Volunteer Opportunities, Malawi, Africa

•	How To Apply
•	What Happens Next
•	Fundraising and Donations

Ben with some of the children from Kachere nursery school

Emily helping pupils from the primary school with their reading

How To Apply

We strongly recommend that you submit your application to us AT LEAST EIGHT WEEKS before you want to start your placement, but the earlier you send your application to us the better. We need enough time to process your application properly, and you need enough time to organise your flights, arrange your vaccinations (some of which need several weeks between injections), and prepare for your journey.

Before you apply, please make sure you know how much it will cost you to join our volunteer programme (see the Costs section for the current rates). We also recommend that you do some thorough research about Malawi, including transportation, health care, etc. — there are several excellent websites (some are listed in the Links to Websites, and Suggested Reading section) and guidebooks — and speak seriously with friends and family about the opportunity. If you are then still genuinely interested, please complete an Application to Volunteer with RIPPLE Africa form and return it to us by e-mail.

Before you make your application, please check the Frequently Asked Questions section as it covers most of the questions we've been asked to date. However, if you can’t find the answer to a question that you wish to raise, please ask us when making your application.

Our application process tries to ensure that everyone is up to living and working in such a unique environment. Also, places are limited for volunteers at Mwaya as we can only comfortably accommodate 10-12 volunteers at any one time.

What Happens Next

Following receipt of your application, we will assess where your skills best fit in with our projects, and we'll contact your referee for a personal reference for you. Once we've received a positive response from your referee, we'll email you with an offer of a placement on our volunteer programme. The email will either ask you to confirm the dates you would like take up your placement, or it will give the dates for which your placement is provisionally booked. Details of how to pay your deposit and balance will also be given. In addition, we'll attach two documents in PDF format: Rules, and Personal Health and Safety for Volunteers Whilst at Mwaya Beach which we ask you to read carefully, and then sign and return it to us by post; and Getting to Mwaya Beach which gives some information about getting to Malawi and Mwaya Beach.

Important Note: Please do not book your flights until you have received a placement offer from us.

Fundraising and Donations

Your deposit and balance (see the Costs section for the current rates) go directly to funding the projects in Malawi but, as you'll appreciate, there's always a need for extra money so that RIPPLE Africa can embark upon constructing additional buildings, tree planting projects, etc. We encourage all our volunteers to do fundraising prior to their departure, and a number of former volunteers have raised in excess of GB£1,000 (about US$1,500). Download the A-Z Fundraising Ideas to give you some inspiration. Also, we are registered with Justgiving where you can create your own fundraising page — for information on how to do this, please click here. We've created a fundraising leaflet to assist you with any fundraising you do for RIPPLE Africa. We can also supply pictures of life at Mwaya to help you with your fundraising as well, if required. Once we've received your deposit, we'll send you a DVD with all of our videos.

We suggest that you retain some of the money you raise to take out so that you can spend this on your own project; for example, buying pens and paper for a class, or building materials for minor building works. We ask that you send us any money you may have raised before you leave home. When you arrive at Mwaya, you'll see that this will be enormously appreciated and put to good use. We know that your life will be touched forever by your time at Mwaya — it is a very special place — and we hope that, on your return home, you'll continue to be involved with RIPPLE Africa by helping with fundraising and recommending future volunteers.

Raise Funds for RIPPLE Africa Online Through justgiving

To find out how,
please click here.

•	Running/Marathons
•	Treks/Walks
•	Cycling
•	Swimming
•	Wedding Gifts
•	You are limited only by your imagination!

Paul on his sponsored bike ride from Sheffield to Land's End

Students from Luton Sixth Form College at one of their fundraising events

Planting out tree seedlings in January 2007

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Company Registration No. 04823686 • UK Registered Charity No. 1103256

Contact RIPPLE Africa