Volunteer in Malawi and support Malawian women in income-generating projects, helping with childcare, and more.
| Minimum Duration: | 1 week |
| Cost: | From 265 USD per week |
| Minimum Age: | 18 years |
The ‘Mbawemi Women Association’ is a local non- governmental organization which was formed in 2003 in Mzuzu, Malawi.
As a volunteer at this project you will work with women and children helping them improve their living conditions, educational needs and income generating projects. Volunteers will also assist with caring for children at a day care centre and support this organization to create new programs, uplift existing programs and to learn from each other.
Programs offered
Early childhood development (pre-school)
Mbawemi has an early childhood development centre in the community to support women from the surrounding area to be able to go to work or work the field and know their children are looked after. The basic school offers 2 classrooms with 40-50 children each.
Human rights awareness
To educate especially women about their human rights, Mbawemi runs an outreach programme to create awareness and possibilities for women to develop leadership skills to further grow the movement of women empowerment.
Economic empowerment for women
To offer women resources to be more independent in a male dominated society, Mbawemi has several income generating projects such as their beekeeping project in Mzenga where not only the honey is sold to create income for the women but also to create product out of by the wax such as candles and soap. Mbawemi educates and assists these women to become more independent and economically sustainable by providing them with a way to generate a small income.
Other programs:
Mbawemi also offers programs focused on:
- Environmental protection
- HIV/AIDS prevention and care project
- Public health
- Talent and skills development
Project Needs
There is an ongoing challenge for financial support and materials to support the running of the different projects. If any volunteers can contribute with any of the following items this would be highly appreciated;
- Child care centre playing materials and educational games
- Sports equipment such as balls, skipping ropes, etc.
- Food donations for families in need
- Clothing for children and adults
- Learning books
- Laptops
Daily activities
Volunteers can be involved in a variety of tasks and activities within the diverse framework of Mbawemi’s programs, such as:
- Assisting with teaching at the child care centre.
- Monitoring and offering technical support to women with small businesses.
- Teaching extracurricular lessons to primary and secondary school students.
- Offering activities focused on sports, arts, music.
- Creating holiday programs during school holidays.
- Education in aspects of basic sanitation and hygiene.
- Assisting in skills development such as cooking, housekeeping, plumbing, tailoring, knitting and other skills.
- Possible training in the fields of project management, caretakers training, leadership skills for women and/or computer skills.
Other volunteers
You most likely won’t be alone when volunteering and meet both local as international volunteers. We get volunteers from all over the world, from the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the UK and many other countries.
Accommodation
You will be staying with one of our selected host families within walking distance of Chideso making it very easy to come to work and get back home. Your hosts offers a comfortable family home with 2 bedrooms with 2 beds. There is a private bathroom for volunteers to use with a western toilet and shower with warm water.
Depending on how busy it is you will share a room with other volunteers and male and female volunteers will have separate rooms. We take couples and older volunteers in account and if possible provide them with a private room, so please let us know if you have any questions regarding the accommodation.
Meals
Malawian meals are different from western meals and we encourage you to eat what is prepared for you, otherwise you are free to buy and cook your own food. There are 3 meals a day prepared for you which will be local food mostly made up of rice, pastas, ‘nsima’ (porridge of maize meal), fish, vegetables and meats.
Breakfast is usually porridge or bread with coffee or tea. Lunch and dinner are cooked meals.
We encourage you to assist with cooking and cleaning up and make some of your personal favourite dishes.
Transport
Your host family is within walking distance from the centre making it very easy to walk to and from work.
To reach any facilities such as the main street with banks, internet café, shopping centre with a modern supermarket it is only a 10-15-minute walk away, but we encourage you to use the local bicycle taxis that will transport you anywhere you need to go for a small fee.
At night we discourage you to walk alone to be as safe as possible and we will make sure you have a variety of numbers for local taxis who will offer door to door services for very reasonable rates.
What is included?
- Information and assistance before departure
- City Tour and Introduction
- Direct donation to the project
- Accommodation and all meals (7 days a week)
What is excluded?
- Personal luxuries such as snacks, cold drinks and alcohol.
- Airport transfer from Lilongwe at 150 USD (local payment) per vehicle one way (4-5 hour drive one way)
- Costs for weekend trips
- Flight tickets
- Insurances
Starting Dates
Dates are flexible for volunteers and you can start at any time throughout the year. Bookings are done per full weeks with a minimum of 1 week.
Mzuzu, Malawi
Despite being the third biggest city in Malawi and being central to the north of the country, Mzuzu has a very laid back and village feel to it. The city is stretched out and links to rural farming communities in the immediate area. Mzuzu has a central location connecting to Lake Malawi at Nkhata Bay, which is only 50 km away and travel routes up north to Tanzania and beyond.
The location of Mzuzu makes it its temperatures and climate more enjoyable than at the lake, where it can be very hot and humid. It is easily reachable from Lilongwe in the south and is a great place to travel to some of the highlights of Malawi, such as Nkhata Bay and Kande Beach at Lake Malawi, Livingstonia further to the north, Nyika Plateau to the west and Viphya Forest to the south.
