On Admin
On Travel & Administration
Here are some brief comments on contracts and agreements, and on banking, money transfers, travel and insurance [with apologies to the seasoned travellers for stating the bl**ding obvious!]
Partnership Agreements & Contracts
It is necessary to include conditions in contracts and Partnership Agreements (see Resources
for examples). These can appear bureaucratic and legalistic to partners — whether you would be able to enforce the contract or recover money in the event of your partner defaulting is highly doubtful, but the principle is important. It’s a sign of professionalism, and this is one of the things you should be trying to encourage in the relationship.
Legal arrangements vary from country to country, but if like us you do virtually all of your in-country work through local partners, you need to insist that anybody employed by them on joint projects has a contract and job description and that they pay tax and national insurance. (We do recognise that the tax and national insurance situation can make registering people on a short-term basis a bit of a nightmare!)
Visas & Insurance
Most countries require you to obtain a visa before you fly, and often, a letter of invitation to accompany your completed application form, passport photos, with evidence that payment had been made to the country embassy’s bank account. This can be a bit of a problem on a first visit. (You can, with some destinations, purchase a visa when you land, but you’re taking a risk; you may even be refused you seat on the plane.) And for certain problematic countries (like Russia) consider using an agent to organise the visa: it’s more expensive (two fees to pay) but it can save you a lot of hassle.
Most countries require you to obtain a visa before you fly, and often, a letter of invitation to accompany your completed application form, passport photos, with evidence that payment had been made to the country embassy’s bank account. This can be a bit of a problem on a first visit. (You can, with some destinations, purchase a visa when you land, but you’re taking a risk; you may even be refused you seat on the plane.) And for certain problematic countries (like Russia) consider using an agent to organise the visa: it’s more expensive (two fees to pay) but it can save you a lot of hassle.
It is important to check the fine details in your travel insurance policy, for example, does it cover you if you are riding on the back of a motorbike (probably without a helmet)? And are you covered for emergency repatriation? Consider taking out specialist travel insurance if the country or region are considered unstable or dangerous; and be aware that any insurance policy may be declared invalid for UK nationals if the Foreign & Commonwealth Office
has advised against travel because of political instability or the risk of infection, or whatever.
Banks & Money
It is useful to have a local bank account, but this is easier said than done, especially if like us you don’t have a local office or address. Expect lots of form filling, maddening bureaucracy and delays… We know of one NGO that had to set up a personal bank account to handle their transactions, but this clearly raises governance issues.
These days there are many ways of transferring money to partners abroad, including via Western Union and over mobile phones. We used INTL and found this provided a fast, secure, reliable, transparent and reasonably-priced service. With bank transfers you will know the changes but you won’t find out until afterwards what exchange rate you have been charged, but you can be sure it won’t be a good one! With INTL the rate is clear when you confirm the transfer on-line.
A bank account can be expensive, and the service may be poor — at least this was our experience with two banks in Sierra Leone: we would frequently find that our account had been frozen because it had not been accessed for more than three months. This meant not being able to use the services until the block had been removed (which involved multiple trips to the bank and a great deal of hassle). And you could find yourself in trouble if you are on your own and two signatures are required for withdrawals or transfers...
ATM machines (when they are working) were invaluable but many (most?) limit how much money you can withdraw at any one time — this may be because of the sheer thickness of the wad of notes that they can dispatch (some countries don’t issue high value notes), or more likely, profiteering by the bank. There’s usually a fixed fee for each withdrawal and this (and the poor exchange rate they offer) makes local currency very expensive. That said, it is still better to use an ATM than carry around large amounts of cash with the risk of being robbed.
It is useful to have a local bank account, but this is easier said than done, especially if like us you don’t have a local office or address. Expect lots of form filling, maddening bureaucracy and delays… We know of one NGO that had to set up a personal bank account to handle their transactions, but this clearly raises governance issues.
These days there are many ways of transferring money to partners abroad, including via Western Union and over mobile phones. We used INTL and found this provided a fast, secure, reliable, transparent and reasonably-priced service. With bank transfers you will know the changes but you won’t find out until afterwards what exchange rate you have been charged, but you can be sure it won’t be a good one! With INTL the rate is clear when you confirm the transfer on-line.
A bank account can be expensive, and the service may be poor — at least this was our experience with two banks in Sierra Leone: we would frequently find that our account had been frozen because it had not been accessed for more than three months. This meant not being able to use the services until the block had been removed (which involved multiple trips to the bank and a great deal of hassle). And you could find yourself in trouble if you are on your own and two signatures are required for withdrawals or transfers...
