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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Please Note: Mozambique has recently changed the rules on requirements for Yellow Fever immunization. It is now required for those arriving from the countries of Angola, Brazil, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania. If your flights takes you through Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, you must carry documentation of your immunization. If you should arrive Dar es Salaam on the way to Pemba without documentation, you will be forced to be immunized at the airport. The cost is 1,350 meticais, 49 euros or $68. Since a few recipients have a mild to moderate reaction to the immunization and the quality of the immunization could be compromised, it is recommended that you secure the immunization for Yellow Fever before leaving your country. No other immunizations are required even though several should be recommended by your doctor.
Heidi teaching school under the big tent
Purpose for attending the school
Iris Harvest School is taking place on the edge of a precious revival. Please be aware that you will face heavenly warfare and witchcraft as the nation is taken back to its eternal destiny. You will be trained and equipped to be a pioneer, bringing light into the darkest corners of the earth. This school is for strong committed Christians who dare to take this risk!
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FAQs
What age must I be?
You must be at least 18 years of age. (No exceptions.)
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Can I come with my family?
Yes! Our heart is to release families into missions. We won't have childcare, but your children are welcome to play alongside our children at the center. Some outreaches are more challenging than others. However, we will have outreach opportunities for families as well.
Children 5 years and under are free. Ages 6-12 pay half price. The tuition covers a small percentage of the cost for each individual. It is an act of faith in God's provision.
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Can I stay on after attending the School and serve at Iris?
Students HAVE TO LEAVE Iris within 2-3 days after graduation. If you want to come back as a long-term missionary, you must re-apply after returning home.
We need to get to know each individual first and hear about them from God, before taking them on as a long-term missionary. We require everyone who wants to come as a long-term missionary attend our School first.
Opportunities to serve at different Iris mission bases will open up, but only a few of them will be in Pemba.
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Can friends/family/pastor visit me during my time at Iris Pemba?
We are looking for people to serve at Iris, loving the lost and broken to life. That's why we are here. However if they want to serve at Iris they can apply for short-term missions. (Please check our web site visitors' section at www.irismin.org).
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How do I get to Pemba?
You will need to book a flight to Pemba and then apply for a Mozambican visa. See section on "How to apply" at "Step 4" below.
When will I know if I have been accepted?
If your student application, pastor and friend/co-worker recommendatons are completed and submitted online, we will let you know ASAP.
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What does the $2400 USD tuition include?
Communal housing, a diet of basic African cuisine (mostly rice, beans, potatoes, fish & goat) and outreach transportation.
The tuition does NOT include:
Toilet paper, candles and matches for when the power is off, taxi or trips downtown, extra snacks or sweets, personal spending money, the cost of your airfare, your visa, medical or travel insurance and drinking water.
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Praying for one another is an important part of the school
What to expect at school
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
You have the amazing privilege to be impacted by many outstanding anointed men and women whom God is using today in his kingdom!
Monday-Friday, you will have class in the morning from around 8 -1. In the
afternoons, there will be some optional classes and workshops. In
the evenings we will have a variety of activities including wonderful guest
speakers, small groups, soaking, mission movie nights, worship, and having
fun together on our porches.
You will usually have Saturday off unless you are on outreach. On this day,
you can go to the internet cafe, do laundry, go to market, go to the beach,
or do other things you enjoy, such as visiting your new Mozambican friends,
etc.
On Sundays, you will get to help with our regional church meetings.
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OVERNIGHT OUTREACHES
There will be overnight outreachs during the school. To get to our destination we often have to drive several hours on bumpy roads on open 3.5 ton flatbed trucks. The outreaches will be in very simple outdoor camping settings. You have to bring your own tent, sleeping bag, pillow and inflatable mattress. There will be no showers or electricity. Since it will be winter in Mozambique, when we are in the mountains for our outreaches, it can get as cold as 60°F/15°C at night and up to 90°F/32°C during the day.
There will usually be no running water or electricity.
Please see list below of what to bring for outreaches.
