Malawi community volunteering and safari vacation

Planet

Carbon Reduction

Carbon reduction is taken into account through various methods. The accommodations used are working towards fully renewable energy and have a mix of both solar heating systems and partial solar electricity. Guests share transport wherever possible, making trips an opportunity to meet new people and share experiences. In communities, most villages are accessed on foot via footpaths; therefore, good mobility is necessary to fully experience rural Malawi, and human-powered transport is a daily occurrence.

Food is sourced as locally as possible; all vegetables and fruits are bought within 20-40km of accommodations and grown within the country. Menus change seasonally to reflect this. Meals prepared at accommodations are regularly vegetarian to reduce meat consumption, and vegan meals can be prepared on request. Dairy products are not widely available in Malawi, and minimal dairy is generally consumed in meals.

Environment & Wildlfe

Where you stay is a nature reserve and protected forest, staying contributes to the protection and management of the forest and the wildlife within it. The projects that you’ll be working with are all part of a wider restoration plan to reforest the surrounding landscape. This is through two mechanisms of change. Widespread restoration and cooperative planting in protected areas (with community established bylaws) and individual farmers reforesting their land for soil conservation, protection from heavy rainfall and land slides, and for economic benefit from coppiced wood, fruit harvesting and when trees are established enough, bees.

Therefore, when guests stay and experience community conservation in Malawi, they learn all about reducing impact on nature, natural resources, and working with the environment, not against it.

People

Local economy

Everything on a trip to Malawi is to promote local people and their economic benefit. From employing locally and upskilling people through training to buying local produce and crafts: pots, mats, ropes, art, etc. Guests visit local markets to buy fabric and other local products, then give good business to local tailors to make up shirts and lounge trousers. Projects are open to every local Malawian to partner with; some projects specifically work with marginalised groups, for example, single household women, those with disabilities, prisoners, and girls in schools. Guests only interact with these groups when appropriate and under the supervision of the local team.

All guides and conservation specialists are local to the area and have historical knowledge as well as continued professional development through the NGO.

Local economy, inclusivity, and diversity

100% of employees are Malawian, more than 90% local. The workplace strategy is to employ rural Malawians from disadvantaged and very poor backgrounds and give them an opportunity for career development and to upskill, paying them equal to, but mostly above, minimum wage.

Given the rural nature of our trips and accessibility challenges, it isn’t suitable for those with limited mobility. People with vision, hearing, or cognitive challenges are welcome on the trip providing they are independent. The project has hosted Deaf travelers, those with limited vision, as well as children with disabilities and their families.