One thing to consider is whether or not you are rationally evaluating the safety of the situation.  We are not privy to the details, but you should keep in mind the fact that most of the new you will get about that particular location is "news" because it is basically bad news.  Like airline travel, you don't hear the "person gets on plane, has boring trip, gets off plane" stories but instead only notice the events that end up killing people.  I would suggest you try to get as much information as you can about the reality of your potential situation over there and then compare it to the violent crime rate in your current location.  Once you have established some baseline facts you will be in a much better position to decide if the experience/money is worth any additional risk that might be involved.