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Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with over half of the population living below the poverty line and an average daily income of less than 60 US Cents. This project is based in the Monkey Bay area at the southern end of Lake Malawi. There are a number of rural schools in this area that are seriously under-funded and do not have the resources, or sufficient teachers for the huge number of children that attend each school. At each of the schools we are working with there is a ratio of between 150 and 200 students to each permanent teacher so these schools really need your support! 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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The Volunteer Project Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with over half of the population living below the poverty line and an average daily income of less than 60 US Cents. The majority of Malawi’s population lives in rural areas and is provided with free education, but this is of a very poor standard. Many of the children do not fit into the classrooms, due to the vast numbers and those that can sit on the floors and receive instruction from just one teacher. Therefore, they do not receive any vital one-to-one attention. Those with learning difficulties often get left behind and may even find themselves years below their fellow classmates. |
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At this community volunteer project you will be teaching at one of the two rural primary schools that we have identified to work with initially. The introduction of free primary education in Malawi has seen a large increase in the number of pupils going to primary school, but this increase in access has also brought major infrastructure problems and a big decline in quality. There are many other schools in the nearby area that are also in desperate need of support from volunteers and which we will also be working with in the future as the project grows. | |||||
Most children start formal education at primary school at the age of six. The primary education takes 8 years, from Standard 1 to 8, at the end of which pupils write the Primary School Leaving Certificate examinations. Students have to pass and get selected if they are to attend secondary school education in a government secondary school. There are often mixed ages in each standard and you may find children of a secondary school age learning in the primary school, as they may have started schooling late, or been held back a year. |
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Your Role as a Volunteer |
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You will be working in one or both of the local schools, teaching the core subjects to the children of different ages and levels. Although there are members of staff in the classroom, it is desirable that these classes of up to 200 students are divided amongst yourself and your fellow volunteers and taken elsewhere to provide closer one-to-one interaction and study assistance. This can only be allowed if you are a qualified teacher. | |||||
The subjects that you may teach include:
Schools typically start at around 07.30, with Standards 1 and 2 finishing at about 10.40, Standards 3 and 4 at about 12.00 and Standards 5 to 8 at about 13.15. |
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Extra-curricular activitiesIn the afternoon, after your school teaching session and after a well-deserved lunch break, you will be involved in extra-curricular activities with the children. 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. Other sports, such as volleyball, rounders and badminton are also offered on an informal basis, due to a lack of equipment and knowledge of these sports. |
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The schools also runs informal HIV/AIDS awareness groups and sexual education projects, though these need much further development and structure through your volunteer assistance. You can help the students to express their views through debates and forums, provide educational materials and sessions, whilst also creating fun and educational activities such as encouraging students to write songs, perform short plays and poems and create posters and flyers to try and raise awareness and the understanding about HIV/AIDS within the school and the wider community. | |||||
This type of workshop development is applied to wildlife and conservation clubs, where pupils learn about conservation and how to preserve and protect the wildlife of Malawi. This occasionally includes educational visits to National Parks and game reserves where the children gain an insight into the importance of Malawi’s natural areas, though this work could certainly be instigated and further developed by you. There is also a First Aid and nutrition group that aims to promote healthy diets, exercise and basic first aid for all pupils. The group has a very limited First Aid Kit to treat minor ailments, sporting injuries etc and few understand the way that our bodies work and how to keep them healthy – help develop a regular workshop at the school to encourage children to be proactive in caring for themselves and also for their families to educate towards a healthier community. |
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School Holidays |
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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. |
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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.Please Note: Schools in Africa are very different to the western standards that you are familiar with. There is little structure and time is certainly not a priority. Also, corporal punishment is not illegal in schools. You will have to use your own initiative to get the children involved and motivated as much as possible, particularly in extra-curricular activities. Many of the schools are seriously under-funded and therefore any donations that you can raise to take with you to Malawi would be extremely useful, as you could then buy practical materials and tools for the project to help with lessons and activities that you are keen to be involved in. |
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Project Support |
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Throughout your stay in Malawi you will have the support and guidance of the 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 at the one volunteer house.
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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The orientation will include: |
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Project Accommodation and Meals |
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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. |
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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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