Planning Committees for Africa Caravan

Note: See below committee table for descriptions of committees’ duties.

Explanations of duties for committees:

• Ambassadorial Contacts—contacts both African embassies in Wash., DC, and US/Canadian embassies in home countries to ensure safe/easy passage across borders, determine requirements for passage across borders and safety of travel in African countries.
• Caravan Safety—travel safety from point of view of internal sources during the caravan in Africa: checks for correct hitching, inspects hitches for stress or strain indications, appliances in travel mode, tow vehicle tires at correct pressure, checks for correct disposal of all waste and for litter at departure from camp sites, looks for ways to reduce the caravan’s environmental footprint at campsites.
• Caravan Security—maintains security of caravan from external sources.
• Carnet de Passage—the paperwork required to take a tow vehicle and trailer through Africa and across borders without paying import duties at each border. This assures each country that the tow vehicle and trailer will be taken back to the country of origin, i.e., S. Africa, and will not be sold anywhere else.
• Children’s Activities—plans classes for environmental concerns, cultural awareness, etc.
• Complaints/Grievances—settles disagreements for the good of the caravan.
• Cultural Committee—investigates the cultural mores of each country we will visit, teaching us what to do and not do to be polite and respectful within that culture. Information will be disseminated before caravan departure; seminars also will be held en route to prepare and remind participants as we enter different regions.
• Diplomatic Liaison en route—during the caravan, communicates with US/Canadian embassies and African countries’ state departments to ensure promised escorts are available and that border crossings are made as simple as possible.
• Financial Committee—responsible for overall finances of caravan and for cash goodwill donations for people and communities of Africa.
• Fire Marshall—determines preventive measures, arranges response to events during the caravan.
• Good works—responsible for contacting potential sponsors of various communities or specific donations for Africa, for arranging for shipment of donated medical supplies or other supplies to our pickup location in Africa, for researching and channeling charitable giving into practical, useful items, and for disseminating this information to the rest of the caravan participants and to sponsors.
• Ham Radio—determine which countries permit ham use, requirements for licensing/use; coordinate with video team and security team for security use of ham radios. Encourage participants to learn to use this technology.
• Insurance—checks for best coverage and rates of insurance for health, emergency evacuation, liability, property (including tow vehicle-and-trailer), etc.
• Intnl WBCCI ’08 Rally in Bozeman, MT—arranges caravanning in to rally and parking as a group for all attending rally. Schedules seminars during rally for participants to learn about the cultures and locations we will be visiting.
• Itinerary—determines exact route and events/places that will be visited during the caravan; makes reservations for entry to places/events and parking; sets up detailed alternate routes around possible “hot spots.” Arranges times and places for charitable donations to be distributed. Checks for educational value of locations we visit.
• Non-profit (Legal entity)—sets up non-profit organization for the caravan to give us a legal entity, a legal “voice,” and the ability to negotiate with possible sponsors for charitable donations.
• Logo—(self-explanatory)
• Maintenance Rallies ’08—four maintenance rallies will be arranged for early summer of ’08 to continue training in repair of units and inspection of units for roadworthiness at dealers. These are a series of seminars to promote learning how to repair our trailers and tow vehicles; this will benefit participants not only during the caravan but promotes our ability to keep our rigs running efficiently once we are home again.
• Matchmaker—matches partner couples who will share ownership of a trailer.