Immersion Trip Guidelines
Purpose
Hand in Hand Ministries offers Immersion Trips for individuals who want to learn more about and contribute to the work that we do through the partners and programs that we support in Belize, Nicaragua, and Appalachia. These trips provide individuals the opportunity to experience the great need in each region and the beauty of the people and environment that each place offers. We hope that each person will be able to bring gifts and talents to share through the work projects and be open to receiving the gifts and blessings offered by the people we will encounter. Each immersion trip should allow you to experience the beauty, goodness and unique culture in each of the places we go.
The Work that We Do
In each location you will visit and work in the programs established by Hand in Hand Ministries or our partners in that region. Belize includes our “Building for Change” program, the Outreach Center for children infected with or affected by HIV and/or AIDS and the area schools where we support feeding and cafeteria programs. Participants on an immersion trip primarily work to build a small home for a family. In addition you visit sites related to the work of HHM and have various cultural experiences.
In Nicaragua the trip includes visiting and working with the families in our “Pathway to Change” program and helping with a work project at a local school, clinic or family home, or in other local projects with partners there. Time is spent visiting with locals who share insights about life in Nicaragua. Several opportunities for cultural visits are planned.
In Appalachia we operate The Auxier Center where HHM offers computer education programs, GED classes, sewing and crafts, and a food pantry. We organize home repair project in the region and also assist other local agencies as needed. Immersion trip participants help with home repair projects or work at our center. You are invited to participate in local events occurring during the time of a scheduled trip.
Cultural Awareness
In order for each immersion trip to be a meaningful experience for all, it is essential that participants demonstrate a level of cultural sensitivity. Each person will travel in a spirit of humility, with a genuine desire to meet and talk with local people. It is important to acquaint yourself with and respect local customs. Welcome all that our hosts offer with graciousness and sincere appreciation. Reflect daily on each experience to better understand the world from a perspective different than your own.
Immersion Trip Participation
Trips will be open to individuals eighteen years and older who complete an application form, provide medical information, pass a background check, sign a liability waiver form and hold a valid passport for the foreign immersion trips. Passports must be valid for six months beyond the departure date for the trip. Individuals under the age of 18 may attend a trip only if accompanied by a parent or guardian and who complete the same requirements as adult volunteers. Parents or guardians must sign a liability waiver for their minor children.
Hand in Hand Ministries does try to tailor trips to the abilities and talents of individuals, however, because these trips might involve physical labor and very high temperatures that can be dangerous for those with health limitations, Hand in Hand Ministries reserves the right to ask any trip participant to provide a doctor’s statement verifying that individual’s ability to participate in such a trip.
Special arrangements may be made for youth groups (groups of youth 15-17 years of age) to participate in immersion trips with their church or school for special service programs. Youth must be accompanied by the appropriate number of adults who possess the skill and authority to properly supervise young people both during work assignments and in their free time.
Trips planned with various universities are handled differently. University contact persons should call the HHM home office, 1 502 459-9930, at least one year in advance.
Immunization and Health
It is each trip participant’s responsibility to get the proper immunizations for the region in which you are traveling. Hand in Hand Ministries does not require specific immunization. Each participant needs to discuss this with your doctor. Your need will be based on your health history and medications you are presently taking. Information can be obtained from the Center for Disease Control web site at www.cdc.gov
HHM does not provide travel insurance but we can suggest programs offered through the travel agent with whom we work. We also suggest that you search the Internet to locate medical insurance opportunities such as medjet.com.
Immersion Trip Preparation
The trip actually begins with the first meeting held for group members. These meetings help to bring unity to the group and allow us to coordinate plans for the benefit of the whole group. Participants in foreign immersion trips will be expected to participate in two trip meetings and regional trips will require one meeting. Ideally, trip participants will also have attended a “Make a Difference” night to learn about the entire operation of Hand in Hand Ministries.
Groups who wish to plan an Immersion Trip with HHM usually begin planning at least a year in advance. The first step is to contact the home office, 1 502 459-9930, to schedule a date on the calendar. Periods such as winter and spring breaks fill quickly. The group leader will need to provide e-mail contact information so that a record of all communications can be kept.
Trip Costs
Immersion trips to Belize and Nicaragua cost *$2,300 per person. HHM will generally accept 14 participants per trip. Foreign trips require a minimum of 10 participants in order to get group rates on the airlines. HHM reserves the right to cancel any trip if the required number of participants does not confirm reservations and make a deposit by the date that is determined.
* Price is subject to change as airline prices, fuel and cost of work projects increase.
To confirm intent to participate in a foreign immersion trip, participants need to turn in forms and the deposit (50% of the trip cost) by the due date (determined by airline confirmation requirements). Final payment is to be made one month prior to departure.
University representatives need to contact the HHM home office generally one year in advance to begin planning a program designed to accommodate your university interests, schedule and pricing.
Trips to Appalachia are generally planned for Sunday evening until Wednesday afternoon or from Wednesday through Saturday afternoon at the cost of $200 per person. Some groups will choose a 6-day trip at a cost of $300 per person. There is no adjustment made in cost for those who arrive late or leave early. Final payments are required 2 weeks prior to the start of the trip.
