The ‘Mbawemi Women Association’ is a local non- governmental organization which was formed in 2003 in Mzuzu, Malawi.
As a volunteer at this project you will work with women and children helping them improve their living conditions, educational needs and income generating projects. Volunteers will also assist with caring for children at a day care centre and support this organization to create new programs, uplift existing programs and to learn from each other.
Programs offered
Early childhood development (pre-school)
Mbawemi has an early childhood development centre in the community to support women from the surrounding area to be able to go to work or work the field and know their children are looked after. The basic school offers 2 classrooms with 40-50 children each.
Human rights awareness
To educate especially women about their human rights, Mbawemi runs an outreach programme to create awareness and possibilities for women to develop leadership skills to further grow the movement of women empowerment.
Economic empowerment for women
To offer women resources to be more independent in a male dominated society, Mbawemi has several income generating projects such as their beekeeping project in Mzenga where not only the honey is sold to create income for the women but also to create product out of by the wax such as candles and soap. Mbawemi educates and assists these women to become more independent and economically sustainable by providing them with a way to generate a small income.
Other programs:
Mbawemi also offers programs focused on:
- Environmental protection
- HIV/AIDS prevention and care project
- Public health
- Talent and skills development
Project Needs
There is an ongoing challenge for financial support and materials to support the running of the different projects. If any volunteers can contribute with any of the following items this would be highly appreciated;
- Child care centre playing materials and educational games
- Sports equipment such as balls, skipping ropes, etc.
- Food donations for families in need
- Clothing for children and adults
- Learning books
- Laptops
Daily activities
Volunteers can be involved in a variety of tasks and activities within the diverse framework of Mbawemi’s programs, such as:
- Assisting with teaching at the child care centre.
- Monitoring and offering technical support to women with small businesses.
- Teaching extracurricular lessons to primary and secondary school students.
- Offering activities focused on sports, arts, music.
- Creating holiday programs during school holidays.
- Education in aspects of basic sanitation and hygiene.
- Assisting in skills development such as cooking, housekeeping, plumbing, tailoring, knitting and other skills.
- Possible training in the fields of project management, caretakers training, leadership skills for women and/or computer skills.
Other volunteers
You most likely won’t be alone when volunteering and meet both local as international volunteers. We get volunteers from all over the world, from the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the UK and many other countries.
