from 883€

Fantastic 4.5rating (42)

Community Ambassador

location
4 - 12 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+

rating  Fantastic 4.5  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Very high response rate

Especially suitable

Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Groups

About the program

This organization supports a number of women in income-generating projects, day care for their children, community vegetable gardens and more.

ABOUT

Mbawemi means ‘good woman’ in Chichewa which is the local spoken language. This organisation has vowed to strive for the improvement of the social-economic challenges encountered by women in general and other vulnerable people from their surrounding communities.

Mbawemi has established a ...

About the program

ABOUT

Mbawemi means ‘good woman’ in Chichewa which is the local spoken language. This organisation has vowed to strive for the improvement of the social-economic challenges encountered by women in general and other vulnerable people from their surrounding communities.

Mbawemi has established a variety of projects to support women and children to improve their living conditions, educational needs, income-generating projects and general day care for orphans and vulnerable children.

The team at Mbawemi has many ambitions, but financial restraints and the lack of manpower leaves them in a situation where they must make the most of what they can achieve. Volunteers can support this organisation in creating new programmes, uplifting existing programmes and learning from each other.

Volunteers can choose which programme they like to partcipate with. The surroundings and who they work with depends on which programme they choose. They will work with the team who is running the programme. Surroundings are good at all projects, they can ask questions to the people who work there. Below, you'll see what you do on daily basis!

PROGRAMMES OFFERED

Early Childhood development

Mbawemi has an early childhood development and day-care centre in the community, developed so that women from the surrounding area are able to go to work or work the field and be assured that their children are looked after. The basic school offers 2 classrooms with 40-50 children each.

Human Right Awareness

To educate women about their human rights, Mbawemi runs an outreach programme aimed specifically at women, to create awareness and possibilities for them to develop leadership skills. The aim is to encourage female empowerment in communities where women are often marginalised and unsupported due to various factors.

Economic empowerment for Women

To offer women resources for increased independence in a male-dominated society, Mbawemi has developed several income-generating projects such as their beekeeping project in Mzenga. Honey is sold to create income for the women, and they are also able to create products out of by the wax such as candles and soap. Mbawemi and assistant volunteers educate and support these women with a number of projects, to become more independent and self-sustainable by providing them with a way to generate a small income.

DAILY ACTIVITIES

Volunteers can be involved in a variety of tasks and activities within the diverse framework of Mbawemi’s programmes, 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 focussed on sports, arts, music.
  • Creating holiday programmes 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.

 

DAY TO DAY ACTIVITIES

Volunteers can take part in assisting with child care at the creche, working in the community vegetable gardens, getting involved in women’s empowerment projects and skills training, helping to set up income generating projects or work with existing projects, and so much more.

 

 


Free-time activities

There are a few things to do in Mzuzu. There is a shopping centre with a modern supermarket, an internet cafe and a few restaurants where you can go to. Furthermore you can go hiking in the Mkuwazi forest reserve! If you like to do more, you can go a little bit further by public transport or rent a ...

Free-time activities

There are a few things to do in Mzuzu. There is a shopping centre with a modern supermarket, an internet cafe and a few restaurants where you can go to. Furthermore you can go hiking in the Mkuwazi forest reserve! If you like to do more, you can go a little bit further by public transport or rent a car and you can do it yourself!


Requirements

Requirements

Minimum Age: 18 years

In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

Language Skills

You need to speak English (basic level)

Criminal Background Check

required

Nationality Restrictions

No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

Other Skills

Bring your patience, proactivity, foresight and positivity!

Time Commitment

Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 08:30 - 15:00

What's Included

What's Included

Services by Go With Khaya

INCLUDED IN YOUR VOLUNTEERING FEE:
- Information and assistance before departure
- Pick up on arrival in Mzuzu
- City Tour and Introduction Programme
- Direct donation to the project
- Accommodation and all meals (7 days a week)

Airport Pickup at Mzuzu

Lilongwe Airport transfer (one way private vehicle) - $160

Accommodation

Volunteers will stay with one of our selected host families within walking distance of Mbawemi, making it very easy to get to and from work.

We offer comfortable family homes with shared bedrooms with 2 and 3 beds respectively. There is a bathroom for volunteers to use with a western toilet and shower with warm water. The home offers the use of a dining room, lounge with TV and garden.

Food & Beverages

There are 3 meals a day prepared for volunteers, consisting of 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.

Internet Access

Limited access at the project site

What's NOT included?

What's NOT included?