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HOUSING
God gave us a wonderful, large piece of land where we have built a new Iris Center (a school and housing for several hundred pastors, housing and schools for 500 children, housing for missionaries and a conference center). The first School was the very first project at the center.
Up to twelve students will share one house, two bathrooms and one small living room with their house leaders (1 or 2). There will be one fridge and propane gas stove available.
Since water is often not available, please be prepared to use latrines. A small amount of shower and washing water (not drinkable) will be available for sharing in the student house.
Our water comes from our well or has to be hauled by water trucks from other wells to our center. The water is NOT DRINKABLE! Some of it is salty water (not seawater). Some of it is sweet water but not purified. Propane gas is very expensive, thus boiling water on the stove is too costly to be practical. Very often, we don't have enough sweet water for drinking, showers and laundry. Be prepared to buy your drinking water in bottles at our water store! (Twelve 1.5 liter bottles cost $9-10 US or $50-70 per person, per month).
Please see list below of things to bring for your housing.
Pictured is an Iris Harvest School student house. It has two bedrooms with 2 sets of bunk beds in each. A center room has a double bed for the dorm counselor(s).
Nine or ten share the kitchen with a sink, small propane stove, refrigerator and table. The tap water is not drinkable.
Each home has two small bathrooms with a bucket toliet and shower.
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Living in Pemba
EXPENSES AND CURRENCY
Living expenses are very high in Pemba! You must bring all you need with you. Many things you are used to aren't available. However, the retail choices have been improving. If available, the prices are high. For example, 1 liter of milk = $2 USD; small plain cereal = $7 USD.
We recommend you bring US dollars. They are the only currency readily exchangeable in Pemba. Be sure that you bring only newer US bills, with the large portraits, as older-style bills are NOT generally accepted. Visa is fairly widely accepted, MasterCard less so. Travellers checks are almost never accepted.
The local currency is the metical (plural meticais; abbrev. mt). The exchange rate is approximately $37 USD = 1,000,000 meticais. For up-to-the-minute conversion rates, please click here.
Note: Renting a car is nearly impossible at $100 per day when available. There are taxis available. Bicycles can be purchased for about $100 USD.
Please see list below for what to bring.
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DIET
As a student of Iris Harvest School, we want you to eat with our staff and kids. We are blessed to have a good diet of basic African cuisine (mostly rice, beans, potatoes, fish & goat). Most of the local Makua people are not so blessed.
The circumstances won't normally allow you to buy your own food. If they do, we still kindly request you to join our life and meals. To honor the mission environment you will be living in we don't want you to eat out in a restaurant more than three times a week.
However, we recommend you bring some comfort food/snacks with you. Across the street are people who sell roasted peanuts, sweet wheat, honey treats and bananas. Coke products are usually available at the resturants. The more specialized or processed foods are seldom stocked by local stores or street vendors. We estimate that considerably less than 5% of the local people are able to purchase anything from retail stores or restaurants.
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WASHING CLOTHES
Please be aware that you will wash your clothes by hand. There are no washing machines or dryers. Bring some clothes pins. Jeans, for the most part, are not practical since they are too hot and difficult to dry in the sun. Avoid light colored fabrics since the water causes discoloring.
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SANITATION
You will find that, in a third-world country, sanitation will not be of the quality you are accustomed! Showers will often be “bucket showers”. Cleaning products will be very useful; for example some soap, hand soap, laundry detergent, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, alcohol wipes, bathroom and kitchen cleaning products, etc., are not readily obtainable in Pemba. The flexible package of wet wipes or small bottles of hand santitizer that can be purchased at Wal-Mart should be your constant companion to avoid bacteria and infection from your hands to your mouth.
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HEALTH
Health Information for Iris Harvest School in Pemba
Information about Injections
Make sure you are up to date on all childhood immunizations. Discuss this with your doctor/health provider. Mozambique does not require you to be vaccinated prior to entry but if you have traveled from a Yellow Fever
infected country into Pemba, you will need Yellow Fever vaccination certificate to prove it. This may be the case for a small number of people.
• Hepatitis A, B
• Tetanus, Diphtheria (make sure you have had booster within the last 10 years)
• Poliomyelitis
• Typhoid
• Meningitis (African version), as you will be accommodated in groups of 14.
