FAQ
FAQ
MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The minimum age requirement is 14 by the date the trip leaves. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian (with the exception of youth group trips, which must have at least 2-3 chaperones). There is no maximum age limit.
You and your doctor will need to decide if taking preventative malaria medication is appropriate. You can check www.cdc.gov to see at-risk areas in each country
Background checks are only valid for 12 months from the date of the background check (not the date of your trip). If it has been longer than 12 months, you will need to redo the background check before registering for your trip.
Yes, Living Water purchases a Trip Armor insurance and emergency services plan for all trip participants. This policy does not provide pre-trip cancellation coverage, however. You can ask your trip coordinator for more detailed information about the policy. Your coordinator will also enroll you in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).
- Online: Use your personal trip fundraising page that is automatically created when you register.
- Check: Be sure to include the remittance form (and your “donate by check” code if you’d like it to be posted to your fundraising page).
- Credit card: Call your trip coordinator to make a payment over the phone with a credit card.
- Fundraise: Send your link to family and friends to donate to your trip.
If you pay on your fundraising page, you will get a donation receipt emailed to you immediately after submitting the payment.
$1,200 is due 90 days before your trip, and the balance is due 30 days before your trip.
You can search for your fundraising page here: https://water.cc/fundraise#givewellDrawer
You do not need to use your fundraising page. You can call in payments with credit card or send in a check instead.
Your “donate by check” code can be found by clicking the button underneath your photo on your fundraising page.
We cannot give refunds if you over-fundraise or cancel the trip. We can apply these funds to a future trip (within a year) or to another person going on a trip, but we cannot refund the money.
Try resetting your password on the website. If you have trouble, contact your trip coordinator to reset the password for you.
If you (or someone else) paid online, and the money isn’t showing up, it’s likely that you made a general donation, rather than a specific trip donation. Please contact your trip coordinator with the date and amount paid. If you send in a check, be sure to include the remittance form with your “donate by check” code found on your fundraising page. If you do not include this code on your remittance form, the donation will NOT be added to your page. We cannot go back in and add the donation after the money has been imported. If your church sends in a big group payment either by check or credit card, the donations will not be added to the individual fundraising pages.
Yes, you may book your own flight using miles or credit. Your total trip cost will be $1,500 for Central America or Haiti trips, or $2,000 for Africa trips. We do ask that you book the same flight as the rest of your team so that you can land at the same time in country.
You may extend your trip, but all lodging, transportation, food, etc. will be your responsibility to cover. We prefer that you extend at the end of the trip rather than before the trip. We can book your plane ticket later than the rest of the team, but if there is a difference in price, we will ask you to cover that cost. Contact your trip coordinator with your specific request.
Baggage fees and weight limitations vary by airline, so be sure to check your airline’s website before the trip. Living Water will not pay baggage fees unless we ask you to carry a footlocker of supplies to the field staff.
While lodging varies for each country, you can expect to share an air-conditioned room with 1-2 other people in either a hotel or a team house. Towels are provided at some locations but not others, so be sure to check the Living Water Trips book or ask your trip coordinator about the lodging.
We do not know ahead of time the exact community you will be working in. Our field staff will brief you when you land in-country. Please be flexible as some communities may be over an hour from where you are staying.
Trips last six to seven days starting on Saturday or Sunday. There is a detailed itinerary in your Living Water Trips book. Typically, you will work in the community from Monday through Thursday. If the well is finished on Thursday, Friday will be a day to rest and relax with tourism opportunities like shopping in an open-air market, a volcano tour, or dinner at the beach.
While it feels instinctive to want to give material things to those with such great need, it can be very damaging if handled incorrectly. Living Water works in hundreds of communities, and we want to be consistent with the gifts and donations we distribute to them. Our community programs have a strong relational focus, so we do have a list of recommended items if you choose to bring donations. Please refer to your Living Water Trips book for an appropriate list of items you can bring.
We are unable to estimate how many women or children will be in the community. Bring as much as you can and be sure to give it to the staff at the beginning of the week so they can plan and distribute accordingly.
Please let your trip coordinator know if you have specific dietary needs. It’s always a good idea to pack some snacks in case you are unable to eat the meals provided.
Yes! Our staff will teach you how to use the drill rig in-country, and they will assist you throughout the process. No prior experience or knowledge is necessary.
Absolutely! You can choose to drill one day and teach sanitation and hygiene lessons the next day. Just be sure to tell our staff ahead of time so that they can plan accordingly for each day.
You will be the lead teachers for the hygiene lessons, and our in-country staff will translate for you. It’s a good idea to read over the lessons ahead of time so that you are familiar with them. The kids love it when you are animated and engaged with the teaching material. Even though they can’t understand what you’re saying, they can read your expressions and body language, so don’t be afraid to play it up!
QUESTIONS?
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If you have a trip coordinator, please feel free to contact them directly.
