Malawi is one of Africa’s smallest and most beautiful countries. It really is a magical destination. The nation is landlocked, situated on the eastern side of Africa and surrounded by Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania. The spectacular Lake Malawi, “discovered” by David Livingstone 150 years ago, is close to where you will be based during your two-week trip.

Why visit Malawi?

• It’s warm, smiling and friendly people, most of whom work hard to survive on subsistence farming

• Untouched beauty in Africa’s Rift Valley

• Lake Malawi the 9th largest lake in the world

26th June - 10th July 2027

Supporting Education in Salima, Malawi

Mission Direct is delighted to continue its partnership with Starfish Malawi, supporting the ongoing development of Trinity School in the Salima region. Together, we are helping to create opportunities for children to access education in an environment that is safe, welcoming and equipped for learning.

In 2027, teams will contribute towards the construction of additional classrooms at Trinity School, helping to meet growing demand and ensure more children can benefit from education. These new learning spaces will support the school’s long-term vision and provide improved facilities for both students and teachers.

Alongside the practical work, team members will spend time with the school community, building relationships with staff and pupils and gaining a deeper understanding of daily life in rural Malawi. Working in partnership with Starfish Malawi, the focus remains on supporting locally-led education initiatives that are already making a real and lasting difference.

This is about investing in children’s futures, strengthening communities and helping education to take root in a way that lasts.

It’s not all work! During your stay we will ensure that we take time out to relax on the shore of Lake Malawi, see the local countryside and watch the sunset behind the magnificent baobab trees. 

At the time of publishing while we finalise the details we cannot guarantee what visits, activities and R&R may be possible.

The transfer time from the airport to your accommodation is around 90 minutes by road. We travel in a minibus type vehicle each day to and from the work site and also for our afternoon visits. We use local drivers (employed by Starfish Malawi) who are competent, know the roads and also act as translators when needed. Malawi has relatively few cars and lorries. Instead people walk or cycle. Bicycle-taxis are popular but we do not use them. Although the main roads are generally reasonable, and we encounter few other vehicles, we do not travel at night since the roads are unlit, making it difficult to see pedestrians and cyclists.

In June/July, when you visit, it is the end of their winter with daytime temperatures similar to summer in the UK. If the skies are clear the sun will be very powerful. You will be 2,000 feet above sea level so the nights can be chilly and feel extra cold because of the comparative warmth of the day. So bring extra layers for cool evenings. 

You will stay at “Waterfalls” which has a guest accommodation in a secured compound. The guest accommodation was purpose built for such mission trips and the food is simple and based on local availability but adapted to be more English than African. It includes fresh fruit and vegetables. Breakfast comprises fresh bread / toast, spreads and sometimes eggs. Drinking alcohol is permitted when we visit a hotel at Lake Malawi at the weekend.

Bear in mind that although basic based on UK standards, this is considered good quality accommodation in this part of Africa. Rooms are generally twins, shared to keep the costs down. All rooms are ensuite with a basic shower, toilet and washbasin. All beds come with mosquito nets. Towels and linen are provided but bring your own towel if you fancy a swim when we visit a hotel on Lake Malawi.

Water and electricity are not always available – it is very likely that one or both may not be working at some point during your stay. When you take a shower don't expect it to be hot! Waterfalls uses solar power during the day to heat water. Hot water, for tea and coffee, is provided at Waterfalls.

Your trip contributions cover flight and transport costs, accommodation, main meals, drinking water, tea and coffee, travel insurance and your down-time excursion. You only need additional money to buy phone credit/SIM card, additional soft drinks or snacks, souvenirs, gifts and money for any church offerings. 

Some people are moved to support the people that they meet e.g. buying a bag of maize for a family. It is also possible to sponsor a child through secondary school via our partner, Starfish Malawi. 

Bring money in UK Sterling and we can arrange to change it locally. The local currency is the Malawi Kwacha. £1 = 2190 Kwacha (at May 2024) – this is more than twice as much as in 2019 as the kwacha has been devalued.

Local language is Chichewa but English is the official language

Aid donations need to be handled sensitively and your team leaders will inform you of the most useful aid to bring with you. As a general rule, education supplies, clothes and shoes, including jumpers, are welcomed. 

Mission Direct does not encourage you to give money or gifts of any kind directly to an individual or family as this can create envy and build a dependency and begging culture. While children appreciate blowing bubbles or a ball to play with it can cause problems if you don't have enough for everyone. In general, we support our partners who are best placed to use funds where most needed and your team leaders (who are also self funded volunteers) will direct you on any specific needs during our pre trip orientation sessions which are designed to help you prepare for your trip.

When you join a Mission Direct team you will meet people from a range of backgrounds. It is important that you come ready to be a team player. We work hard together and generally have a lot of fun doing so. Some of these ‘strangers’ may well become lifelong friends afterwards. Trips where people try to opt out and ‘do their own thing’ tend to be far less successful and enjoyable for everybody on the team; please bear this in mind. 

Mission Direct is a Christian organization and the Partner organizations that we work with are often, though not always, led by Christians. We are all on a life journey and are delighted to welcome people of any or no faith to join us. Typically we have short morning and evening reflections and on the trip you will visit a local church. We would like you to attend these aspects of the trip as part of the ‘teamwork’ ethos though there is no pressure for you to join in with the services, sing or pray if you don’t want to. The trips provide an eye-opening cross-cultural experience and are great fun. 

You don’t have to be particularly strong, able, young, old or skilled in building or DIY to join a Mission Direct trip. We will put you to suitable work pretty much whoever you are. Children under 18 are welcome as long as they are accompanied by at least one parent or adult “en loco parentis”. The youngest child to join us was 7 years old, the oldest person was 88. If you are deemed fit to join the team by your doctor, we will be glad to have you join us.

Sadly, there are accessibility issues for Mission Direct trips due to the nature of the country and, of course, the building sites. If you have a particular disability, please get in touch and we can discuss what is possible on this, or another Mission Direct trip.

Parts of the trip may be substantially different to your last visit. Prepare to do different things and meet new people, though you will probably also see some familiar faces too. We ask that you allow those on their first trip to enjoy and experience each day as it unfolds, so avoid those ‘spoilers’ please!  

7:30am Daily devotions and breakfast

8:30am Drive to the site and work on the projects 

1:00pm Packed lunch and freshen up at “Waterfalls” 

2:00pm Visit in the local community

4:30pm Return to Waterfalls to shower and relax

6:00pm Supper

7:00pm Reflections on the day

7:30pm Free time

To join us, you’ll be asked to cover the cost of your trip, which is calculated using the previous year’s volunteer numbers and the total cost of the campaign. We build in an assumption of being able to claim Gift Aid on 60% of all contributions. We rely on this to cover any cost variations and to keep the charity running so it is important that you Gift Aid your contribution if you can. 

Once your application has been accepted you will have the opportunity to set up a payment plan for your contribution. 

We ask you to fundraise for more than just the trip contribution to support building costs and help pay for materials and local labour. 100% of any extra funding, excluding Gift Aid, goes straight to the project.

Mission Direct is registered under the ATOL scheme licence number 10768 

All the flight-inclusive mission trips on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay your contribution you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels, and other services) is listed on it. Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.caa.co.uk

Your Financial Protection.

When you go on an ATOL protected flight inclusive mission trip package from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.

We, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL Certificate, will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where neither we nor the supplier are able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable).

If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us, the travel agent (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme