Malawi 2024 (Project Africa) is a Berkshire Scouts international community project and global awareness programme. Put simply: young people supporting young people!
Change to outward flights
Ethiopian Airlines have rescheduled their flights from Addis Ababa to Blantyre and, as a consequence, we can no longer depart LHR/UK on the originally planned dates!
The new dates mean that each of the two groups will be departing 24 hours later than planned, ie: Group 1 departs 28 July (arrive 29 July) and Group 2 departs 30 July (arrive 31 July). The change in outward flight dates means there will be some tweaks to be made for the first few days in country and so more details will be provided later.
Joshua in Malawi food appeal
Sadly, over the last few weeks, we have received increasingly urgent appeals for food aid from our communities in Blantyre District.
Crop failures, exacerbated by factors like El Niño conditions, have worsened the already fragile food security situation since events such as Cyclone Freddy last year. While our focus at Joshua is on infrastructure development and learning resources, we cannot turn a blind eye when faced with such appeals and on-the-ground evidence. In April, the World Bank granted US$57.6 million for Malawi to address the emerging food crisis due to severe El Niño conditions.
Donations can be made by the Joshua web page.
Volunteering with Joshua in Malawi
Berkshire Scouts will be working alongside ‘Joshua’ to build a new care centre in the rural village of Milo (near Blantyre, southern Malawi). Project work will also include the refurbishment of an existing care centre in a nearby village. There will also be some smaller projects at local schools. The video below shows the kind of experience that Berkshire Scouts can look forward to . . .
Slideshow from recce
Latest news – general
Final Briefing ppt presentation.
Click here for v2 of the Travel Pack & Diary.
Click here for Bulletin 15 (June). Previous Bulletins in table below.
Click here for ‘Leadership Team – who’s who’.Report Back: Sunday 13 October.
Latest news – participants
Latest news – leaders
Carbon offset projects
Berkshire Scouts have a carbon offset fund which is serviced by surcharges on international events such as Project Africa (Uganda and Malawi) as well as events similar to Alps22 and Alps25.
It’s been approved that £5,000 from the fund can be used for three carbon offset projects in Malawi: £2,500 for a tree planting project (Treez project in Zomba); £1,500 for sustainable stoves; and £1,000 for solar panels (which will be used for the Malawi 2024 base camp and then gifted to the local community).
Final training weekend (June)
Following months of planning and preparation, the final training weekend for Malawi 2024 took place at Dorney Wood Scout Campsite. The theme was to replicate the conditions in Malawi best we could, and the sunny weather played its part!
Personal hygiene and camp skills/duties were top of the list as well as sharing final information. The programme also included patrol challenges, handling tools, learning crafts to share with Malawi Scouts, and completing work on the campsite.
Malawi 2024 online shop
(now closed)
World Travel Market & Malawi
Three members of the leader team travelled to the World Travel Market show in London to broaden our Malawian knowledge! We met with the company that will be supporting us with our in country logistics, and made plenty of other useful contacts along the way!
Images from the recce (2023)
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi has an approximate population of 20 million people. The country is famed as the ‘warm heart of Africa’ for good reason: Malawi is known for its happy people, beautiful landscapes, and rich culture
Malawi stretches about 520 miles (840 km) from north to south and varies in width from 5 to 100 miles (10 to 160 km). Lake Malawi covers a fifth of the country.
Projects in Malawi will be very similar to those completed in the three previous visits to Uganda. The projects will take place in villages approximately 30–40 minutes from the second city of Blantyre. The in-country partner supporting projects is ‘Joshua’. We are also exploring a rest and recreation base near the town of Zomba.
Joshua is a British charity working in the Blantyre area of Malawi. Established in 1998, the charity believes ‘in giving children the best possible start in life through Early Child Development work’.
Top awards and Malawi 2024
Download the ‘top awards guidance’ document to see how participating in Malawi 2024 can support you in achieving elements of your badges and awards. It is important that you let your section leaders know what you would like to achieve so that they can support you and record your achievements along the way.
Stage payments
| stage payments | due date | |
Key dates
| Key dates | 2023 |
| 2024 | |
| group 1 flight outward (depart LHR) | 27 July |
| group 2 flight outward (depart LHR) | 29 July |
| group 1 return (arrive LHR) | 16 August |
| group 2 return (arrive LHR) | 17 August |
| Report Back | 13 October |
Key resources, documents, and links
| General | |
| Scout Overseas Travel Insurance (documents x3) below: | |
| 1 Policy document | click here |
| 2 Insurance Product Information document | click here |
| 3 Summary policy extension | click here |
| Final Briefing ppt presentation | click here |
| Travel Pack & Diary v2 | click here |
| Code of Conduct | click here |
| Personal kit list | click here |
| Online Shop (now closed) | |
| FAQs (v2.0) | click here |
| Leadership Team – who’s who | click here |
| Malawi 2024 Terms & Conditions v6 | click here |
| Project Africa logo (high res) | click here |
| Project Africa logo (low res / screen) | click here |
| Malawi 2024 logo (high res) | click here |
| Malawi 2024 logo (low res / screen) | click here |
| Joshua logo (high res) | click here |
| Joshua logo (low res / screen) | click here |
| Facebook page (Malawi 2024 public) | click here |
| Facebook page (Malawi 2024 group only) | click here |
| Facebook page (Project Africa) | click here |
| Project Africa journey (video) | click here |
| Participant/Parent/Leader webinar (recording) – July 2023 | click here |
| Participant/Parent/Leader webinar (recording) – November 2023 | click here |
| Participant/Parent/Leader webinar (recording) – February 2024 | click here |
| Participant/Parent/Leader webinar (recording) – April 2024 | click here |
| Participants (14–18 years) | |
| Funding letter (template to verify participation in Malawi 2024) | click here |
| Funding support document | click here |
| Top awards guidance | click here |
| Leaders | |
| Leader Bulletin 1 (May 2023) | click here |
| Recording of recce briefing for leader team (14 August 2023) | click here |
| Leader time off letter (for employer) | click here |
| Bulletins | |
| Bulletin 1 (April 2023) | click here |
| Bulletin 2 (May 2023) | click here |
| Bulletin 3 (July 2023) | click here |
| Bulletin 4 (August 2023) – recce report | click here |
| Bulletin 5 (September 2023) – join-in programmes | click here |
| Bulletin 6 (October 2023) – top awards | click here |
| Bulletin 7 (October 2023) – flight special | click here |
| Bulletin 8 (November 2023) – youth shaped; insurance; online shop | click here |
| Bulletin 9 (December 2023) – Christmas edition | click here |
| Bulletin 10 (January 2024) – New year edition | click here |
| Bulletin 11 (February 2024) – Getting to know Malawi; FAQs; Welfare | click here |
| Bulletin 12 (March 2024) – March training weekend | click here |
| Bulletin 13 (April 2024) – Project sites and area | click here |
| Bulletin 14 (May 2024) – Location map; carbon offsetting projects | click here |
| Bulletin 15 (June 2024) – Final training weekend; codes of conduct | click here |
Project Africa journey
Malawi 2024 will be similar in format to previous visits to Uganda and these can be seen by visiting Project Africa . . . the journey as well as seeing the linked Global Awareness Programme (including the Project Africa Challenge Badge). See also video below.
For further information or enquiries:
Contact: Simon Pickett, Deputy County Commissioner (Programme)