What Trip Fees Cover
Trip fees for foreign immersion trips planned by the HHM home office cover the cost of airline tickets (excluding the cost of a 2nd bag or excess baggage if luggage is overweight or tips). Fees also include all ground transportation while with the group, lodging and all meals served at the hotel or on the worksite, security when needed, any speakers and events planned for the group and a contribution toward the work project being completed at the site.
Fees that we charge also help to support our total effort by paying a percentage of cost for our staff, office equipment, and support services in our home office in Louisville, as well as the local offices where our programs operate. It also includes a sustainability fee that will allow us to keep programs operating and provide for their future growth. We are engaged year-round in the planning, training, and coordination that make it possible to provide volunteers with the kind of experiences they have on an HHM trip.
Hand in Hand Ministries is a registered 501( c )3 not-for-profit organization, so the fees you pay for an Immersion Trip with us may qualify for a U.S. federal income tax deduction. IRS Publication 526 states that:
Generally, you can claim a charitable contribution deduction for travel expenses necessarily incurred while you are away from home performing services for a charitable organization only if there is no significant element of personal pleasure, recreation, or vacation in the travel. This applies whether you pay the expenses directly or indirectly. You are paying the expenses indirectly if you make a payment to the charitable organization and the organization pays for your travel expenses.
You will receive an official acknowledgement from Hand in Hand Ministries for your contribution, but if you have any questions about the deductibility, we recommend you consult with a tax professional.
Flight Arrangements
Hand in Hand Ministries works closely with a local travel agency that arranges the airline travel portion of the trip for many of our groups, (University groups generally make their own flight arrangements). There are several advantages to arranging your flights in this way:
• Barring last-minute changes on your part, all the group members will get the same fare and get booked on the same flight to make it easier to coordinate airport departures and arrivals.
• Group members may be changed or substituted up to two weeks prior to the trip, dependent upon airline rules and with a possible fee.
• Group bookings with an agent give us more options for alternative travel in the event of missed or cancelled flights, and other similar problems, should they occur.
• The travel agent may be able to offer help with lost luggage, missed flights, etc. but cannot assist if a person books individually.
This added security and convenience for your trip typically means, however, that the fares we quote could be higher than what an individual can find on their own. We cannot match “sale prices” that the airlines periodically make available. Because our primary concern is for efficiency in planning and the security and convenience to the group, we do not try to locate the cheapest seats or “best deals.” Flights booked individually must be paid for immediately and are non-refundable. Tickets cannot be changed or names substituted in the event someone in the group becomes ill or incapacitated.
Trip Cancellation
If the trip should need to be cancelled by the director of HHM, participants will receive a refund of their money.
If a trip participant cancels the trip after airline tickets have been purchased, that individual will be given the airline ticket (valid for one year or until the expiration date) that he or she purchased. The airlines will charge a fee to change your destination.
Trip participants who cancel within the two weeks prior to trip departure will forfeit a $100 processing fee and receive the ticket that was purchased. The remainder of their payment will be refunded.
Support for your Immersion Trip Experience
Trip participants are encouraged, if needed, to seek support, financial and otherwise, for their endeavor from family, friends, co-workers or church members. HHM will assist
with a sample letter of request for financial support as well as information to provide to supporters. Contributors will receive a “thank you” letter that serves as a tax receipt.
All fees paid for the immersion trip experience, (except for the t-shirt and personal expenses) are considered a tax deductible donation to the ministry. Participants are allowed to deduct the cost of transportation at the rate of $.14 per mile if driving for local trips.
Making the Most of the Immersion Trip Experience for Everyone
Trip participants are expected to follow the lead of the HHM representative on-site, putting the interests and welfare of the group above individual interest or intention.
While participating in any immersion trip;
- Participants are requested not to distribute or promise any money or goods to anyone without approval of the HHM representative on site.
- No tips, gratuities or gifts are to be given to Hand in Hand Ministries employees.
- All donations to any of our partners must be made through the HHM office.
- All requests for schedule changes or deviations from the itinerary are to be approved by the HHM representative on site.
- Individuals are not to distribute any literature that has not been pre-approved by the Executive Director of Hand in Hand Ministries.
- Participants are not to leave the work/ministry site where the group is assigned without express knowledge of the HHM representative on site.
Advancing the Mission
Participation in any immersion trip is for the purposes of advancing the mission of Hand in Hand Ministries. Therefore, all final decisions regarding participation in, scheduling of, and activities scheduled rests with the Hand in Hand Ministries directors.
At the completion of the trip, all participants will be asked to fill out a comment sheet and return it to the HHM representative on site. Participants can expect a follow-up call within two weeks of the end of the immersion trip from an HHM representative.
Trip participants who make gift-in-kind donations that are taken to and left at the immersion trip site are required to complete an inventory form prior to departure. Your inventory should include the estimated cost of donated items or provide a receipt or copy of a receipt to be used by HHM as a record of donations made to the ministry.
Immersion trips will generally be followed in approximately 2-3 weeks with a pot luck dinner so that participants may reunite and share memories and pictures.
HHM considers all trip participants to be ambassadors for the ministry and hope that you see this as an opportunity to continue your support of our work among the poorest of the poor. We hope for and will ask for your continued contributions of time and financial support to the ministry and your help in making connections with family, friends and associates who may be interested in the work of Hand in Hand Ministries.