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Orphanage care - Malawi

Help to care for children at an orphanage, outside the town of Blantyre in Malawi.

Start date	Flexible, year round
Duration	3 weeks +
Price	3 weeks: £645 4 weeks: £745 Extra weeks: no extra fee, but you pay for accommodation and transport locally
Number of volunteers	Normally 1-5
There is a minimum age of 21 for this placement

About the orphanage project

The orphanage currently cares for over 350 orphans, a result of the extensive HIV problem in Malawi.

The orphanage cares for the children during the day, but they actually live with extended family members, whom the orphan project provides with loans and farming inputs. The key is to identify ways to support these families and their communities, not to substitute for them.

Infants (around 100 of them!) are looked after all day at the orphanage. Younger children go to primary school and the older children are paid for by the orphanage to go to secondary school, all the children returning to the orphanage daily to be fed and have after school activities. Those children who have not benefited from schooling are equipped with life skills at the Training Skills Centre.

The project currently employs 22 staff members and has 8 Malawian volunteers.

Click here for more background information about the orphanage project.

A typical week

Volunteers will usually work 4 or 5 days a week, with the option of having a 3 day weekend to explore Malawi.

The role is really that of a 'general helper', assisting the staff in caring and playing with the children during the day. This will involve playing with them, dancing, singing and any kind of general interaction. It will also involve helping prepare the food and feeding them.

Most of the time in the morning will be spent with the infants - 2 years up to 6 years old. In the afternoon the older children come to the orphanage who can speak better English than the infants. Volunteers will therefore be able to talk to them in smaller groups and play games with them. There is also an opportunity to organise sporting events as the orphanage has access to sports grounds on Wednesday afternoons.

There is no typical day in an orphanage as there is so much variety. There is also no limit to the things you can get involved so we are looking for people with lots of drive, creativity and initiative.

As well as the orphanage, a secondary school was opened in January 2008 to give the orphans access to free secondary education of the highest standard. So, for volunteers who are interested, there is the opportunity to get involved at the school and help teach English and other subjects.

Lifestyle

The orphanage is based in a village about 10 minutes drive outside Blantyre, the commercial capital of Malawi.

Volunteers stay at a friendly hostel in Blantyre and this gives access to facilities such as the internet, restaurants and bars, and the chance to meet travellers and volunteers on other projects in the area. You will have a private room with a shared bathroom, and are also able to use a shared kitchen to cook your own meals if you would like to.

Malawi is a beautiful and friendly country and there is plenty to do at weekends including visiting Lake Malawi, the National Parks and hiking around Mount Mulanje.

What our volunteers say

"This is a great project to support and an experience that cannot help but shape and develop you along life's journey." - Marie

For more views from past volunteers please see our testimonials.

What's included

Project advice and briefings pre-departure
Travel advice and assistance
A comprehensive information booklet
Being met on arrival at Blantyre airport
Accommodation for 3/4 weeks (with the option to extend on)
Daily transport (from your accommodation) to and from the orphanage for 3/4 weeks
Local introductions and tours
Basic support from the project staff

What's not included

The following estimates are given as a guide for your budgeting: flights (£700-£800), accommodation after the first 4 weeks (£80 per week), transport to the orphanage after the first 4 weeks (£25 per week), food and general living costs (£65 per week).

Benefits

Helping in the orphanage makes a huge difference to the children, as the ratio of staff to children is low. For volunteers it's challenging, fun and gives a great sense of satisfaction.

Challenges

This placement suits volunteers who are used to independent travel and have lots of initiative, drive and creativity.

In terms of managing expectations, it is important to understand that the day to day nature of the placement (like most orphanages!) is unstructured. It also tends to be fairly chaotic and disorganised, partly due to so many kids around! So we encourage volunteers to just get stuck in and enjoy it!

We also encourage volunteers to fundraise for the project as the project desperately needs funds.

Requirements

Volunteers must be at least 21 years old and a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check may be required.

Next steps and how to apply

Please contact us if you would like to discuss the placement, or go to the how to apply section where you can apply online or download an application form.