• TB (Tuberculosis) For some countries this is routine, for others it is not.
Other vaccines for consideration
• Rabies Pre-exposure vaccination – normally considered for travelers spending extended periods of time in an affected country. Strongly recommended for those working around animals.
• Flu/Influenza Vaccine and/or Pneumoccal vaccine
• Yellow Fever (if coming from an infected country)
• Cholera (if epidemic at the time in Mozambique)
Anti-Malaria Medication
It is advisable that you take anti-malaria prophylaxis while here. This is discussed in a previous section on the website. Please discuss this with your doctor or travel medical specialist. In the past, some people chose
not to take medication for well thought-out, valid reasons. Some however were not informed properly of the risks, options of treatment, or left it too late to arrange. If you come from Brazil, the type of malaria there is
a different strain and you will not have any greater immunity from malaria in Mozambique. If, before God, you decide not to take medication, which a few students have done, please make an informed decision regarding this. Iris requests that people do not take Larium due to some of its side effects. Iris has had bad experiences with people not making informed decisions and not being responsible regarding their medication. This has
resulted in these people’s resources being depleted.
Note: Anti-malarial medication can interact with other medications. You must discuss options with a doctor.
Anti-Malaria Medication for Children
Larium can be used for children! It is advisable that people traveling with children to discuss anti malarial medication with a doctor.
Malarone is not advised for Malaria prophalaxis in children less than 40 kg. So children can have it - if they are older and over 40kg. It apparently can be used as treatment for children if required. This is based on
information from NZ sources. Malarone can only be used short term - due to lack of research for long term use.
What to bring to Pemba
This section is designed to assist you in what to bring to Pemba. It is not an exhaustive list. Please go to your own health professional for advice on your travelling health needs. One way students can prepare to come is to
have a well stocked first aid kit. It is in your best interests and in the interests of others for you to be able to manage your own first aid and medical requirements yourself. The designated Harvest Missions Staff will be available to assist students with health needs that require further investigation/treatment as they arise. It can become draining on the Harvest Mission School resources and staff if many people come with little preparation. Being prepared in this way means you can be a blessing for others in being responsible for your own needs, keeping healthy, and even ‘stopping for the one’ in front of you! During the last school many of the students cleaned and dressed small wounds that the local children had. The students gave what they had, even though it was small, it blessed many.
If you have time prior to coming, it would be beneficial as part of your missionary training to complete a basic first aid course. During the school you will receive health information and teaching relevant to the Mozambiquan
situation. During the last school this was an excellent series of classes and students were using this knowledge during their interaction with local villages.
First Aid Kit for the Harvest School
Essential Items
Assortment of band-aids
Antiseptic, antiseptic wipes/saline wipes, (note you may need more than just 6)
Gauze squares
Triangular bandage for sling
Bandages – for arm or ankle, gauze bandage (small and large)
Safety pins
Eye pad (2)
Scissors, Tweezers, Splinter Probe
Tape (If you are prone to sports injury, bring strapping tape you need)
Dressings (assortment of types/sizes), steristrips
Disposable gloves (as many as you can fit in)
Digital Thermometer
Plastic bag
Instant ice pack
Hand sanitizer (NB. Cannot be bought in Mozambique and is handy to use, as water for washing hands may not always be readily available)
Take over the counter medicines, for example:
Oral rehydration sachets (e.g. Gastrolyte)
Anti-diarrhoreal tablets – not for treatment of normal gastro bug (eg. Loperamide)
Anti-histamines for reactions, and/or hayfever (e.g. Teldane/ Loratidine)
Pain relief (e.g. mild - paracetomol, Tylenol, anti-inflammatories, ibuprofen, oruvail and/or voltaren)
Antifungal creams/powders
Anti-itch creams
Indigestion tablets
Topical cream for skin infections
Eye drops
Cold/flu tabs (NB. some countries do not allow these products in if they contain psuedoepinephrine/codeine phosphate so check what countries you are going through first and what you can or cannot take through.)
