Malawi orphans & community project

Malawi is an incredibly poor country. Today it is estimated that up to seven million people, from a population of 12 million, may be on the edge of famine. Even with these problems though, the country still claims to be the 'Warm heart of Africa'. For once, the hype is true. These amazing people are some of the most welcoming you will ever meet.

An estimated 400,000 children have been orphaned by AIDS and the scale of need will become apparent as soon as you arrive. Each village community is currently supporting up to 100 orphaned and vulnerable children. Your help is needed to provide food and shelter to these orphans, by giving financial support to buy maize and physical help to build community centres which then act as a health clinic, canteen for the orphans and classroom for all the village's children. 

The beauty of this project is that it exposes you directly to the warmth and unforgettable welcome of the Malawian people. One weekend we will go on a 2 day 4x4 safari to one of the spectacular nearby Game Reserves in southern Malawi. The villages are in desperate need of a community centre, to act as a meeting point, a base for health workers, a classroom for local children and as a 'canteen' to provide at least one substantial meal per day for the hundreds of local orphans and children whose families are unable to support them. Working together with local craftsmen and members of the local community our Malawi project is to design and build, from start to finish, one of these much needed community centres. Whilst having a break from cement mixing or waiting for the mud bricks to dry(!), the team will be joining forces with the Baluti Youth Group, supporting their efforts to raise awareness and help provide solutions to the ever increasing impact of HIV on their community.

The Joshua Orphan Care Centre has also recently purchased a piece of land and hopes to be able to complete a large secondary school, which will cater for many of the children from the surrounding communities, who currently cannot afford or manage the huge travelling distances to reach the other secondary school. You will help to get this large project off the ground and over the period of a few years, will contribute towards the funds and labour to complete the entire school - something that will be a challenging but extremely rewarding project to be a part of! Your financial donation will also help fund scholarships for local children to attend the school.

There will also be opportunities to get involved with the community, such as working with the women's group and local school kids - helping with workshops on health and hygiene, HIV and environmental education - the options are endless! If you want to work in Africa with children and local families whilst also improving the infrastructure and facilities for the entire community this is the project for you. The project is based in the south of Malawi, just outside the town of Blantyre in a district called Pen Sulo. Volunteers on this project will be living closely with local communities in a very rural environment. Pen Sulo is classic Africa. The villages are mud walled huts with thatched roofs and the village hall is a mat under a wide spreading tree. Work includes rural construction- cement mixing, carrying rocks and sand, making mud bricks, carrying water. You will also get involved in educational work in local schools, organising local activity days for local schoolchildren, helping with the Blantyre Youth Group's theatre productions, shopping at the local markets, days off to Blantyre town and a long weekend off to one of Malawi’s stunning game reserves. Your team will be between 8-16 people. The age range varies between GAP volunteers, University students and those wanting a Career Sabbatical. Regardless of age, all volunteers have one thing in common – an enthusiasm to experience the real Africa, spend time with communities in rural Malawi and to make a positive impact on the local children and families in Pen Sulo.