Welcome to Malawi – The Warm Heart of Africa!

Malawi is a small, narrow, landlocked country in sub-Saharan Africa. It shares boundaries with Zambia in the west, Mozambique in the east, south and south-west and Tanzania in the north. It has an area of 118 484 square kilometres, of which 94 276 square kilometres is land and the remainder is water. The major water body in the country is Lake Malawi, which is to the southernmost of the Rift Valley and has a total surface area of more than 30 000 km square kilometres.

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. Malawi is making efforts to overcome decades of underdevelopment, corruption and the impact of an HIV-Aids problem, which claims the lives of tens of thousands every year. Malawi is predominantly an agricultural country, with this sector accounting for about 35% of the gross domestic product, 93% of export earnings (primarily tobacco), and providing more than 80% of employment. 

Lake Malawi, Africa’s third largest lake is a huge attraction, being both culturally interesting as well as a fantastic beach destination. The crystal clear waters are home to a vast number of cichlid fish, and the lake offers excellent swimming, snorkelling, scuba diving, kayaking and sailing opportunities.

Malawi is not especially known for its big game safaris, but Liwonde National Park on the Shire River is particularly good for bird-watching and has good concentrations of big game, especially elephants. Other regions such as Vwaza and the Nyika Plateau are well established and strongholds for particular species of interest, such as roan antelope, whilst lesser known regions such as Nkhotakota and Majete are beginning to develop into reasonable game-viewing destinations.

All international flights have the option to land in either the capital Lilongwe or Blantyre. There are road routes into Malawi from Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique. Assume that border posts will be closed from about 18.00hrs and reopen at 07.00hrs. Visitors requiring a visa may find this difficult to obtain at border posts and are advised to obtain the documentation in advance.

Go Volunteer Africa offers meaningful and extremely affordable volunteering opportunities in Malawi to volunteers from around the world.  Go Volunteer Africa placements in Malawi are combined with superb holidays and vacation adventures.

If you are looking for somewhere to volunteer in Africa for a short or long stay, Malawi is an ideal destination. Programs are perfect if you want to do something more than sightseeing and would like to see more than the average tourist and truly start to understand this distinctive culture. 

VOLUNTEERING IN MALAWI QUICK FACTS

• The program is open all year-round
• Very flexible start and end dates (arrive any day of the month)
• Over 10 oustanding sustainable project options
• Projects are based across the country with major locations being Blantyre
• Accommodation available at host families
• We host over 20 volunteers every month across Malawi
• Program fees include pre-departure support, airport pick-up, orientation, accommodation, meals and 24/7 in-country support
• We are the most affordable organization in Africa, because we are the locals!

You will get to integrate into local society, sample the tasty food, experience the vibrant culture and also make a difference. There are summer and year round programs available where you can help people and the environment. Volunteering in Malawi and helping people is a highly rewarding experience and there are also lots of cultural and sightseing activities you will get to do in your spare time.

VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS

Volunteers need to be 18 years or over to participate, unless volunteering with a parent or guardian. All volunteers are required to have adequate volunteer travel insurance and provide a criminal background check to Go Volunteer Africa's local Coordinators on arrival in the country.

SAFARIS & TOURS

Safaris, day and cultural tours can be organized over the weekends for volunteers. This is a fantastic opportunity to explore Malawi's hospitality. There is a lot to see and do in Malawi.

Go Volunteer Africa programs are run in partnership with in-country NGOs, small community based organizations, local research institutes, academic organizations and conservation agencies. Project descriptions and information are supplied directly by our partners or field staff and are accurate at time of publishing.

We aim to keep information up to date and accurate, however, the nature of our projects and programs and in particular the fact that they are constantly evolving and developing in response to changing needs means that project activities, travel schedules, tour itineraries and daily timetables can change overnight and without notice.