Hope Village is an amazing place to go to! I went through an organisation called Elim Missions and Mandy (the person who helped me organise my placement) was so helpful. I stayed with an English Family of Missionaries in Malawi and there were two other families close by and they were all lovely and made me feel very welcome. It is a Christian Project and Part of the Mission Statement is to 'love outrageously' and this really does happen. It is situated on 13 Hectors of Land in a place called Chikwawa. Hope Village has lots of small villages situated around it which they help.
There are many projects to get involved with at Hope Village. I helped in the Pre-school most days. The pre-school is for children who are ophaned or who have lost a parent, this enables the parent to go out to work while their child is being looked after. The pre-school is for children aged 2-5 and it runs, monday to friday 9-11. There are a range of different activites that take place here, including singing, teaching, snack time and play time, they can also go for a shower. There is also a day care in the afternoon for school aged children, while I was there they were practicing for their Easter play, so I helped with that, but they do lots of different activities; they sing songs and play games. This is also for children who are orphaned or have lost a parent but they are hoping to open it out so that more children can join.
They run a project called Annie's Closet which clothes children who need new clothes. You can get involved with this if you want to, if you see a child in need or you want to help organise the room.
There is a clinic which you can help with, they had recently received a new database system, so I was typing information into that while the patients were being seen to, and it was really interesting seeing how they do Malaria tests and observing the setting. There is a children's home on site which is a family for the children and a baby home which you can get involved with. They also took me with them when they went to a hospital and a school.
The accommodation is nice. I stayed in the family home of the missionaries. If there are many of you that want to go or there are more visitors there at the time, there is also separate accommodation on site. There are working showers and toilets and I ate with the missionaries too; in the Missionaries home we ate mainly English dishes. Mosquito Nets are provided. I had to pay for my flights, injections, living expenses, day trips and for a few pieces of clothing while out there. In all it cost about £1,500 but is was worth every penny.
I travelled to Malawi via Johannesburg. I went from London Heathrow Airport to Johannesburg airport and then from there got a plane to Blantyre, Malawi where the family I was staying with picked me up from the airport. I travelled with South African Airways and they were nice and helpful. My flight which was a return cost £900 and Mandy from Elim Missions organised it for me and I gave her the money.
I travelled with the families on site every time I went out; in one of their cars.One of the families have a trailer in the back of their car, so if there are many people, some can sit in the trailer, it's fun but bumpy!
Get involved in the social aspect of it as much as you can! It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and needs experiencing to the fullest. I went to the youth group a few times and it was so fun, Malawian Dancing is Amazing! We went to two malawian families' houses for dinner and had some Malawian people over for dinner. The food is completely different but quite tasty. I socialised with the Missionaries a lot and we watched films and went on outings. Safari is an incredible experience that I would encourage you to go on, we went on two and it was amazing! I went to two Malawian Churches which were both lovely and completely different to churches in the UK.
Things to do, things not to do
Things to do:
- Be respectful of the views and values of the people there, there culture is very different to ours, so embrace the difference where possible, and share who you are, your beliefs and values.
- Everyone in the villages has to wear a long skirt or a 'chitenje' which is a wrap-like skirt that most Malawian Women wear but you do not have to cover your shoulders, you can wear t-shirts. Men can wear shorts and a t-shirt.
- Be prepared to eat weird and wonderful things or to have people around you eating them, the basic Malawian dish is Nsima (a starchy dish which looks like mash potato) which is eaten with your hands with a vegetable condiment and fish/chicken.
- Be prepared for powercuts, take a torch
- Be prepared for the water being off for a day or two.
- Be aware of the hot weather, drink plenty of water, take a high factor sun-cream.
- Be aware that mosquitoes are around even when you cannot see them, especially at night so take insect repellent with you and use it at least twice daily.
- Remember to take your Malaria tablets every day, this is vital and any other medication you need.
- Keep your bags on you at all times at the airport. Do be aware that bag snatching does happen. This has happened to someone in Johannesburg airport before, someone told a volunteer that they could not take their hand luggage on to the plane, so they gave it to them to put in their main case, and they took it. Normally it is fine.
- Also be aware of people trying to help you with your cases when you come out of Blantyre airport and keep hold of your luggage at all times.
- Be aware of the poverty that you will see while you are out there.
- Go on Safari or other exciting social opportunities!
- Be aware that the heat might make you want to sleep more.
Things not to do:
- Do not drink water from anywhere other than Hope Village and always ask if you are unsure about anything.
- Do not be afraid to go on your own, everyone is really friendly and encouraging
- Do not give your personal contact details to any Malawian Locals.
Contact your Doctors at least a few months before as there are many jabs that are needed these include Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Rabies (optional, but advisable), Typhoid and Yellow fever. Also get your Malaria tablets too, I got Malarone which is quite expensive but I was advised was the best one.
The Main Language in Malawi is Chichewa so it's important to know some basic greetings before you go:
- Hi - Wawa
- How are you? - Muli Bwanji?
- I am fine - Ndiri Bwino
- Thank you - Zikomo!
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