Cool summer fundraising ideas?

Do you have any good fundraising ideas? I live in Canada and I want to go to Africa next summer for a couple months and volunteer? but need help with it! anyideas? Also do you no where I can find infromation about volunteering there?

• Answer:

  Yarnlady is correct. You have to be more specific. Africa is big. Determine what country (or countries just to have back up if one country does not work out) you want to go to and then work towards that. Unicef does a lot of work in Africa. They may take volunteers. If you have medical qualifications, people like Medicins Sans Frontieres would snap you up. But there are many many agencies dealing with parts of Africa. If you are linked to a Christian denomination, you can find out if they have any workers in Africa. I fundraise for orphanages in Bali. I hold garage/yard sales (you can ask friends or relatives to donate items). I also hold stalls (I bring back crafts from Bali when I go and sell them. All profits go back) If you are at school or college, approach your staff and talk about a coin drop (once you have your dates set). Years ago when I was teaching, we had a coin drop for Ethiopia where there was a horrific drought. We spelt the name of the country out in chalk on the ground, then each kid, one by one, laid a coin on the ground until the name was covered. You could do something similar. Make sure you have plenty of people to watch you count and bank the money raised. "Fundraising" can also be in kind. You have a baggage allowance of 20kg (sometimes more, depending on country and airline). People might like to donate clothing (check the country you visit does not have restrictions on 2nd hand clothing), or school supplies, or toothbrushes or spectacles or toys. Companies are sometimes very willing to help, provided you have proof that you are, indeed, going to take them to Africa and not sell the things they donate for profit. Many young people eat Happy Meals at Maccas. The toys are very popular with kids in developing countries, plus they are small and light. Mosquito nets are needed. People might like to make some out of old scarves or curtains and donate them. This gets people involved with what you are doing. Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, go to our website http://www.webpastor.com and see what we have been doing over the years in Bali. Feel free to contact me. I am Sue.