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A day in the life of a volunteer Working hours are 8.30am to 4.30pm 6 days a week with a long weekend off every 4 weeks, and every day is genuinely different. In the animal care department responsibilities include: - General animal care: The caring team are responsible for hundreds of animals, and always appreciate support on cleaning, feeding and maintenance. - Orphan care: as the only wildlife sanctuary in Malawi we are always taking in rescued, orphaned and injured animals. We rely on volunteers for orphan care, which could mean hand raising a baby monkey or a duiker. - Enrichment: we work hard to ‘enrich’ the lives of our residents every single day, so volunteers can get involved in making enrichment toys and testing them out on the animals. - Vet support: There is no vet assistant volunteers are often asked to fill in and support our in-house vet. This may include emergency procedures on residents/new arrivals or the regular check ups. - Release programme: Volunteers are a big help in tracking and monitoring of wildlife in the initial stages of release both within our own wilderness area and at Kasungu National Park The Centre also operates an extensive education and community outreach programme, and projects that we need help on include: - Wild Kidz education programmes: we welcome hundreds of school children through the gates every week and volunteers can help our education team to develop and deliver our education modules both on site and within the schools themselves - ‘Green and Clean’ project: with funding from the UNDP we are working with our local communities to plant sustainable wood lots and vegetable gardens, and providing training to encourage sustainable living and the use of alternative fuels and discouraging negative practices such as sand mining and deforestation. - Outreach support: working with the most vulnerable members in the community, we have a number of projects including adult and child literacy classes, and there are building and painting projects at the local orphanages that we often fund and help out with. - Marketing: There is no end of work to do here, and you are more than welcome to help with outreach visits to schools and businesses, write articles for the local papers or helping out with our local fundraising events Best time to go? Any time! Malawi has a reasonably temperate climate for Africa. Wet season is from November to February, but is actually quite pleasant as rains last only an hour or so in the afternoon. It reaches around 32 degrees in the hot months of October and November, and the coolest month is July, at around 25 degrees but still bright and sunny. Skills required We have such a wide variety of projects to work on that anyone who is enthusiastic and hard working will be able to apply themselves, make a difference and have a fantastic experience. Our volunteer manager will make sure that you are well looked after, and provide structured programmes for you to feed into which are adapted to your strengths and passions. We are also very open to new ideas and projects than might help us, so volunteers who like to use their initiative are extremely welcome! Accommodation Ever fancied waking up to the sound of a lion roaring or be able to see monkeys play from your bedroom window? In our volunteer accommodation you can! Volunteers stay together in our Volunteer House, which is within the heart of the wildlife centre and surrounded by our animals. This allows you to be close to the action and, alongside having the benefits of being within the centre of a capital city, experience the wild side of Africa. The House has mixed dorm-style accommodation with a kitchen, living area, electricty, hot running water, and an attractive garden area for al-fresco eating and relaxing in the evenings. Spare time The wildlife centre is a great place for socialising in the evenings and on your day off. You can grab a drink at the bar, enjoy a picnic in the wilderness trails or as a volunteer you have access to the wildlife sanctuary for the occasional night safari to see the nocturnal animals come to life! There are craft and food markets within walking distance of the centre, where you can browse the stalls for curios, pick up some local veg and practice your haggling! Long weekends can be spent on the shores of Lake Malawi, which is just 2 hours away, and we also have special discounts with a local tour operator for 4 day safaris to South Luangwa in Zambia, which is renowned as one of the best safari experiences in Africa. Malawi is a stunning country, and if you have time at the end of your placement we would recommend you take a tour to see some of its wonders. Project price includes Price includes accommodation, all meals, airport transfers, work related transport, orientation and in-house support from your volunteer co-ordinator and a much needed donation to the centre. Minimum age 18 years Not included Flights, personal travel insurance for the duration of your placement (must include cover for repatriation), vaccinations, souvenirs, excursions and additional travel. Further Information: Malawi is known as ‘the warm heart of Africa’, both for its stunning beauty and friendly people. It’s also one of the most densely populated countries in Africa and one of the poorest countries in the world, which puts enormous pressures on its natural resources. As a result, the illegal trade of wild animals and their slaughter for bush meat is still a big problem in Malawi, at a time when conservation of both the environment and wildlife is more critical than ever. The Wildlife Centre was set up in 2007 as a People and Wildlife Centre, the first of its kind in the world, taking over a 120 hectare wilderness area right in the heart of Malawi’s capital city. Not only is it the sole wildlife sanctuary for orphaned and rescued wild animals in Malawi it is also a centre for the people, operating extensive community outreach and education programmes. We believe we can make a real difference working with the local communities in terms of raising awareness of the importance of respecting our environment and keeping wildlife in the wild, whilst also providing alternatives to practices such as deforestation and the illegal bush meat trade. There have been some fantastic achievements at the Centre within the last couple of years – there’s the rescue and rehabilitation of hundreds of animals including lion, leopard, antelope, baboons and crocodiles. The sale of wild animals on the side of the roads in Lilongwe has now been eradicated thanks to local campaigning. The PAW (People and Wildlife) clubs in 12 of the poorest communities are fully supported by the chiefs and officials, with whom we have developed various income generation projects and we even have support from the UNDP and City Assembly for our city wide afforestation project plan. You will be working primarily at the centre, which comprises of 120 hectares of protected and pristine wilderness right in the heart of Malawi. Permanent animal residents include primates, carnivores and reptiles and - since the centre is the only wildlife sanctuary in Malawi - there are new arrivals that need our help every week. The centre is also open to the public and in addition to guided wildlife tours there are also over 6km of wilderness trails to enjoy, and hundreds of local families and school children are welcomed through the gates every week. Malawi is an extremely friendly country, known as the ‘warm heart of Africa’ so you can’t fail to get to know the local community through the visitors and fabulous staff, and volunteers have such a great time with us that many extend their stay!
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