Africa's beauty and magnificence via a day or two at a game park, hiking, body surfing or white water rafting all depending on what country you visit.
Cost
Average range is between $3,000 - $3,500. Here are some of the factors that determine what your trip will cost; length of stay, the area or country the trip is in, the number of off site activities chosen to participate in, the time of year one travels to Africa and consequent variations in airline fares.
Definitions of Major Trip Activities
Community Outreach (CO)
The goal of community outreach activities is for participants to act as ambassadors from Agathos to communities in which Agathos is or will be functioning. CO teams will work primarily outside the farm setting, in townships, clinics, schools, and in general the local area surrounding the farms/orphanages. The first project teams to operate in any area will most likely be a CO. team, laying groundwork, building relationships, and generating community support in that area.
Manual Labor (ML)
The primary goal of ML activities is to affect local communities by direct labor. ML activities take place both on and off Agathos farms/villages. By providing labor to farms and communities, these teams bring the gospel to an area by working along side members of townships, building solid relationships by sharing in many of life's harder tasks. These groups seek to enhance these communities by building up their physical and spiritual structure simultaneously. ML activities include: construction of new housing, repair of existing structures, maintenance of township housing and business, other general tasks.
Orphans
Beginning with large doses of love, PT members relate, disciple, teach, play with and learn from their interactions with the children we have been entrusted with, imparting Christ's love.
Adventure Mission (AM)
AM activities center around on the enjoyment of the local environment as much as they do the crisis of South Africa. These activities include: exploring the vast countryside hiking, surfing, and camping, visiting wild game parks, and general traveling. Participants are simultaneously exposed to the wealth of concerns facing the people of that country.
Long Term (LT)
Long Term trips will place the participant(s) in an orphan village with one or more specific village responsibilities for longer periods of time, on average of 2-5 months. LT trips carry a more specific focus, which is determined by the participant, trip coordinator, and the parties in charge of the area in which the participants will be operating. In general figure a cost of $1,000 for each month you are in Africa plus your round trip airfare.
