Trip Information | Villages in Partnership

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2020 Trip Dates:

🐝 Beekeeping/Friendship: Feb. 21 – 29, 2020 (All welcome)

😷 1st Medical Trip: March 6th – 14th, 2020

🤝 1st Friendship Trip: July 7th – 15th, 2020

😷 2nd Medical Trip: July 19th – 29th, 2020

🤝 2nd Friendship Trip: July 31st – Aug 8th, 2020

Trip Overview

Where will I be staying?

N’amangazi Farm will be your home while traveling in Malawi. The Farm is owned and managed by the Blantyre Synod. There are conference/classrooms, a dining area, and hostel-style bedrooms. It is a working farm and educational center. There is access to electricity and hot water, and there are mosquito nets over each bed.

Meals

Breakfast and dinner are provided at N’amangazi Farm. Typical meals: Breakfast—fried eggs and potatoes; bread and peanut butter. Dinner—rice, sautéed greens, and chicken or goat.

Pack snacks for during the day. Please bring extras to share with the Malawian staff with whom you will be working. Instant coffee and tea are available in the morning and evening. Feel free to bring your own instant coffee packets, flavored tea, or hot chocolate. Bottled or filtered water is provided at the farm. Bring a refillable water bottle.

What You’ll Be Doing

Your days will consist of working with villagers and our Malawian staff on various projects, getting to know our partner villagers and worshiping alongside them. At the end of your trip, we will go on a safari at the renowned Liwonde National Park!

What to Wear

Malawi has several seasons, the rainy season begins in November and lasts into March. During the rainy season, it is often sunny in the morning and rainy in the afternoons. June, July, and August are the coolest months with highs in the mid 70’s and nighttime temperatures getting down to the 40s and 50s. The hot season begins again in October.

Women: Long dresses and skirts only, well below the knee. Do not bare shoulders, wear sleeves; t-shirts are fine. One Sunday outfit. Light jacket or sweatshirt needed. Sturdy sneakers or shoes for rough terrain and sandals.

Men: Casual, light pants, t-shirts, and collared shirts. No shorts. Bring one dress shirt and tie for worship. Work clothes, sturdy sneakers or shoes for rough terrain and sandals. Light jacket or sweatshirt.

What to Pack

South African Airlines allows for two 50 pound suitcases and 2 carry-ons. We suggest packing one for yourself and packing the second one with items collected for our brothers and sisters in the village.

Items you will need:

Bible
Passport (There is a $75 visa for entering Malawi. This is to be paid in U.S. dollars upon arrival in Blantyre)
Camera
Flashlight and/or headlamps (blackouts can be relatively common
Sunscreen
Water bottle
Cash (Malawi is a cash-only economy)
Hand sanitizer
Work gloves
Kleenex packets (for latrines)
Coffee packets
Converters
Batteries
Wet ones or baby wipes
Band-aids and Neosporin
Hand soap
Anti-malaria meds
Journal
Pen/pencils
European converter (if carrying electronics)
Backpack
Small gifts to offer people along the way, such as our hosts

(Often people pack clothing that is worn while there but then leave them behind for our friends.)

Gifts for VIP Staff

• Shirts

• Ties

• Baseball Hats

Gifts for home visits with vulnerable families

You can help us collect items by asking your family, friends, and church for the following:

• Blankets

• Clothing (children and adults)

• Vaseline

• Flip flops

• T-shirts

• Toothbrushes and toothpaste

• Hats

• Ties

• Children’s clothes

• Small men’s clothing

Gifts for visiting schools

• Children’s bibles with black characters

• Rulers

• Crayons or pastels

• Children’s picture books with black characters or African themes. For example:

- Galimoto by Karen Lynn Williams and Catherine Stock

- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Young Readers Edition By Bryan Mealer and William Kamkwamba, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon

- Beatrice’s Goat by Page McBrier and Lori Lohstoeter

- Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai by Claire Nivola

- Seeds of Change by Jen Johnson and Sonia Sadler

- The Water Princess by Susan Verde, Georgie Badiel

- Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears by Verna Aardema

- A Story a Story by Gail E. Haley

- Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti by Gerald McDermott

- One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference By Katie Smith Milway illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes

- Zomo The Rabbit: A Trickster Tale From West Africa by Gerald McDermott

- Juma and the Magic Jinn by Joy Anderson

Ashanti to Zulu by Margaret Musgrove

Immunizations & Anti-Malaria Considerations

You may want to get vaccinations and medications for the trip to Malawi. We recommend the following course listed below. (Note: Your doctor or health-care provider will determine what you will need, depending on factors such as your health and immunization history.)

To have the most benefit, see a health-care provider at least 4–6 weeks before your trip to allow time for your vaccines to take effect and to start taking medicine to prevent malaria.

If you are not up to date with routine shots such as the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccine, poliovirus vaccine, etc., it is recommended that you start there. The following vaccines are suggested for travel to Malawi:

Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Typhoid
(We do not recommend the rabies vaccine.)

***Every trip participant is required to provide their own travel health insurance.

Cost

Ground Fees: $1,200 (due 60 days before trip)

Includes all costs while on the ground: accommodations, food, water, transportation, luggage handling, translators, cell phone availability, internet availability, tips, travel insurance, trip coordinator, and an overnight safari.

Airfare must be obtained by individual participants: https://www.flysaa.com/.