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Project Age Limit
Minimum 17 years, maximum decided on potential participants’ health
The Volunteer Project
In terms of GDP per capita, Malawi is one of the world’s poorest countries – the average daily income of just 30p a day puts half of the population way below the poverty line. Most of the population live rurally and even though they are given free education, it is of a really poor standard and anyway, all the children don’t fit into the classrooms! Vast numbers of children try to attend a school where they must sit on the floor and receive their education from just one teacher, they get no one to one attention, but they don’t have any option because that is all there is. It is worse for the children with learning difficulties as they are often left behind, and as they receive no special attention, they may end up being years below the children of the same age.
This particular community project has identified two rural primaries to initially work with – these are the schools in which you will be working. Introducing free primary education may have increased the number of pupils going to school, but it has caused big problems with the school infrastructure and as well as a decline in the quality.
There are many other schools in the area that are also in desperate need of some help from volunteers. We will eventually be able to work with many more of them as the project grows.
Children will begin their formal primary education at the age of six. It takes eight years to complete, going through Standards 1 to 8 at the end of which the child will sit the Primary School Leaving Certificate exams. Students must pass these exams and then be specially selected to be able to attend a government secondary school. In most schools each standard is being taught to a mixed age group, some might even be of a secondary school age as they have started schooling late or maybe held back for a year.
Your Role as a Volunteer
As a volunteer on this project you will work in either one or both of the local schools, where you will be teaching core subjects to children of all different ages and levels. There will be local members of staff in the class with you, the class size in normally up to 200 students, so it is advisable that the class is split between you and your fellow volunteers so there is the opportunity for closer one to one interaction.
You will be able to teach subjects such as:
- English
- Mathematics
- Sciences – Chemistry, Biology and Physics
- Creative arts
- Sports
- Health education and HIV/AIDS awareness
The school day begins around 7.30 with different standards finishing at different times – Standards 1 to 2 at 10.30ish, 3 to 4 at 12.00ish and 5 to 8 at 13.15ish.
Extra - curricular activities
After a well-deserved lunch break, you will spend the afternoon getting involved in extracurricular activities with the children.
From around 2pm to around 5pm, you can get completely involved in teaching and playing sports with the children. Each school offers a variety of sports, but the most popular sport by far is football and netball is played by lots of girls; most schools will have a team for each.
Sports such as volleyball, rounders and badminton are also offered but only informally due to lack of equipment and knowledge of the sport.
Both of the schools also run informal groups/projects on HIV/AIDS awareness and sexual education, but these need some further development through the assistance of volunteers. Students need a bit of help expressing their views through debating and forums and you can also provide them with educational materials. Fun educational activities such as making posters, writing poems, performing plays and songs can also be used to help raise awareness and understanding of HIV/AIDS for the school and within community.
Workshop development such as this has already been used effectively to wildlife and conservation clubs, encouraging pupils to learn about conservation and preserving and protecting Malawi’s wildlife. This sometimes means educational visits to various National Parks and game reserves, where children can gain an insight into how important these natural areas are. This is something that you can develop farther if you wish to.
The schools also runs First Aid and nutrition group that has the aim of promoting health diets, exercise and basic first aid to all of the pupils. However, the group only has very limited First Aid Kit to treat any minor ailments and injuries and very few understand how the body works and about keeping them healthy. Developing a workshop to encourage school children to be proactive when it comes to caring for themselves and their families will bring about a healthier community as a whole.
School Holidays
The Malawian school year is split into three terms, with the dates varying from year to year – dates are often not confirmed until the last minute. Terms are roughly as follows:
First term: Mid January to mid April
Second Term: Early May to the end of July
Third Term: Late August to mid November
There is still plenty to do throughout the school holiday and so still plenty of need for volunteers. If you choose to volunteer during a holiday, there will be organised holiday classes and other activities for the children – the aim is to keep them off the streets and out of trouble. So, you have plenty of options; coaching local sports teams, teaching art and music or just interacting with the children. As there is little structure to these activities, you are able to be more creative and motivated to put your own ideas into practice with the children – keep them coming back to work with your each day.
Please note: You will find that schools in Africa are really different from the standards that you will be familiar with. Classes are not structured and timing is not a priority at all! Please be aware corporal punishment is not illegal at these schools.
You will need to use your own initiative to make sure all the children get involved and are motivated and will to learn as much as possible, particularly those involved in the extracurricular activities. Many schools get hardly funding and so any donations you can give through fundraising and so on you can give would be really useful. It will allow you or the school to buy materials and tools that will be helpful in lessons and any activities that you would like to introduce or would like to get involved in.
Project Support
Throughout your time in Malawi you will have guidance and support from out native Malawian project manager Francis and the team. They will be on hand to give you competent assistance and to help you by answering your questions and giving you nay advice that you may need throughout your stay. The house staff will also be about throughout the day and Francis himself lives within walking distance of the volunteer accommodation in the local village. In addition, you will also be given a 24 hour emergency telephone number so that you can contact a member of the UK office staff at any time should you need to.
Please Note: This project is relatively new. Your presence on a project like this (especially as a Western volunteer) is always very much appreciated. It is really important to make sure that you are flexible in your work attitude and ethic and are prepared to help in areas that need developing and to use your own initiative to instigate new area that need work for the benefit of locals and the project itself. In this respect we ask you to arrive open minded with a strong and independent work ethic, in order to make the most of your Africa time and leave a lasting impression on the project.
Project Orientation
On your first full day after your arrival into Monkey Bay you will have a comprehensive orientation given by Francis or another project coordinator.
The orientation will cover things such as:
- Malawian culture and values: An introduction
- Basic lessons in the local language
- Health and safety
- Ethics of the workplace
- Money and getting around
- Introduction to the area, the project and the staff
- Local food and practices
- Places to visit
- Local town excursion
Project Accommodation and Meals
Your accommodation on this project will be in one of two shared volunteer houses, both of which are within an easy distance of both of the schools. Situated on the beach of Lake Malawi, just 7km south of Monkey Bay Town, the houses have great views out over the lake. The property is fenced, gated and has a lovely big green garden.
Bedrooms range from twin share to dormitory and there is running water, a shower and western style toilets. Whilst both electricity and water are pretty reliable there are the odd power cut and water shortage from time to time, that you should be aware of.
The house has staff that includes a cook, a housekeeper (volunteers are expected to do their bit to keep the house clean and tidy) and there is also a night watchman.
All of your three meals today are provided. Breakfast is usually a get your own cereal and toast affair, though there might be the odd occasion where the cook treats you. Lunch is either packed or get your own (if you plan on returning to the house at lunchtime). The cook will prepare the evening meal for you.
Please Note: The fridge in the house is used to store the food from which your meals are prepared each day as well as additional drinks that you will be able to purchase from the staff. You are welcome to buy your own food/ snacks and drinks but you must be aware that you will not be able to store them in the fridge.
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