If you want to volunteer abroad and you are looking for a life-changing experience which will benefit other people, then our volunteer programme could be for you. RIPPLE Africa’s volunteer base is located on the shores of Lake Malawi in Malawi, Africa. You will be touched forever by the warm, friendly people at Mwaya Beach. Life here is simple, yet wonderfully rewarding. This is an ideal opportunity to volunteer abroad.
RIPPLE Africa volunteers are typically enthusiastic, hard-working, self-motivated, proactive people who are able to work under their own initiative and as part of a team. They do not replace or take jobs away from local Malawians — they assist them with the various projects running in the area around Mwaya. RIPPLE Africa volunteers are also realists — they know they won’t change Africa, but they hope they will make a difference to the lives of some of the local people.
Our volunteers are aged 21 years upwards, and are typically between 23 and 35 years old. Unfortunately, we are unable to consider applications from applicants under 21 years old. As a volunteer abroad, you will be part of the team at Mwaya Beach, and it’s important for you all to nurture the team spirit. You may well make some life-long friendships during your stay — and a number of previous volunteers enjoyed their time at Mwaya so much that they have returned for short visits.
Unlike many volunteering operations, our volunteer programme is not rigidly structured. It is really up to you what you become involved with when you reach Mwaya. The local community has so many needs that we find it is better all round if volunteers find their ‘niche’ once they reach Mwaya and have had time to talk to the other volunteers, the Coordinators, and our Managers, and also have been able to have a good look at the general area, the pre-schools, the primary schools, the secondary school, the community dispensary, the health centre, etc. However, it often takes our volunteers some time to settle into life at Mwaya. You must be prepared to be patient as the pace of life in Malawi is much slower than you will be used to.
The vast majority of our volunteers have the time of their lives, but a few have found it difficult to become fully involved. You will get the most out of the programme by being enthusiastic, resourceful and imaginative — and it’s important to remember that you will get out of it what you put in.
All of our projects are focused on finding simple, low-cost local resources to solve a wide variety of problems faced by the local community at Mwaya and the neighbouring villages. We fully understand our volunteers’ desire to ‘make their mark’ during their stay at Mwaya. However, it is important to remember that, once our volunteers have left the programme, any project with which they have been involved must be sustainable (and also easily replicated) so that the members of the local community can continue to run it themselves. All too often we have seen Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) bring money and Western expertise to a project, only for the project to fail once the NGO has left because the local people have neither been given the training nor the money to keep it going.
We would prefer our volunteers to make a commitment of a minimum of three months, although shorter stays can be arranged (see below).
Realistically, you will not be able to achieve a tremendous amount during a short stay when you volunteer abroad, but you will be able to get involved with some projects. Your stay will also give you the benefit of experiencing life in a rural area of Malawi.
This comprises five lovely beach chalets with two to three people sharing, communal hot and cold showers, and toilets. Agnes, the cook, assisted by Fabiano, Martha and Geddess, prepares the evening meals and washes up. Martha and Gedess also do the volunteers’ laundry, wash their bed linen, and clean the showers and toilets. The property, which is located right on the beach, and the local area are really beautiful. For more information about Mwaya Beach, please read the Accommodation at Mwaya Beach, Malawi, Africa — Home of RIPPLE Africa section on the Accommodation and the Area page.
When you reach Mwaya Beach, Malawi, you will be introduced to the RIPPLE Africa staff and volunteers. Soon after your arrival, you will undergo a week’s induction with Morton (Senior Manager and Volunteer Projects Manager) and/or Willard (Assistant Manager and Assistant Volunteer Projects Manager). This will provide you with an introduction to Mwaya Beach, the projects, and the volunteering opportunities, and full details are in the Volunteer Handbook which will be sent to you with your placement offer. Although there will be guidelines and some structure, there is a high degree of flexibility, and we encourage individual volunteers to use their initiative.
To see all of RIPPLE Africa's videos, please go to the YouTube RIPPLE Africa Channel