Schools (Caring and Teaching) Project in Malawi

School placements are in government and church supported schools at both primary and secondary levels. The age range in the primary schools is very large, from 7 - 17! And the classes are quite large. Volunteers will be expected to teach many subjects, not just English. All extracurricular skills, p.e., sport, music, art etc are greatly appreciated and many volunteers have started debating societies, English speaking clubs, drama groups etc. As well as the national curriculum some schools also teach woodwork, metal work, home economics and some schools teach French and we have one school that would like help with music.

* Schools / Caring

There are two placements where the schools are part of an orphan care community. In these placements volunteers are involved in a range of extra curricular activities with the orphans as well as teaching in the schools. Both these placements are supported by the church and volunteers must be respectful of their Christian ethos.

* Special Needs Schools

These are new placements for Lattitude. We have two schools for children with hearing impairment and one school for blind children. There is also a small school for children with severe disabilities. No particular skills are required for these placements but some experience of working with children with special needs would be useful.

These schools are not able to give a food allowance and volunteers must be prepared to buy their own food supplies.

* Schools / Healthcare

We have one placement where volunteers teach in the mornings and help at a feeding programme for malnourished babies in the afternoon. There are also opportunities to help at the local hospital. This placement is particularly suitable for volunteers who plan a medical career or a career in health care.

* Refugee Camp

This is a challenging placement which is more suitable for older volunteers. The volunteer's main work is teaching in the schools which have been set up for the refugee children. They also undertake some English teaching for adults. IT skills are also useful.