Items you should take include:

Very modest (tight, short, low revealing, see-through, or bare midriff
are out), casual dress attire for the trip – No shorts. Women wear loose,
full length dresses or skirts. Plan to wear same pants/dresses multiple times. Because of dirt and mud, washable is preferred. I wear one pair of khaki (the color of dirt) pants with lots of pockets on the legs and keep a second as a spare. (I like to carry in my pockets a 16 or 20 ounce bottle of water (or in pack), travel toilet paper, hand sanitizer, local money, 3×5 card with local language greetings, etc.) I take socks, underwear, and a shirt for each day. Women take a scarf for a head wrap. Be dressed on the plane from Paris with dress and head wrap so you will be culturally appropriate when we land (no changing at Niamey airport). Learn from women who have gone how to tie head wraps. Remember married women knot on the side, single on the back.

Jacket for early AM, late PM, or winter teams. Doubles as blanket.

Comfortable walking shoes for all the time! Shoes will be often taken
on & off to sit on mats or enter huts/houses. Clogs and slip-ons work well.

Modest sized backpack to always have nearby. (Not a huge hiking pack) When at the village, we will live out of a backpack.

One metal spoon in a Ziploc bag or several plastic spoons to use at a village instead of eating with hands

Small (space is limited in your bag) camping pillow for sleep.

We take shoes off entering our house, so slippers for inside. If you have trouble “roughing it”, flip flops for shower.

Pen and small spiral binder to keep notes for self and team report.

Men: Hat with wide brim for sun, especially if you are fair skinned.

Sunblock (SPF 30 or higher)

Sunglasses

Insect repellent with deet.

All toiletries in plastic bags in case of leaks.

bath towel, wash cloth and/or hand towel (but use what is provided the two nights at the guesthouse)

Ear plugs in case of snoring or noise outside of room or hut.

melatonin with you on plane to help you take a short nap on the way to Paris

chewing gum if it helps you in the plane

Meds in back pack: nasal decongestant pills, nasal decongestant spray, antihistamine (take all three in case of colds, etc.), Tums, Pepto Bismo (tablets are best, generic is fine), Immodium (if traveling with diarrhea), Beano (enzyme for digestion of beans), Ibuprofen/ Aceteminophen/ other pain reliever, anti malarial pills, prescription of general antibiotic like Cipro, antiseptic and bandaids. Meclizine if you feel nauseous when you travel.

Also in the back pack you carry onboard: anything that you cannot afford to have lost or delayed if something happens to checked baggage.  Include all prescription medicine, contact lenses, contact supplies and case since you will take lenses off before or in flight, glasses you need, important papers, diabetic supplies, etc.  It sometimes helps your checked bag to be less than the weight limit if you carry a few heavy items in your backpack instead of the suitcase. But backpacks are now weighed, too. Check to confirm total weight limits of carry on luggage on Air France.

Hand sanitizer sufficient for two weeks

Traveler’s Toilet Paper (carry the entire trip since there is none at the airport in Niamey and occasionally even a restroom on the plane runs out)

two or three regular sized rolls of toilet paper for our team to use, share with our African team, or leave in the house or houses where we stay most (in addition to travel toilet paper).

small flashlight for when power fails as it sometimes does

alarm clock that does not need electricity (Don’t make others responsible to get you up.)

small ball of string (12 to 16 feet/person) or thin rope to hang mosquito netting.

step down transformer (their electricity is 220 volt, 50 hertz) and
adapter (outlets take plugs with two round pins) if you plan to use
electricity to recharge anything

empty plastic water bottles to be filled in West Africa (one large such as 32 oz. and several smaller, such as 20 oz. bottles)

Snacks: bland if ill, energy food for the one or two times we might delay a meal for a few hours (we will have three meals every day). Remember all chocolates get messy in the heat so should be left home. A mix for broth or bullion for soup if sick. Always have a snack in pocket or back pack since delays are unplanned.

raisins in case jet lag leaves you constipated. If your normal routine in the U.S. includes the need for laxatives, bring more.

Money “belt” to wear under shirt. This is the pouch that is worn around the waist, but under the shirt or top. Belts that have inside zippers are not able to hold the bulky African money we must carry.

inexpensive digital camera if you are good at not losing things

Bible without any handwritten notes, underlines, or marks. Muslims
feel they desecrate a holy book.

Do not take your best watch, take little or no jewelry. You will not
need credit cards unless in the Paris airport. Do not take a personal monitoring device (for walking, heart rate, sleeping, etc.) that sends information to the internet. Anyone with access to the device’s internet display can identify your location.

Be careful not to take clothing or hats that are camouflaged or in any way look military. The same goes for T-shirts that feature some branch of our military. It makes the guards nervous at check points to think someone might be an undercover soldier and could seriously slow us down.

Remember: Bugs may be attracted to perfumes and smells. Look for shampoo, soap, deodorant, and other products that are scent-free.

Optional: a pocket sized French-English dictionary (French at a Glance
by Barron’s is the best). It is the one language we will encounter
for which there is a dictionary, though it will be of little use in villages where we spend so much time.

Note: Ask why we need it before you decide not to bring something.