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| Join this excellent programme and help to teach sport in schools on the shores of Lake Malawi. You will play a vital role in teaching children how to play different games and sports such as football, volleyball, netball and more. You will also be able to choose what you'd like to do in the mornings. The majority of our volunteers choose to get involved with one of the orphanages in the Monkey Bay area - this is the 'Community' part of the 'Sports & Community' volunteers. This programme is ideal if you are interested in a wide range of sports and you want to help the development and well being of the young children of Malawi Project Location: Near Monkey Bay on the shores of Lake Malawi Project Age Limit: Minimum 17 years |
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Malawi |
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Malawi, often described as ‘The Warm Heart of Africa’, due to the friendliness of its people, has a huge variety of landscapes. These range from the rugged highlands, such as the hiker’s and climber’s paradise of the Mulanje Massif to lowland plains and unspoilt wildlife reserves. Malawi’s biggest draw is undoubtedly Lake Malawi, Africa’s third largest lake, lined with hundreds of miles of tropical golden sand beaches and boasting hundreds of species of colourful tropical fish. |
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Your Role as a Volunteer |
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You will start in the morning, about 8am, helping in one of the two orphanages in the Monkey Bay area. You will help teach the pre-school children alphabet, numbers, and basic times tables and English. Then, in the afternoon, starting at about 2pm and finishing around 5pm, you will be involved in teaching and playing the various sports that are offered at the schools with the children. Football is by far the most popular sport in Malawi, as in much of Africa and netball is also played by many of the girls; with the schools having teams for both sports. |
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In the morning, you'll be greatly assisting the teachers in the orphanages with giving the lessons and helping to feed the children (usually porridge with sugar).
Due to the weather, most sports activities are in the afternoons and evenings when temperatures are cooler. Volunteers have the opportunity to help with various building projects at the schools. These building projects range from building sports facilities, storage rooms, kitchen, library and emergency class rooms etc. |
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A Typical Day on the Project |
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Please note that your itineraries may differ from this, depending on your own experience and the number of other volunteers on the placement at the same time. Please use this itinerary as an example only. Here is how a typical day in the life of a Malawi Sports & Community Volunteer might take shape:
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School Holidays In Malawi there are three school terms each year, the dates of which vary each year and are often not confirmed until the last minute. As a general guideline the terms are as follows:First term: From mid-January to mid-April. During the school vacations there is still a need for volunteers, as you may help out with organised holiday classes and activities for the children with the objective of keeping them off the streets and out of trouble. You may coach sports to local teams, teach art and music and spend your time interacting with the children. There is much less structure to these activities and you should expect to be more creative and motivated to implement your own ideas with the children each day and ensure that they come back each day to work with you. There will always be a need to help in the orphanages in the morning, as school holidays do not apply to them. |
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Project Support |
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Throughout your stay in Malawi you will have the support and guidance of Malawi team. They will provide you with competent assistance and help you with any questions or advice you may need during your stay. The house staff will be on hand throughout the day and the project coordinator lives on site in one of the volunteer houses. Please Note: it is important to remain flexible in your attitude and work ethic and be prepared to help in any of the areas that are developing and use your initiative to instigate new project areas, which will benefit the local community and volunteer programme. Thus we do ask that you arrive with an open-minded attitude and strong, independent work ethic in order to utilise your time best in a way that leaves behind a lasting impression of your time in Africa. |
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Project Orientation |
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Project Accommodation and Meals |
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You will stay in a very comfortable, shared volunteer house, which is within walking or cycling distance of the community clinics and a short drive from the community hospital. The houses are situated right on the beach of Lake Malawi about 7km south of Monkey Bay Town, so you can sit and gaze out over the waters. The property is fenced and gated and has a large green garden. | |||||
Rooms in the house range from twin share to dormitory style and there is running water, a shower and western style toilets. Please be aware that whilst electricity and water are fairly reliable, power cuts and water shortages may be experienced from time to time. There is staff at the house, including a cook, house keeper (although volunteers are also expected to do their bit to keep the house clean and tidy) and night watchmen for your security. Three meals per day are provided. Breakfast is usually on a self-service basis, consisting of cereals and toast, although the cook may treat you occasionally. Lunch will either be a packed lunch, or self-service if you plan to return to the house at lunchtime. The cook will prepare the evening meal for you. Please Note:There is a fridge at the house, which is used to store the food for your meals each day and some additional drinks, which you can purchase form the staff. If you do wish to buy some of your own food/snacks and drinks, this will be fine to do though you must be aware it cannot be stored in the communal fridge. | ||||||
Free time |
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There are a number of highlights that you may like to see in your free time at weekends, such as National Parks, or the Mulanje Massif. The project staff will be happy to help you to organise excursions while you are there. There is also a programme of weekend activities/safaris each month. These weekend activities are not included in your project fee and will need to be paid for on site.
Alternatively, you may wish to just relax by Lake Malawi. The nearby village of Cape Maclear has a number of small lodges offering great snorkelling and scuba diving. We recommend you take a look in our excellent, up to date gallery where you will find pictures of trips the volunteers have been on. |
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Getting There |
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| You will need to arrange your flights to Lilongwe International Airport. Upon arrival you will have a meet and greet with one of the project representatives. You will then be transferred by road (approximately 3.5 hours) to the volunteer house just south of Monkey Bay, to settle into your accommodation and meet your fellow volunteers. Please Note: If you arrive outside of the project start date, you will need to pay a private transfer fee of US$100, upon arrival in cash. |
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| Project Costs 4 weeks £949 |
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Project Cost Includes:
Project Cost Excludes:
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Fundraise before you arrive! One of the things many volunteers wish they'd done before coming out to Malawi is raise a bit of extra money to spend out here, inevitably on helping people they make good friends with, or helping contribute to their own projects and ideas. For example, this year, volunteers raised nearly £2000 to pay for a new orphanage building. Some volunteers raised nearly £600 to help 15 young adults go to secondary school. Money was also raised for cycling safety initiatives - purchasing hundreds of reflectors to help keep people safe at night. Your money will go a long way out here. It is not expected of you to bring extra money or to fundraise - your being here and your time as a volunteer are the most important things! However, feedback from other volunteers has been that they wish they thought about fundraising before arriving in Malawi, as there was so much they would like to contribute to. So, if this is something you'd like to get involved with, please visit:
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