Roll your sleeves up and get stuck in!

The remoteness of the village on this Mission Direct trip offers those people who want to fully immerse themselves into working on a building project the opportunity to do just that. There are no other link projects to visit, so our time in the village is a full time hands on experience. However, there are always opportunities to interact and play with the local children who often spend their days with us, watching and helping us where they can use their local skills. And there will be time to enjoy the stunning mountain scenery surrounding us.

Education is very limited in the area, with children walking up to five hours daily to attend the nearest (overcrowded) school. The government is keen that there should be proper schooling for this region, and have agreed to provide pay for staff and teaching materials once the school is built. Teams in 2012 will be working alongside a South African missionary team to complete the building work on the first school module which was started last year. It consists of two classrooms, an office and store rooms. Work will also begin on the second identical module. A further two are planned.

As the school will benefit children from all the nearby villages, the missionary team has encouraged local people to take responsibility and ownership of the building from the beginning. This has been demonstrated in different ways by some villages making quotas of bricks, the local football team digging the foundations of the first module, and men, women and children all helping out, whether clearing elephant grass, carrying water or removing excess soil. So you will be working alongside the local volunteers in helping to complete this important and longed for school that will bring life changing opportunities to so many children who are desperate to learn.

Previous teams have felt that living on site and being able to fully devote all their time to the project has helped make their trip experience all the more fulfilling.

 The Team "Cottage"

Our "cosy" accommodation requires some TLC each day, so team members are expected to help out with simple housecleaning duties and washing up on a rota basis....Marigolds supplied! The team cottage is a brick house with cold running water and no electricity. This is a perfect opportunity to escape from the everyday trappings of mobile phones and internet!

Team Treat

At the end of your time in Malawi you will get to spend a couple of days by the beautiful Lake Malawi, soaking up the sunshine and peacefulness as you lay back, relax and gaze in awe at the stunning sunset and sunrise sky, silhouetting the local fishermen gliding by in their dugout canoes.