Sunscreen
Insect repellant
Non-essential Items
Emergency blanket/Needle/syringes/Intravenous Fluids/ IV giving sets/local anesthetics/suture kit and alcohol swabs, can be brought, but would only be used in urgent situations if trained health professionals present. If you
are a health professional , you may want to bring a more ‘thorough’ kit to use. Bringing these items (and others), may also depend on where you are traveling before or after the school, or you may want to ‘bless’ Iris with it afterwards, along with any other items they require.
Prescription Medicines
Please bring enough of your own personal medications to last an extra month to allow for delays, changes or lost drugs. Speak to your doctor about any plan you need to have for acute treatment whilst away. You will need a
covering letter from your doctor explaining that you are carrying certain prescription medications. Please take any other documentation to assist any health professionals you may have to see. Think of any condition mild or
otherwise that you have had in the last few years and take treatment for it, just in case. In Pemba there are three pharmacies, but they may not have exactly what you require, may be difficult to access, and they can run out of stock at times. It pays to take everything you need so you don’t waste time and energy trying to find the right medicines if you are unwell. For example: if you have Asthma...see your doctor about an action plan....so
you can self treat when in Pemba. Even though you may have little problems now, some students found that the area of Pemba triggered their asthma as there was more dust and sand. Other students with asthma had nil problems. Be Prepared. You will need to take more than 1 course of prednisone with you in case, and carry antibiotics more than one course, if required. Depending on the type of inhaler you may need a spacer if you are too unwell to use your inhaler correctly.
It is advisable that you bring additional antibiotics to cover any infections whilst you are here. We realise some countries will not prescribe antibiotics for travel ‘just-in-case-purposes’ eg. Germany, so in that case you can get basic antibiotics in Pemba. Please note: Different countries use different antibiotics and have different access to
medications, so please consult with your doctor what is most appropriate for you to take.
Bring enough to cover the following, for example:
Topical anti-biotic for skin infections, eg. bactroban
Chest/sinus infections x2 courses – amoxicillin, Penicillin
Skin infection – eg. Flucloxacillin
Ear/eye infection – eg. Cefaclor
Fungal infections – eg. mycostatin or caneston creams, fluconazole. If prone to thrush take treatment in case.
Treatment of giardia / urinary tract infection– eg. flagyl (metronidazole), norfloxacin
Treatment for bloody diarhhoea – eg. Ciprofloxcillin, norfloxacin
Helpful Websites
Below are websites that give specific health information for travellers, and
give the location of specialized clinics:
www.travmed.com (have information about travel specialist clinics in the US, Canada and rest of the world)
www.tmvc.com.au (have clinics in NZ/Aust/SA/Singapore/Namibia/Tanzania)
www.travelhealth.co.uk (have clinics throughout the UK)
www.traveldoctor.co.uk (have clinics throughout the UK)
www.who.int (World Health Organisation website)
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Medical and travel insurance
Medical Insurance
We require that you come with emergency medical insurance in place! This is required for all who visit or work at Iris Ministries, whether for a few days or several years. Pay your premiums and be sure you have enough money available to cover the deductible amount. Most domestic insurance plans do not cover foreign travel, so check with your plan administrator to verify your coverage.
Attention: Please note that none of the hospitals serving you in Africa will file a claim for you! You must have the resources to pay up front and then file for reimbursement with your insurance company. You must be sure that your company covers emergency aircare to a hospital in an extreme emergency. An aircare flight to Johannesburg can cost $10,000. Obviously, you can't carry $10,000 with you, but you must be able to reimburse the amount promptly.
Travel medical insurance covers health needs while traveling or living temporarily in another country that your home-based health insurance does not cover. Some home-based policies cover foreign travel but most don't, so each person must check carefully to see if there is a possibility their home medical insurance will cover them. If not, then you need to purchase the insurance for the three months from a carrier. The only company we have any experience with is Seven Corners, Inc., the new name for Speciality Risk Insurance Company based in the US www.sevencorners.com. International travelers are now able to obtain free, no obligation, online quotations. You can then purchase coverage immediately through SC's secure server and receive a Virtual ID Card immediately.
