About the Program
With more than half of its population living below the poverty line,
Malawi is considered one of the world’s poorest countries. The infant
mortality rate in Malawi is extremely high, due to the poor health care
and malnutrition. At the moment a preschool system is non existent. This
means that for children under the age of 6 there is little access to
any form of education. Our volunteers provide vital support by improving the level of
education and assisting the teachers improve their English and teaching methods. For this project a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) degree is not necessary; however, it would be a great asset.
The project is situated in the Mangochi District of Malawi, which is situated on the edge of the beautiful Lake Malawi. Volunteers will work alongside other volunteers, volunteer leaders, and local teaching staff on a daily basis.
Typical Tasks
The preschool groups that we support exist of about 50-100 children and
are run by one or a small number of local volunteer teachers. Volunteer tasks will vary from:
- Teaching basic English, including the alphabet, counting, days of the week, shapes and songs
- Serving meals to malnourished children daily as part of a feeding program
- Recording children’s weight to monitor their improvement
- Teaching the children all the benefits of good health and hygiene (e.g. washing hands, brushing teeth)
Mornings will be spent assisting in the nursery and schools. In the afternoons
there are various extra-curricular community projects volunteers will
assist with. Some projects that volunteers can assist with after school include:
Library Workshops
The library workshops we organise give the children the opportunity to
do activities they would not usually have the chance to, such as art and
crafts and reading. Volunteers will assist with these activities as
well providing extra English and maths tutoring.
Wildlife & Environment Club
This entails educating the children about the environment, conservation, and the importance of preserving the wildlife in Malawi.
Sports
During the sports activities volunteers will get the opportunity to
coach a variety of sports, including football, netball, volleyball and
rounders. There are also other activities we organise, such as ball
games, skipping, parachute games, and obstacle races, which the
children love! We encourage volunteers to instruct their own games and activities as well.
Project Highlights- Work with disadvantaged, orphaned and vulnerable children
- Help improve the education of children who are willing and eager to learn
- Teach extra classes to smaller group sizes allow more individual attention
- Run fun afternoon activities, such as wildlife clubs, arts and crafts, reading clubs and drama
- Provide adult education sessions, helping them develop skills and vocational training to rural communities
- Teaching the teachers and students computer skills
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