Itinerary

GETTING THERE

You will fly from Heathrow to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, where you will catch a connecting flight to Lilongwe International Airport, Malawi.

Our AV representative will meet you and take you to the Korea Garden Lodge, where you will spend four days on your orientation course.

BRIEFING AND ORIENTATION

The orientation course will cover the following:

• History, culture and customs of Malawi
• Safety, health and security
• Teaching techniques, lesson planning and practice
• Education system in Malawi
• Basic Chichewa (the language)

YOUR NEW HOME

Lilongwe
For those of you staying in the Lilongwe area, you will leave by coach early in the morning to be dropped off at your schools.

Zomba
Those heading south will be dropped off in Blantyre, the old capital. Our representative will join you and take you to your schools in the Zomba area, where school staff will welcome you and settle you in.

House
Your house will probably have two or three bedrooms, a communal and cooking area and somewhere to wash. Electricity, if you're lucky enough to have it, is intermittent at best and you may not have running water. Some have flushing loos but a few don't - jerry cans, buckets, bowls and a pit latrine, or ‘long drop' solve that problem!

THE PROJECT

You and your partner will spend about three months in your school. A large part of every weekday will be spent teaching academic lessons, organising PE, sports, extra-curricular activities and socialising in the staff-room. There will be homework to set and marking to do.

You can teach in pairs or on your own - it's up to you and how confident you feel. You should have at least 12 academic and PE/games lessons a week.

At weekends and on public holidays you will have the chance to get together with other AVs to do whatever you want. Some weekends you will want to paint a classroom or dormitory, or organise a sports event for your school; and on others you will want to be a tourist! You won't be stuck for things to do! Mount Mulanje, the Zomba Plateau, Lake Malawi - Nkata Bay, Cape Maclear and Senga Bay -they all need at least one visit!

INDEPENDENT TRAVEL

Finally, your three month school attachment will come to an end. Leaving will make you very sad indeed but nearly four weeks of travel ahead of you will certainly help to ease the pain. Some activities might include:

• More travel in Malawi or head south to Zimbabwe and Victoria Falls. Then fly back up to Kenya or travel overland through Tanzania to Dar es Salaam and to the exotic spice island of Zanzibar by ferry.
• Travel up the Indian Ocean coastline to the beautiful beaches of Kenya and Lamu. Swim, sunbathe, snorkel, scuba dive, sail and windsurf. More? OK, what about a trip in an Arab ‘dhow'? Oh! And there are beach bars and restaurants too!
• Five days to trek Mount Kenya and seven days to trek snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro - at 19000 ft the highest mountain in Africa. If one of these appeal, we know porters that will look after you well.

Many AVs travel into Uganda and Kenya for white-water rafting, bungee jumping and quad biking. The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Western Uganda is where you can trek to sit with Gorillas (expensive but very special!). You should also consider a wildlife safari in the famous Maasai Mara. We can help organise these - just let us know what you want to do.

HOME

Pass by the Kenya AV office on your way to the airport to collect your stored luggage. We suggest you try the famous Carnivore Restaurant – the biggest barbeque in the world, for your last night in Kenya!

If you are staying on a bit longer in Africa, don’t worry because “Once an AV, always an AV!” We will store luggage for you and help you out if you run into any problems.

Don’t underestimate the reverse culture shock of returning home – it is real and can be quite a surprise! But most AVs fall in love with Africa and come back again…and again! And, of course, our Nairobi staff are always delighted to welcome back old AVs.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Before departure:

Pre-departure information, support and advice
A nominated member of the UK volunteer support team
One-to-one face to face briefing for UK applicants
Telephone briefing for non-UK applicants
References taken up
Comprehensive online health check
Advice on group flight booking or individual flight arrangements
Briefing for group departure from London airport

In-country:

In-country representative
24/7 in-country backup
Meet and greet at airport (if arriving with the group)
Airport transfer (if arriving with group)
In-country induction course
Transfer from induction course to school/project
Accommodation (except during independent travel)
Food allowance (except during independent travel)
Management of emergencies, including lost passport, illness, etc. whilst in-country

Upon returning home:

Returning home advice
Full telephone debriefing

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

Flights
Travel Insurance
Country visas
Meeting of non-group arrivals
Accommodation for early/late arrivals
Medical expenses, e.g. inoculations, malaria prophylatics
In-country medical expenses
Drinks
Tips/gratuities - No tips/gratuities for AV staff are necessary or expected
Spending money
Extra activities that you choose to do
Independent travel

If you need help or want to talk about your plans to volunteer, please Get in touch

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