Flight Tickets

The nearest airport is Mzuzu (ZZU) in Mzuzu. We assist you to find cheap flights to Malawi. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

Travel Insurance

Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Malawi provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

Vaccines

If you are intending to volunteer in Malawi you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Malawi. VACCINE CHECKER

Details on arrival

Availability
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Program fees

4 weeks (min. stay) 883€
5 weeks 1,070€
6 weeks 1,258€
7 weeks 1,445€
8 weeks 1,632€
9 weeks 1,819€
12 weeks (max. stay) 2,381€
Average fees 209€/week

Program fees

209€ per week 4 - 12 weeks Age 18 - 50+

Payment methods

Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

NO CREDIT CARD FEES


Duration

4 - 12 weeks

Deposit

The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.


Final Payment

Your final payment will be agreed with Go With Khaya during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.


Meet your organization

Go With Khaya

Fantastic 4.5 rating (42 reviews)

Agency - founded in 2005

Verified by Volunteer World

  Very high response rate

Coordinated by

Igna

Spoken languages: English

About the project

Go With Khaya provides responsible and affordable volunteer projects. Take a gap year, work with communities and children, teach sport or work with wildlife.

Meet your organization

“Khaya” means village or dwelling in several African languages – but it also has a deeper meaning, that of ‘belonging’. In Xhosa it also means home or homestead and in Swahili it means boma, which is an enclosed secure area for cattle. At Khaya Volunteer Projects, we make our volunteers feel that they belong. If you choose Khaya to organize your volunteering experience, you will feel secure and well-informed. You will also feel that you belong to the project you decide to work with, as Khaya fits the right people to the right projects.

History

Khaya Volunteer Projects was established in 2005. We offered international students the opportunity to come to South Africa and experience working with local companies and organisations as interns. Our goal was to offer an incomparable experience of the diverse culture and socio-political landscape of this amazing country, and our hope was to inspire people to offer their time and effort in return.

We soon found that many volunteering projects needed more hands and financial support than interns could provide, so in 2009 we started to offer volunteering opportunities to people of all ages and walks of life, such as gap year students, travellers, and conscientious older people with time to spare – whoever you are, you will find the right project for you and fit right in. Things took off from there and we didn’t look back - in 2011, Khaya expanded to Tanzania (Arusha and Zanzibar) and Zimbabwe. Today we have offices in South Africa, Zanzibar,Tanzania and Malawi.

Our Mission

Our mission is simple but resonant: we provide volunteering opportunities for international travellers that are both unique and as affordable as possible with high standards of service and facilities. Needless to say, we also prioritise our selected volunteer projects’ needs in ways that benefit both project and you, the volunteer.

At Khaya Volunteer Projects, our greatest desire is to show people the true Africa, with its dynamic cultures and its incredible raw beauty. To live and work locally in South Africa, Tanzania, Malawi, Zanzibar or Zimbabwe means immersing yourself in these countries and experiencing your travels in an entirely unique way you will never forget.

Our offer

Khaya Volunteer Projects will introduce you to affordable volunteer projects which have been personally chosen by or established by us. You can choose from a number of viable, sustainable, rewarding ventures: working with children, healthcare, sports development, education, conservation, animals – whatever you can think of, that project wants and needs your time and energy!

We have developed an extremely hands-on and personal approach to your experience. You will have a project facilitator working closely with you throughout your volunteering program to make sure your questions are answered and your concerns addressed. No question, suggestion or complaint is too silly, small or simple! This is just one of the many reasons Khaya has volunteers coming back to us year after year.

Dynamite comes in small packages! One of our points of pride is that our volunteering projects are selected and developed for quality over quantity. This means you won’t have to stand in a queue to touch an elephant or to take part in an activity – this isn’t Disneyworld!  Many other volunteer projects have 30 or 40 volunteers involved, which we feel dilutes your experience and denies the volunteer project your focus and enthusiasm. Some of our volunteer projects are rather new and in the process of improving, so we at Khaya make it our priority to uplift and support where we can and grow these projects to new heights – and for this, we want our volunteers to be as involved as possible and not just people who paid a fee to be ‘faces in the crowd’!

Why Khaya?

Affordability

We focus on keeping our volunteer projects’ prices transparent and as low as possible while still offering the highest level of service. We encourage…no, we CHALLENGE you, our prospective volunteers, to compare our prices with other organisations. We offer incomparably affordable experiences for the level of service you will be receiving. We make sure to eliminate hidden costs and ‘fine print’ as far as possible in our volunteer project pricing. All your meals, transport and 24/7 supervision and guidance is included in our offering (this MAY differ per project, so please double-check with us).

