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Malawi
Contact
sva_malawi@yahoo.co.uk
Our partner NGO in Malawi
AYISE (Active Youth Initiative
for Social Enhancement) is a small NGO based in the urban township Bangwe, 30 minutes away from the major city Blantyre,
in southern Malawi.
Its activities consist of
HIV/AIDS awareness, creating opportunities for youths to become involved in
the community, i.e. football tournaments as well as issues regarding human
rights and democracy.
The project
Volunteers will stay within
the grounds of the NGO in a guest house (don’t worry there are flushing
toilets and showers- sometimes even hot ones!) The project will last 10
weeks and the starting date will depend on the volunteers and the NGO,
however volunteers should be free from the middle of June until early
September (this should also allow for travelling
time at either the beginning or the end of the project).
The first week is spent with
AYISE as they give an introduction to the culture, language and history of
the country. For the following 9 weeks volunteers are placed in one of 4
schools in the local community, with one or two volunteers assisting at a
local orphan care centre. Although the volunteers’ main job is in the
schools, where they assist in teaching English and whatever other subjects
they feel comfortable in, the school day tends to end around mid-afternoon
which allows volunteers to engage in community development work.
This summers volunteers
spent their afternoons working on a variety of different projects out with
their teaching roles. Such as;
·
Working with local youths to establish and run a weekly sports
program at a local youth centre.
·
Tutoring at a
home for vulnerable children.
·
Working with a
community based organising to promote HIV/AIDS awareness.
·
Organised a day
for the women of the community, who rarely have the opportunity to
socialise together.
·
Established a
‘post-test’ club for people who recently tested positive for HIV. Effectively a support network where
people could discuss the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS.
·
Organising drama
workshops and performing in plays in schools throughout the community.
·
Worked with a
local Voluntary Counselling and Testing centre to provide home based care
for those affected by HIV/AIDS in the community.
·
Assisting in the
construction of a school block.
This summer 16 volunteers
will embark on the 6th year of the SVA – AYISE
project. The relationship between the NGO and the volunteers has always
been superb; in terms of assistance in settling in to the community,
offering new opportunities every year and ongoing support for the work they
are engaging in - not to mention a comfortable living and working
environment.
This year we are also hoping
to develop links with an organisation doing
similar work in another area of Blantyre
called Nancholi.
Nancholi is situated around 30 minutes
from the city centre and around 45 minutes from the project in Bangwe. Volunteers based here will work in a similar
capacity to the those based in Bangwe. There main responsibilities will be
teaching during the morning and afternoons will be free to get involved in
programs similar to those in Bangwe.
Project costs will be
fundraised by the group; we think the project this year will cost around
£700 - 800 per volunteer. The funds raised will cover your accommodation,
food and a construction project decided on by the volunteers. This summer’s
14 volunteers managed to raise in excess of £12,000 and used the money to
build a new school block for a Nursery where one of the volunteers was
based. They also used some of the money to set up two income generating
projects for an orphanage and HIV/AIDS support organisation.
We are looking for a group
of 16 volunteers who must be:
- Hard-working.
- Enthusiastic.
- Interested in working with children
- Innovative
- Creative
Any
questions?
For anymore information
please feel free to contact sva_malawi@yahoo.co.uk
Malawi profiles
- Malawi is a small country in southeast
Africa, often referred to as the 'warm heart of Africa'
due to the friendly nature of its people.
- Malawi has a population of around 15.2
million
- Malawi is home to the third largest lake
in Africa, 'Lake Malawi' which is
definitely worth a visit.
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