Please arrange your own health insurance in advance. We will ask for the details of your health insurance that includes emergency aircare flight before your arrival in Pemba.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance, usually offered by the travel or ticketing agent, covers you if your trip is interrupted by health reasons that result in a cancellation of your trip. It would recover losses due to non-refundable tickets, etc.
Some airports offer machine travel insurance that is simply accidental death insurance in case your plane crashes, etc. Almost no one ever collects on this type. It is a poor investment.
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INTERNET ACCESS
Iris has only one phone line for the Pemba base. It will not be available to students. Access to the internet is only available for use by Iris staff. We ask all students to use the internet cafe down the road, where you can go online to contact your family and friends. However, we especially long to pursue the presence of God during these three months and expect Him to move in our lives and be transformed by Him. Spending too much time on the internet, even e-mailing, can be a distraction from this pursuit. For this reason we ask that students limit visits to the internet café to twice a week. We have been working on better internet access at the base. It is not likely that it will be available this fall.
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PHONE
As stated above, we have just one telephone line, which is needed for office use only. Students CANNOT be reached through this line, except for emergencies! If you need a phone we request you to bring a dual- or tri-band non-locked or non-blocked cell phone. SIM cards can be bought here for just $5 US. With a Mozambican SIM card you can be reached easily by anyone from the other side of the world. This is the main way we communicate in Mozambique.
You can purchase a phone here for about $100 USD, used sometimes for less. Be sure to have a local missionary with you during the purchase in Pemba. It is very easy to get ripped off by local merchants. For placing calls, you will need to purchase time cards that are available locally. This is inexpensive for Mozambican use but very expensive for international calls. When you have a SIM card in your Mozambican cellphone, incoming calls are not charged to you. The least expensive method for your friends at home is an AT&T phone card that can be purchased at retail stores such as SAMS, about 26 cents a minute from the US to Mozambique.
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List of items to bring with you
In Africa many things are not available or they are very expensive and of poor quality. We have listed for you all the required items you must bring. Since they are difficult to obtain here, we will kindly request that you donate and leave some of these materials behind for mission use at Iris.
HOUSING ITEMS
- pillow
- all your bedding sheets (please bring any shade of solid blue only).
- sleeping bag
- key-chain for your house key (one you can wear around your neck would be the best)
- flashlight/torch (needed for outreach as well; a good kind are those you can strap on your forehead, leaving your hands free)
- lantern (when power is off)
- batteries (rechargeable ones are very good to have; be sure to bring a battery charger which can be used with 220 volts)
- one set of silverware per person (please don't bring plastic cutlery)
- trash bags (they are hard to get here)
- ziplock bags & tupperware or similar food storage containers are always very useful here. They are not available locally.
- if you like coffee we request you to bring a french coffee plunger (Bodum)
- Power is 220 V and a two-pin round plug. Bring a converter (220-110 volt) and several adaptor plugs if you have electronic items (such as a cellphone, digital camera, battery charger, etc.) Please note...the voltage consistency is very poor when electricity is on. Your laptop or camera AC transformer may not be enough to protect them against power surges.
Note: We will provide you with a mosquito net.
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TOILETRIES
You probably won't find your toiletries here. For that reason we request you to bring all of your needed items.
Girls
- bring all your monthly hygienic toiletries
- hair conditioner is very expensive
All
- shampoo
- towel
- sun block (high SPF; 30 or more)
- hat
- lots of wet wipes
Any items you can buy as concentrate would save space and last longer.
Note: You do have to provide your own toilet paper. It can be purchased here for about $1 US per roll.
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CLOTHING
Important info: the soil on our base is red dirty sand. You will get dirty quickly. Since you have to wash all your laundry by hand, you may not want to bring too many white clothes with you. Earth and dark-toned colors are easier to wear and maintain during the time of year you will be visiting.
As a mission school, we long to reach the heart of people in a different culture than ours, we want to be sensitive and respectful. Pemba is a Muslim area. We don't want to offend them or their culture. Following are some guidelines:
Ladies
You will be fine with most of your short-sleeved or sleeveless tops. You will need long sleeves for mosquito protection in the evening.
