The West Africa Cultural Discovery Mission 2024

Program Highlights:

· Designed as a Cultural Discovery Mission with a focus on Global Health, The Social Determinants of Health and Family Cultural Exploration and Discovery

· Interact with your professional counterparts and learn about village family life 

· Learn about the Health Care Systems in Francophone Senegal and English speaking The Gambia

· Improve cultural awareness

-Explore the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2030)

- Investigate the Social Determinants of Health in Low Income Countries

-Work with villagers on their daily activities

-Teach in village Nursery, Primary or Middle Schools.

  What is the West Africa Cultural Discovery Mission? 

The project is designed as an introductory mission to Africa for anyone with an interest in the culture of Africa. The mission focuses on partnerships to allow participants to pair with their counterparts in their chosen area of interest (teaching, family life, or health care, etc.) as a means to introduce the participant to the cultures of the 2 host countries and to learn about life in West Africa. The West Africa Cultural Discovery Mission is an exploration mission that draws on the expertise of The African Cultural Exchange in fostering professional and cross-cultural interactions between counterparts all around the continent of Africa for meaningful cultural discovery. These partnerships provide the framework for continued relationships that lead to two-way benefit and participants often gain insights into managing an array of problems faced in their own settings. These partnerships are promoted by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-17) of creating Global Partnerships for sustainable development to foster general cultural awareness and development. 

Passports should be valid for at least 6 months beyond the end of the trip (Should not expire before May 2025).  Please upload a copy of your passport picture page as a part of the registration. 

A packing list will be provided.  You should plan to have light-weight clothing for temperatures in the 80 degree range with a light-weight jacket for cool spells.  You should plan to pack 1 checked bag under 50 lbs, with one carry-on bag and a personal bag.

A language lesson sheet will be provided with several greetings and phrases that you can utilize to assist in cultural immersion. 

The trip is fully refundable up until 3 months prior to departure (August 2024).  After that time partial refunds may be available. 

An electronic medical briefing will be provided.   Each participant is required to obtain malaria prophylaxis (pills) and a travel medical evaluation with Yellow Fever vaccination are recommended.  

At the end of the booking you will be asked to sign an ACE Participation agreement outlining some cross-cultural and safety considerations for international travel. 

An online Orientation Briefing will be provided several weeks prior to travel to acquaint the participant with many of the issues surrounding our travel in West Africa, including safety, food and cultural issues to name a few.