Asha Malla records a snapshot of key moments during the 2014 trip: playing with children, camping in a game park, climbing Mount Mulanje, visiting a lake side village and ending with women in a village singing to thank the team for helping to fix their borehole so they had access to clean water again.
Dr Pat Lund outlines a few of the varied cultural experiences on the 2014 trip to Malawi
The first work experience trip (August/September 2014) was to the central African country of Malawi where students stayed in two rural lodges, one on the shores of Lake Malawi.
Malawi Visit 2014 – What will Students be doing?
Malawi Visit 2014 – Toys for the Local Children
Malawi Visit 2014 – Dietetics students interested in Diet & Nutrition
Malawi Visit 2014 – What Can You Do?
This nursery teaches 157 children under five.
During our stay at Nanchengwa lodge at Lake Malawi we visited Mdalacikowa Nursery where we all donated some toys as they had nothing before we arrived. The children’s smiles lit up the room when we gave them each a toy to play with. We spent two mornings playing with the children, this was a lovely experience and really good fun. They sang twinkle twinkle little star to us in English and they loved playing clapping games. Beth Doda
We went to help a village high up in the mountainous region, too far and treacherous for any vehicle to enter carrying building supplies such as bricks. We arrived to be engulfed by a large group of the children, as was the case at most villages we worked at. We met a group of villagers who were making bricks from the water, mud and clay dust which was available from the ground itself. The process involved mixing water and mud together with hoes, then all of us jumping around in the mixture till it was a smooth dough like consistency. I definitely shouldn’t have worn jeans! The mixture was then placed in casts and left to dry in the sun. As we started to get involved more and more villagers came out to help which showed a strong sense of community. Sunny Nahal
Upon our arrival at Nanchengwa Lodge (on the shores of Lake Malawi) we had the chance to observe an initiation ceremony- the last part of a 30-day ritual- and see a local Nyau dance.
Words can’t describe the experience of volunteering in Malawi. I enjoyed every second of it and hope to go again in the future. From day 1 we started learning Chichewa (the main language spoken in Malawi) and a little about the culture and African music by meeting a chief and an artist. Dan Javed
Please click on a student name to read their reflective account of the trip to Malawi