This is very important. Malaria is your greatest health risk. Although expensive, clothing is now available that has been treated with mosquito protection that can be purchased retail in the US at an Outdoor World or similar store.
But...you will not be allowed to wear anything (trousers or skirts) shorter than beneath the knee. Don't show your knees!!
No shorts allowed!
The only shorts allowable are those which completely cover your knees, such as capri pants. These you are allowed to bring!
For class and church, you must wear a dress or a skirt/capulana. This is a length of cloth, wrapped around your waist, which the Africans wear as skirts, baby carriers, etc. Capulanas can be purchased locally for a reasonable price of $5-$12 USD.
Bring:
- skirts/capulanas or dresses
- shorts that go below the knee, capri pants and/or trousers
Be aware that the heat, dust and insects can be serious irritants for many. Wearing shorts under your skirt or capulana could save you from skin discomfort. Baby powder or corn starch works well for most.
Men
It is OK for you to wear shorts...modest ones.
Although we are in a third world nation, the people dress in their nicest clothes on Sunday for church or conferences. To honor them, please dress in a respectful way. (Please don't wear cut-offs to church).
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SWIMWEAR
We have the great pleasure of living at one of the most beautiful beaches in Pemba. Still, we need to be very aware that we live in a Muslim culture. We don't want to offend any of these dear people. For this reason we have rules for you to follow:
Ladies
- Please...never wear bikinis.
- Please bring a modest one piece bathing-suit and a swim skirt or board shorts
Men
- Shorts are a must, no Speedos please.
- Please bring long, loose-fitting swim shorts
All
- Swim shoes for protection from coral and sea urchins. This is very important. Parts of the beach are stony. A coral cut can cause serious infection. The last thing you need in a hot climate is a swollen and infected foot. Sea urchins are plentiful. Our beaches are natural and not groomed by large tourist hotel complexes.
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OVERNIGHT OUTREACHES
- tent (please no see-through mosquito bug huts)
- sleeping bag (temperatures can go as low as 60 F/15° C, especially in the mountains)
- pillow
- inflatable mattress if you need one
- insect repellent / mosquito spray (not just for outreaches); 100% DEET content repellant (available at Wal-Mart or camping/travel stores) is very effective. Pack them in a ziplock bag. They leak. If you can't tolerate or are worried about chemicals you may bring a milder repellant. Plan to remove the DEET as soon as possible after a bush trip or evening meeting from your face, particularly around the eyes and mouth. Follow directions carefully. Faithfully, use your provided mosquito net when sleeping even though they limit air movement around you.
- sweater/sweatshirt
- long trousers
- simple day pack with needed toiletries, etc.
- lantern or flashlight/torch, a small penlight for under your pillow
Girls
- long stretch pants (bug protection while wearing your skirt)
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FOR CLASS
- please bring everything with you for notetaking (paper, pencils, journal, etc.). You can't buy these here!
- we will send you a list of books. The list is also on this website.
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FIRST AID KIT
See the information under the heading of "Health" above.
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OTHER USEFUL ITEMS YOU CAN BRING
- cloth and towel for your dishes
- wet wipes and hand sanitizer
- laundry soap (can be purchased here)
- Portuguese dictionary
- Portuguese/English Bible to learn the language.
- tri-band non-blocked cell phone (SIM Card and time cards can be purchased here)
- walkman, CD player and worship music
- guitar or other instruments
- snorkel to see the corals and fish in our beautiful ocean
- laptops, cameras and other electronic gear may be brought at your own risk (we suggest insuring these). (To be able to use your laptop, you will need a power-voltage regulator. This will cost you approx. $75 USD. Since voltages vary greatly, your supplied card may not protect your laptop.)
Please keep in mind that this is a third world nation and some of your belongings are very attractive to the poor. We request that you do not bring expensive items with you. We keep life very simple here.
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WE ASK OUT OF RESPECT TO OUR MOZAMBICAN CULTURE THAT YOU DON'T:
Smoke, drink alcohol, use drugs, wear body piercings (other than normal ear-piercings for women) or have intimate relationships outside of marriage. Do not enter houses of the opposite gender. Participation in all activities is expected. Less than 80% is grounds for dismissal.