ATM machines (when they are working) were invaluable but many (most?) limit how much money you can withdraw at any one time — this may be because of the sheer thickness of the wad of notes that they can dispatch (some countries don’t issue high value notes), or more likely, profiteering by the bank. There’s usually a fixed fee for each withdrawal and this (and the poor exchange rate they offer) makes local currency very expensive. That said, it is still better to use an ATM than carry around large amounts of cash with the risk of being robbed.
Security & Healthcare
It is difficult to know how much to say about personal security and healthcare issues — check that you have the right jabs (some are required; others are advisable; all are expensive; some very expensive); if in doubt, seek professional advice.
It is difficult to know how much to say about personal security and healthcare issues — check that you have the right jabs (some are required; others are advisable; all are expensive; some very expensive); if in doubt, seek professional advice.
Also, take obvious precautions against pick-pockets, muggings or distraction theft, especially at crowded, high-risk locations like ferry terminals — the one shown here is in Freetown, Sierra Leone; and if you hire a vehicle and driver (we wouldn't recommend driving yourself) you may need to check each morning that your driver has not syphoned out petrol overnight and sold it to supplement his wages! Clearly you don’t leave unlocked luggage in your hotel room, etc. etc. Moral: ask your partner for advice and be forever vigilant.
There is also the risk of having an accident when travelling — driving standards can be very poor indeed, drivers may be intoxicated or on drugs; vehicles may have bald tires, dangerous protuberances and be crazily over-loaded.
You should make sure that people know where you are (or should be) and that you have a backup plan. Medical facilities can be primitive and in some cases dangerous, for example, where there’s a risk of equipment / needles not being properly sterilized. Note also that purchased drugs may be beyond their sell-by date or counterfeit; and don’t forget to take anti-malarial medication with you. Dental treatment may be primitive and limited to extractions. [You may like to carry a temporary tooth repair kit in your toilet bag.]
You should make sure that people know where you are (or should be) and that you have a backup plan. Medical facilities can be primitive and in some cases dangerous, for example, where there’s a risk of equipment / needles not being properly sterilized. Note also that purchased drugs may be beyond their sell-by date or counterfeit; and don’t forget to take anti-malarial medication with you. Dental treatment may be primitive and limited to extractions. [You may like to carry a temporary tooth repair kit in your toilet bag.]
Keep things in Perspective
On the question of risk, you need to keep things in perspective: bad things can happen to anyone, any time and anywhere. In the whole time that Mike was operating in Eastern Europe and West Africa — that’s more than 100 trips and 1,569 days (4.3 years) spent overseas — he had to deal with remarkably few serious incidents; the worst being getting caught in a riot in Nigeria in 1998 (following the suspicious death of a well-respected leader, Chief Abiola who had just been released from prison); and experiencing one flight from hell (that nearly ran out of fuel after two failed landings in Accra and a diversion to Lome). He also managed to avoid Malaria and other life-threatening diseases, and suffered only once from a really bad case of food poisoning. Other staff members — who spent a total of two person-years abroad — also experienced very few serious problems; one was bitten by a street dog (in Ploiesti, Romania) and had to go for a precautionary rabies jab! So overall that's a very small tally of incidents, especially given the sheer number of visits and the volume of community work that Powerful Information staff were involved in over the years.
On the question of risk, you need to keep things in perspective: bad things can happen to anyone, any time and anywhere. In the whole time that Mike was operating in Eastern Europe and West Africa — that’s more than 100 trips and 1,569 days (4.3 years) spent overseas — he had to deal with remarkably few serious incidents; the worst being getting caught in a riot in Nigeria in 1998 (following the suspicious death of a well-respected leader, Chief Abiola who had just been released from prison); and experiencing one flight from hell (that nearly ran out of fuel after two failed landings in Accra and a diversion to Lome). He also managed to avoid Malaria and other life-threatening diseases, and suffered only once from a really bad case of food poisoning. Other staff members — who spent a total of two person-years abroad — also experienced very few serious problems; one was bitten by a street dog (in Ploiesti, Romania) and had to go for a precautionary rabies jab! So overall that's a very small tally of incidents, especially given the sheer number of visits and the volume of community work that Powerful Information staff were involved in over the years.
Captions
a Driving is not advised. You may be a good driver, but is your vehicle safe? And what about other drivers?
b The ferry terminal at Kissy Road, Freetown, one of the main ways of getting to the airport at Lungy.
a Driving is not advised. You may be a good driver, but is your vehicle safe? And what about other drivers?
b The ferry terminal at Kissy Road, Freetown, one of the main ways of getting to the airport at Lungy.