Where does your money go?

We donate a good portion of your volunteering fee directly to the projects we work with (this can differ per project, you can check with us). This means that not only are you helping and supporting the projects with your time and energy, but you are also financially contributing to them! Khaya ensures that the costs involved in our projects are as transparent and uncomplicated as possible so that you know exactly where your hard-earned money is going to. Please contact us if you have ANY queries whatsoever regarding your fee, and what kind of mileage you are getting for your buck!

Locally based

Khaya has one fantastic advantage over other volunteer groups – we’re based right here in Africa, and are therefore directly involved with the volunteer projects on an ongoing, hands-on basis. We make every effort to visit all our projects regularly to ensure that everything is running smoothly, and to ensure that both projects AND volunteers receive all the necessary support and guidance. Our direct partnership with our projects allows us to see immediately how you, the volunteer, fit into the bigger picture, and at the same time we can help with the day-to-day details of your stay.

Very important to us: Khaya strives to create employment in Africa by employing local people at several of our projects and giving them much-needed income opportunities.

Going the extra mile

Khaya believes in going the extra mile. Whether you have questions specifically about the volunteer project you have embarked on, or just a general travel question (er no, lions and elephants don’t usually run rampant in city streets here! :). Ask away with impunity, nothing is too big or small for us to find the answer.

Khaya also conducts ongoing coaching and training of our local partners and coordinators. We train the staff of several projects on how to deal with volunteers, how to utilize them, and the best possible way to assist them. In doing so, we offer support for volunteers and at the same time foster an environment of empowerment for the full-time project workers.

Keeping it real

The pictures that you see on our website are authentic – they were taken by volunteers and Khaya staff. We want you to see exactly what you get if you sign up for a volunteering project with us. We are NOT involved in this industry merely to make a buck – we have a passion to make change happen, and to create a win-win situation for all involved. Also, we really want you to send us YOUR pictures and words, your vision of your experience, for our own knowledge and for potential future volunteers.

Pre-departure and feedback

Before you depart your home country, Khaya will supply you with a pre-departure guide with information about the project you choose. We will supply everything you need to know about visa requirements, and a list of what you need to bring with you; the climate; what to expect culturally and environmentally; and much, much more information!

We always aim to improve our services wherever possible, so once you have completed your time as a volunteer; we will ask you for feedback on your experience with us. Your feedback is of utmost importance to us to keep improving and growing our partnerships to new heights.

All volunteers will receive a Certificate of Participation after completion of their project.

42 reviews · rating4.5

Claudia Fiedler rating3

2024 at Teach Assistant

School: Overall the teaching experience is an experience that changed my view on the world. However, if you are visiting from europe you need to be aware, that things in africa work differently than at home. To me, the project seemed quite unorganised. The communication with the school was ...
David Mason-Williams rating4.4

2023 at Assistant at Siyafunda Game Reserve

Volunteering with Siyafunda was one of the best decisions of my life! Everyone involved in the project is passionate and knowledgable about their work, which I find inspirational. I learnt so much during my six weeks with Siyafunda, and I cannot wait to one day return and learn more! Anyone who is ...
Aniek Fassotte rating4.4

2022 at Penguin Rescue and Rehabilitation Assistant

Het originele plan was om zes weken bij dit project te gaan werken. Uiteindelijk is dit me zo goed bevallen dat ik mijn verblijf heb verlengd met twee extra weken. Het was mooi om zulke ervaring op te kunnen doen. Maar eerlijk is eerlijk, met de 'bazen' bij dit project moet je wel om kunnen gaan. ..
Lison Mc Nicoll rating4.6

2022 at Vervet Monkey Rescue

I stayed 2 weeks in Bambelela in June-July 2022. It was amazing! People there are so nice and we have plenty of monkey time. The tasks to do are easy but so helpful for them! An experience of a life! I’ll always remember my beautiful monkeys there! ...
Zeyneb Kasmi rating3.2

2022 at Teach Assistant

I spent in total 5 weeks in Zanzibar. The island became a second home. I taught mostly in a secondary school. It was a wonderful experience! However, I was living 25 min away from Stone Town / and the school. I did not like taking the bus/dali dali every single day. They only drive to up to a ...
corinne loze rating5

2022 at Vervet Monkey Rescue

it was an amazing experience with a lot af support and involing of volonteers. The program is very serious and it was just so adorable to take care of pink faces ...

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