TO HONOR THE VISION & MANDATE OF THE SCHOOL, PLEASE ACCEPT THE ABOVE SUGGESTIONS. IRIS STAFF RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEND STUDENTS HOME AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE.
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How to apply for the school
Step 1: Read through all of the above material about Iris Harvest School.
Step 2: Start the application process online. Application procedures will be indicated clearly in the instructions for completing your student online application, pastor's recommendation and friend/co-worker recommendation.
(Please send no mail through the post office.)
Step 3: If your application is completed, we will try to let you know whether you have been accepted ASAP.
Step 4: If you are accepted
Please note that we require you to book a round-trip ticket only!
- let us know your arrival & departure time in Pemba, as soon as you have booked your airplane ticket
Step 5: Be sure your health arrangements are in place
- arrange your Health and Travel Insurance [click here for insurance information]
- check the list of suggested injections. Notice that some injections must be taken up to a few months before leaving! [click here for injection information]
- If you decide to take a malaria prophylaxis, be aware that the dosage usually starts before you enter the malaria area (with Malarone, two days before entering Mozambique and two weeks after leaving).
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How to book your flight
Please note that we require you to book a round-trip ticket only! Be sure your travel agent can book all the flights. Booking flights separately within Africa may result in connection problems. We suggest, if you will not be using your selected travel agent that you consider one of the following through which we have had good experiences.
INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS TO AFRICA
We have two excellent International travel agents who have worked with us to
book good flights all the way to Pemba.
The first is Eunice Mitchell. She works for Menno Travel, a Christian Travel Agency (www.mennotvl.com) based
in Abbotsford, BC, Canada. You can ask her about special missionary airfares as well and she is also able to book international flights to Africa (for our non-American International students such as Europeans, Kiwi’s, and
Aussies. She now has a team working with her specifically for the Iris School; Susanne, Beatrice, and Ernst.
Her contact information is: Eunice Mitchell Menno Travel
eunice@mennotvl.com
PH 1-800-667-5559 Monday through Friday
1-604-853-0751
The second is an excellent international travel agent for booking flights. Her name is Shelly Prosch. She is based in the United States. Most of Heidi's tickets are booked by Shelly. You may contact her via email by clicking here. She is also able to book international flights to Africa via e-tickets (electronic tickets which do not require paper tickets) for our non-US international students. After emailing Shelly and purchasing an e-ticket, you simply go to the airport with proper photo identification.
Flights to Pemba
There are two common ways to fly into Pemba, northern Mozambique:
A. Johannesburg (South Africa)-Pemba (Mozambique) direct. (Currently, subject to change, on Wednesday and Sunday only.) These flights are about $900 US round-trip.
There are two daily flights from Johannesburg to Maputo, Mozambique. From the US, it is not possible to continue on from Maputo to Pemba without staying over in Maputo. If you choose this option, it is expensive but convenient to book your overnight in the Holiday Inn in Maputo, usually close to $100 US, but free transportation to and from the Maputo International Airport (MPM) is provided. Usually, the van, with driver and sign at arrival gate is waiting for potential customers. If not, you can phone them and they will pick you up. The Holiday in is about 15 minutes from the airport. This option is a welcome to those of us who are older after flying for two days to Maputo. Please do not ask our missionaries to pick you up for an overnight stay at the Zimpeto Children's Center. The center is about 45 minutes from the airport and the flight to Pemba leaves relatively early in the morning.
B. Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania)-Pemba (Mozambique) (not recommended due to luggage weight limits and difficult customs process). Europeans and Asians may want to use this option since luggage limits are usually already low for their international flights. Dar Es Salaam is the closest international airport to Pemba.
Important: Try to get your intra-Africa flight leg to Pemba booked BEFORE you book your flight to Africa! This is very crucial as those flights don't fly daily and are often booked. This may avoid long layovers. The Johannesburg International Airport is very modern and safe. Use caution if you decide to stay overnight in Johannesburg. It is still the murder capital of the world. Rooms are available in the airport and across the street from the baggage pickup. Unfortunately, the hotel across the street is often $200 a night.
