Yomps, Adventure Travel Experiences

Malaria Prevention in Malawi
Full Itinerary

Volunteer in Malawi for 2, 4, 8 or 12 weeks as part of a gap year, career break or responsible tourism travel adventure to focus on malaria prevention in underprivileged villages along the southern shores of Lake Malawi. Working from the volunteer base on the beach, volunteers will become a member of a team that works on malaria prevention projects and helps the fight against malaria through malaria prevention initiatives and increasing malaria awareness in Malawi.

Malawi

- Full Itinerary

Malawi is one of the poorest countries on the planet, having more than half of its population living below the poverty line and an average daily income of less than 60 US Cents/30 UK pence per person. The majority of the population live in mud huts or homesteads in rural areas and cannot afford malaria prevention initiatives. They instead rely upon international donor aid for the acquisition of mosquito nets, which is often disorganised, random, dependant on funding and never secured for the long term. The long-term use of prophylactics (anti-malaria medication) for malaria prevention is not an option for a solution because people build up a rapid resistance to oral drugs. The best option for the local communities is to minimise the contact with the mosquitoes, which are most active around dusk and dawn. Malaria prevention techniques include: sleeping under mosquito nets during the night time, retiring indoors as quickly as possible after dusk, spraying interior walls with long-term mosquito repellent, covering up bare parts of the body by wearing long sleeve shirts and long trousers/ pants, filling lanterns with mosquito repellent and shielding window openings with a fine gauze.

The deadly malaria parasite is transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito into the human blood stream when they bite to feed on human blood. The parasite then multiplies rapidly within the blood stream, developing the malaria symptoms and destroying the red blood cells. Low lying areas along the shore of Lake Malawi are a year-round risk for malaria as the mosquitoes breed near still water and marshes. This Yomps Malaria Prevention in Malawi volunteering trip is dedicated to help the fight against malaria along the southern shores of Lake Malawi.

- Arrival in Malawi: Meet your fellow volunteers, have a full project orientation, settle into the volunteer houses and commence your efforts towards preventing malaria and its related deaths in Malawi.

Your volunteering begins as soon as the plane touches down in Lilongwe International Airport. Upon arrival in the airport, you will make your way to meet the project representatives at a pre-arranged rendezvous point. After a brief meet and greet, you will then journey to your volunteer house, which is located near Monkey Bay – a small lake port sheltered behind the Cape Maclear headland. Here, once everyone’s comfortably settled in, you will begin to focus on Malaria prevention.

To help you to adjust to your new and exciting surroundings, your first full day at the volunteer house will involve a full orientation by our Malawi in-country coordinator. It includes an introduction to:

• The staff
• The culture and values of Malawi and its people
• The surrounding area
• The malaria prevention project
• Workplace ethics
• Local food and practices
• Malaria awareness
• Basic language lessons
• Places to visit in your free time
• The local town (on an excursion)
• Health and safety whilst in Malawi

Your accommodation during the time that you volunteer in Malawi is in one of two very comfortable shared volunteer houses. Fenced and gated with a large green garden, the volunteer houses are located about 7km south of Monkey Bay Town on the beach of Lake Malawi. Depending on the number of volunteers at the project at any one time, the rooms can vary from twin share rooms to dormitory style. There is running water, a shower and western-style toilets. Although water and electricity supplies are fairly reliable, you must bear in mind that ‘T.I.A’ (This Is Africa) and so power cuts and water shortages may occur every now and again. There are staff on the base, including a housekeeper (although volunteers are also expected to do your bit to keep the house tidy and clean), as well as a night watchman for your security.

Three meals a day are included, with a breakfast of cereals or toast usually provided on a self-service basis, although the cook may treat you to something a little heartier occasionally! The lunchtime meal is either a packed lunch or self-service if you return back to the volunteer house at midday. A nutritious and tasty evening meal will be prepared by the cook in the evenings.

- Our Role

For either 2, 4, 8 or 12 weeks, volunteers operate from the volunteer base located on the shores of Lake Malawi, and concentrate on malaria prevention in the surrounding villages. If you are staying for four weeks, you will focus on around three-five homesteads, which each contain a number of buildings. You will be grouped into teams and supported by a local Malawian malaria officer who will facilitate your efforts and serve as an interpreter when raising malaria awareness. Some of the tasks that you can expect to be involved in are below:

• Manufacturing specially made mosquito nets for the homesteads that you work with to minimise the contact between mosquitoes and humans during the night. Commercially designed pyramid-style nets do not work, as people can be bitten through when their body touches the side of them, meaning their arms, legs, hands, feet and forearms are bitten
• Impregnating the nets you make with long-term mosquito repellent
• Re-impregnating and repairing existing nets
• Installing /maintaining and replacing fine gauze netting over all openings in each homestead
• Spraying the interior walls of each building (apart from those storing food)
• Conducting malaria prevention lessons with the support of our liaison officer, in order to increase malaria awareness with the members of the homestead
• Conducting malaria prevalence research with each homestead, as part of a long-term assessment of research results
• Providing additional materials to the homesteads to help with malaria prevention, such as mosquito coils and lantern additives, which help repel mosquitoes from the homesteads when the malaria prevalence increases during the rainy season
• Although it is not compulsory, volunteers can also raise additional funds to use for the purchase of additional supplies and equipment, to assist with the impact of our work on the area and increase malaria awareness. This can be arranged during your stay with the project coordinator.

- Volunteer Support

During your time volunteering in Malawi, you will always have the guidance and support of the organisation and staff. This network of people will readily provide you with advice and assistance, and answer any queries you may have. House staff are always on hand throughout the day and the project coordinator lives at the volunteer house.

- Skills Required

No previous experience is required to join this programme, as this trip is designed to give volunteers all the necessary skills and knowledge they need to volunteer in Malawi and fight against malaria. The volunteering is open to anybody of at least 18 years of age. All volunteers must be willing to work hard as part of a team, be enthusiastic, adventurous, have a good sense of humour and be respectful of the host country’s environment and cultures.

- Weekend Activities

Malawi is commonly known as the ‘Warm Heart of Africa’, referring to the renowned friendliness of its people who tend to be very warm towards travellers. The country is also known for its spectacular scenery, containing beautiful mountains, stretching plateaus and the third largest lake in Africa, Lake Malawi. The country therefore boasts a number of attractions that you might like to visit on the weekends that you are not focusing on malaria prevention. These include a variety of National Parks that take you to see a variety of beautiful animals (including zebras and lions), and the Mulanje Massif – a large isolated mountain in southern Malawi. There is a monthly programme of safaris/activities, which are not included in the project fee but are organised and paid for once you are in Malawi. Or if there is something you would like to see independently, project staff will be able to help you to organise excursions. On the other hand, you may just choose to relax on the shores of Lake Malawi or visit the nearby village of Cape Maclear, where a number of small lodges offer great scuba diving and snorkelling.

- Arrival Details

Volunteers will be met at Lilongwe International Airport at a prearranged time and rendezvous point, to be transferred to the volunteer house (located about 3.5 hours away).

- Costs

Please note that when completing the online booking form, you should select the applicable start date and specifiy your desired trip duration in the 'Other Details and Information' section.

	Pound sterling (£)	US Dollar ($)	Euros (€)
2 weeks	649	1,279	829
4 weeks	1199	2,349	1,520
8 weeks	2398	4,679	3,020
12 weeks	3597	6,999	4,529

- Malaria Awareness

Travelling to long-haul destinations can be a wonderful and exciting experience. Before you go, make sure you take the right travel advice about visiting Malaria risk countries. At Yomps we are committed to stopping traveller deaths from malaria which is why we support the campaign being run by Malariahotspots.com. Click here to download our free guide about Malaria Awareness (opens in a new window).