ACCOMMODATION
Please note that all accommodation is based on sharing with several members of your team. If you prefer not to share accommodation, please contact us to discuss other options.
Orientation days
On arrival in Malawi you will be taken to a gorgeous campsite on the outskirts of Lilongwe. Volunteers stay in a simple backpackers with a great garden and nice bar area for spare time. There are ample hot showers and toilets with a large restaurant area for evening meals. There is a telephone and internet.
Project Phase
Accommodation is basic but comfortable with stunning views of the surrounding hillsides. The team will be staying in a simple building, with beds, in the middle of the Pen Sulo district. Washing facilities are limited, with simple bucket showers and long drop toilets. Water is limited and has to be collected each day from the borehole near to the accommodation. Food is prepared in a basic kitchen area over gas stoves.
Weekends Off
On weekends off you'll return to Blantyre for a hot shower and cool beer. We stay in a comfy backpackers which has its own bar and swimming pool and simple dorm rooms. It's close to town and some great markets as well, so you can see more of this fascinating city.
Exlporer Expedition Phase
During the expedition we use tents and backpacker accommodation. Obviously, for the safari sections you will be camping out in the wild – often this can be very basic. You will share a tent with 2 other people.
FOOD
There are two types of food that you will be eating whilst in Africa. Firstly food that you and your team will cook for each other and secondly traditional food that you will eat every now and then when invited to someone’s house or at the end of a project phase when it's common for a goat or chickens to be roasted for a large party.
An example of a day's food:
Breakfast: Porridge with raisins, golden syrup or sugar. Tea/coffee.
Lunch: Local freshly cooked Malawian lunch – consisting of rice or pap with a vegetable stew, tomatoes and peas and beans.
Dinner: Large rice or potato based dish with vegetable stew and/or chicken.
Vegetarians
Most meat that's eaten here is as organic as it comes – the term ‘freerange’ applies to almost all the meat the team will be given. Don't panic if you don't want to relax your eating habits though, as we can easily cater for vegetarians.
A DAY IN THE LIFE - Project Phase
The wonderful aspect about this project is that volunteers get to work in a variety of different project locations. This means that there isn’t a daily routine for the whole period but rather a variety of daily routines that change as you change project work.
Below is an example of what the most typical day is like working in Malawi.
6 am Wake up call by the volunteer leader. Time to wash & dress for the day.
6:30 am Gather for breakfast which has been prepared by the ‘cooking team’ for the day who would have been up since 5.30 am preparing breakfast and lunch packs for the team.
7:15am Volunteers gather to pick up whatever kit they are using for the day’s projects. This could be work gloves and hard hat for construction site or just a large reserve of energy and ideas for working with the children on the environmental workshops.
7.30am Usually we try to be on site by this time and volunteers either walk or are taken by pick-up truck to their project site, depending on the location. Volunteers tend to work in groups of 4 to 6 usually, but not always, with a Quest Leader or local staff member.
12 noon Volunteers tend to have lunch around noon when the bulk of the day’s work has been done. It’s nice to have a couple of apples with you for breaks and to keep the energy levels up during the morning, or sometimes we get lucky and will have chapati’s or porridge as a mid-morning snack cooked by some of the local ladies!
3-4pm Volunteers on building projects tend to have longer days on site as there is a real pressure to complete any building projects before the team leaves. Volunteers on cooking duty need to start preparing dinner at 4 o’clock which usually takes two hours. The rest of the team will have an hour or two in the afternoon to do some hand washing, letter writing or just snoozing in the sun!
6pm Everyone should have had showers and changed into long-sleeved evening clothes with mosquito repellent liberally applied. Dinner is ready when it’s ready!
7pm Usually there is a group meeting every evening after dinner to make sure that everyone is happy about what work they will be joining in on the next day. The volunteer leader for the day will usually be in charge of this session and its an opportunity to rotate onto different projects if you want a break or to voice your preference for staying on a project you are particularly enjoying. These meetings are usually relaxed and informal, but if you have any issues you are unhappy about this is the chance to bring it up. It’s also a chance to chat to each other about what happened with each group that day and to write up the team logbook.
9pm If you stay awake until 9pm that shows real stamina! As there is no electricity teams tend to head to bed soon after eight o’clock, to get some kip in for the next day on project…
A DAY IN THE LIFE - Expedition Phase
This is a hard one, as no day is the same on expedition! You will constantly be on the move waking up to new experiences every day, sometimes physical activities, sometimes bus journeys across miles of African landscapes. Not knowing exactly what to expect every day is all part of the adventure!
Days Off
Each day two volunteers will have a ‘Day Off’ – which basically means you will be on camp duty for that day, getting in fresh food supplies from the local markets, cleaning the accommodation, doing some personal washing, preparing dinner for the team and also the chance for a bit of an afternoon off – brushing up your language skills with one of the local ladies or just reading and enjoying the scenary.
Weekends Off
On one weekend we will return to Blantyre for 2 nights for a hot shower, cool beer and time to relax. On the second long weekend off the team will visit one of Malawi’s National Parks on a 4x4 safari.
WHO ELSE IS GOING?
Your team will be between 8-12 people.
On our 3 month Sabbatical Combined Expeditions the age range is varied, but ranges from 22-65. Regardless of age, all volunteers have one thing in common – an enthusiasm to experience the real Africa, spend time with the Malawian people and to make a positive impact in the local communities of Pen Sulo.
WEATHER
Project Phase
The rainy season in Africa is from October > March. During this time the weather tends to be hot and wet. It’s not unusual to experience a few torrential downpours and the odd thunderstorm whilst you are in Malawi. However, most of the time it will be hot, around 25-30 degrees.
Expedition Phase
On the expedition the weather will be similar, getting hotter as you move up the continent into Botswana and Zambia. You’ll need to take plenty of sunscreen.