Please know that the intra-Africa leg is very expensive compared to a trans-continental flight! Many previous students had to pay about $850-1000 US for this intra-Africa round-trip ticket.
Please note: Iris has a corporate frequent flyer status with the number-one airline in Mozambique, LAM.
Therefore, we ask that you:
- If your choice is to fly Mozambique Airways (LAM) from Johannesburg or Maputo to Pemba, please make a copy of your ticket. Heidi is able to gain points with LAM since she flies them often and we have a corporate account with LAM.
- Please use Iris Ministries, Inc. corporate LAM number when booking a LAM ticket. LAM: FC000097MAI
Luggage weight limits
Even though we are asking you to bring a long list of items, there is a very strict weight limit on flights. For example, the Johannesburg to Pemba leg has a 25 kilo (55.1 lb) weight limit. To avoid nasty fines, please go to the LAM check-in before flying and purchase another baggage ticket for extra weight. Though it will cost one up-front fee for the extra weight, you avoid being fined per kilo.
Your trans-Atlantic flight should have similar options.
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Applying for your visa
Please apply for a visa as soon as you receive your letter of invitation from us and have booked your air travel, since you will have to indicate your entry and exit dates and cities on the visa application!
1. After receiving your acceptance letter, you will need to send us your passport information in the following format:
Last name, first name(s)
Passport number
Expiry date of passport (DD/MM/YYYY)
Nationality
Passport place of issue
We will need to fill in this information on your letter of invitation. This is required to apply for your visa.
2. Order a visa application from the Mozambican Embassy in your country. See steps below on how you can do that.
3. After receiving the visa application in the mail or downloading it from a website, fill in the form as clearly and completely as possible.
Filling in the visa application form
I. You MUST apply for a 90-day visa only (single entry)! A 30-day visa with renewable options is not acceptable. Leaving and re-entering the country every 30 days is too expensive and difficult.
THIS IS VERY CRITICAL!
II. Reason for visit
“Training at Ministerio Arco Iris” Be specific. Do not indicate anything else such as "mission school" or "school."
You'll find a section asking for your "reason for visit". There will be some options to select for the reason for your visit. Choose “OTHER”, then fill in the above reason.
Please DON'T select the reasons following. They require a different visa.
This will ensure that you will get the required visa.
III. Place where you will stay
Ministerio Arco Iris
CP #275
Pemba
Cabo Delgado
Mozambique
AFRICA
If they request personal names of people you will be staying with, say:
- Dr. Heidi and Rolland Baker (please don't use if not asked for).
IV. Other documents you will need to bring with you to Mozambique
Be sure your passport is current with at least 6 months remaining after you return. Currently, securing a passport or additional pages for your passport can take several months.
Please bring with you multiple notorized copies of your passport (as well as your original passport). A copy of your passport which you have made yourself, even a high-quality one, will not suffice—it MUST be a notarized copy.
CRITICAL INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS
Pemba is located very far from a border and therefore if you get the wrong visa it is very costly to fly to a border to renew your visa (approx. $1000 US). If your visa expires you'll have to pay about $100 US for each day you remain within Mozambique!
Therefore, there is only one type of visa that is acceptable:
3-month single entry visa.
Some may want to use a passport visa agency to ensure obtaining the correct visa by paying an additional fee. (You can search for one via the internet: http://www.google.com). This, however is expensive and, if you start early, you can process it yourself for a lot less rather easily.
Mozambican embassies
To locate the Mozambican embassy in your country, please either do a http://www.google.com search or see list below. Another option is to find out where the Mozambican embassy is in your country by consulting the operator/phone book, but normally they are located in the capitol city of your country.
- US embassy (Washington, DC): www.embamoc-usa.org. The website contains full visa information and a downloadable visa application form in PDF format. This is in the "Links" section of this website.
- Canada: There is no Mozambican embassy in Canada. Canadians must use the US embassy to obtain a Mozambican visa.
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