Africa with small kids

Nutella
Posts: 31
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2016 9:30 pm

Africa with small kids

Post by Nutella »

I had ruled out Africa for us (teaching couple with kids under 6) because I had read that many locations are not ideal due to the lack of good healthcare. Now I'm thinking I need to expand our search as so far we've only had two interviews. I don't personally have any objection to Africa, and at one time thought I'd go there for graduate studies (Rwanda specifically). So. What are the best places in Africa if you have small kids?

I should add that a family member lived in South Africa for a time and painted a negative picture of how racist it still is, so I'm thinking unless folks here disagree with her, South Africa is probably not for us. We are white but feel very strongly about racism.
joe30
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Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2016 4:10 am

Re: Africa with small kids

Post by joe30 »

It's abuse to subject children to Africa.
Nutella
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Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2016 9:30 pm

Re: Africa with small kids

Post by Nutella »

joe30 wrote:
> It's abuse to subject children to Africa.

All of it?

:D
joe30
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Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2016 4:10 am

Re: Africa with small kids

Post by joe30 »

Yes, if we're talking about sub-Saharan Africa.
Nutella
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Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2016 9:30 pm

Re: Africa with small kids

Post by Nutella »

joe30 wrote:
> Yes, if we're talking about sub-Saharan Africa.

Wow, that sounds pretty broad. It's a big place. There isn't a single city that would be okay for little kids?
wrldtrvlr123
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Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
Location: Japan

Re: Africa with small kids

Post by wrldtrvlr123 »

Please wait for someone with actual international school teaching experience and experience living/working in these places before ruling them out entirely.
joe30
Posts: 230
Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2016 4:10 am

Re: Africa with small kids

Post by joe30 »

Nutella wrote:
> joe30 wrote:
> > Yes, if we're talking about sub-Saharan Africa.
>
> Wow, that sounds pretty broad. It's a big place. There isn't a single city that would
> be okay for little kids?

Not a single city I'd take any kids of mine to.

There's a very good chance of them (and you) being kidnapped or killed in most places in sub-Saharan Africa. The safety situation means it's just not worth it to go.
migratingbird
Posts: 65
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 2:47 am

Re: Africa with small kids

Post by migratingbird »

Having had a 1-year old in Kenya (Nairobi specifically), and knowing of a great deal of other teachers who have done similar, I can assure you that the likelihood of them getting killed or kidnapped is not likely. Of course, it could happen, but it is not likely, as suggested. Having said that, it's also not easy. My husband is Kenyan, so we frequently return there, and travel to quite remote locations. I'd be lying if I said I was totally relaxed about this - it does cause me some anxiety when we're hours away from any hospitals as I worry about what would happen if my daughter required urgent medical care. That's only when we are in the middle of nowhere, though. The positives - beautiful scenery, amazing wildlife, very friendly, the natural world right on your doorstep. The negatives - terrible traffic/roads/cars, security (cars searched when going to shopping centres, huge security gates, etc), frequent power cuts (sometimes lasting for days), hard to find neighbouring children to play with. Hope that helps.
chilagringa
Posts: 335
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2011 7:19 pm

Re: Africa with small kids

Post by chilagringa »

If I had kids a bit older, maybe 10+ I would love to live in lots of places in Africa with them. Really small kids I would probably be a bit more concerned about malaria, so I might prefer to go to higher altitude places like Nairobi or Addis... Then again, I'm not a doctor ;)
nathan61
Posts: 92
Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2013 11:08 pm

Re: Africa with small kids

Post by nathan61 »

@Joe30

What schools in Africa have you actually visited? Do you even have a family? I notice you are the most prolific poster on these Africa threads, but you seem to be terrified of the entire continent. Not everyone is so fearful.

I would avoid any county with serious Malaria near where you would be living. There are going to be good doctors in most places, but serious trauma care may be lacking.

Some places to consider with kids. (I've known families that liked these posts)
Botswana
Rawanda
Zambia (families seem to love this post)
Morocco
Tunisia
Madagascar
Addis Ababba
Zimbabwe
Uganda
Dakar
Thames Pirate
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Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 8:06 am

Re: Africa with small kids

Post by Thames Pirate »

I have a friend in Mozambique (not school related) and she speaks highly of it. I have heard great reports of living in Namibia, Malawi, and Botswana as well. A friend took his young kids to Madagascar and seems very happy with that decision. Having only visited and not worked in Africa, I can only say we especially enjoyed Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Zambia and would consider those countries in a heartbeat. Then again, we don't have kids at the moment. We were also interested in the school at Khartoum, which looked interesting.

I agree to ignore joe, who seems to enjoy coming on here solely to disparage an entire continent he has never visited and to spread negative and false stereotypes.
teach2learn
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2016 2:15 pm

Re: Africa with small kids

Post by teach2learn »

I am in Tunisia with a older child and feel very safe.
crypticvenus
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Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2016 11:26 pm

Re: Africa with small kids

Post by crypticvenus »

Currently in Nigeria with a seven year old with special needs (1p36 Deletion Syndrome) and things are going well. Medically he's pretty stable just some GI issues that have subsided since he hasn't been in a school environment here, the school we work at can't accommodate his needs.

I have a few colleagues with younger children as well. It truly depends on your comfort level and outlook on life. After all, people have been raising young children here for quite some time.
jboeh2
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun May 20, 2012 8:52 pm

Re: Africa with small kids

Post by jboeh2 »

I am currently living in Tanzania with my family (2 children). Nearest decent health care would be a 7 hour drive to Nairobi Kenya. I know many teaching families living in Tanzania, as well as other countries in East Africa, who really enjoy it. It's not for everyone, especially if you are looking for a higher standard of living. With that said, there are many perks living here with children (beautiful wildlife, friendly people, simplicity). I would definitely not close doors to opportunities here.
mamava
Posts: 320
Joined: Sat May 11, 2013 7:56 am

Re: Africa with small kids

Post by mamava »

Our very first experience/trip/post out of the US was Tanzania with 3 kids, ages 3, 6, and 10. We weren't teachers in our jobs, but our kids went to the international school. The thing that saved us was our relationships with people that weren't teachers--we had lots of teacher friends (it was small tight community) but it was the relationships with people who had lived in TZ long long term that supported us. Africa is a beautiful amazing place, but it is also brutal and harsh. There were many times I thought about a car accident, an injury....something that would become life-threatening just because we didn't have access to top-notch health care. Having friendships with people who had raised kids and undergone serious situations gave us hope and support.

Our kids roamed wild and free. They played outdoors all day. They interacted with multi-generational families at virtually all social events. They learned how to weather hurdles with strength and grace. More than any other place we've lived, they learned to live cheek to cheek with local cultures, with poverty, and with hardship--and learn how to live with joy I would not trade my 3 years with my kids there for anything, and it remains the best place of our lives, even with the things that happened. We have friends in Kenya, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Uganda, and South Africa who say the very same thing. It's not for everyone for sure, but it's a great place with chidlren.
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