Malawi 2024 (Project Africa) is a Berkshire Scouts international community project and global awareness programme. Put simply: young people supporting young people!
Volunteering with Joshua in Malawi
The video shows the kind of experience that Berkshire Scouts can look forward to . . .
Slideshow from recce
Latest news – general
The date for the Final Briefing for participants/leaders/parents is Tuesday 2 July. Details to be announced nearer the date.
New version of FAQs (v2.0) added to the key resources table below.
Click here for Bulletin 13 (April). Previous Bulletins in table below.
Click here for ‘Leadership Team – who’s who’.
Next participant/parent/leader webinar: Monday 29 April.Final training weekend: 21–23 June (Dorney Wood Campsite).
Report Back: Sunday 13 October.
Click here for the Malawi 2024 personal kit list.
See table below (Key resources, documents, and links) for Scout Overseas Travel Insurance documents.
Latest news – participants
Final payment (£900) due 30 May 2024.
Latest news – leaders
Final payment due 30 May 2024.
Next Leader Briefing: Sunday 12 May.
March training weekend
The second training weekend for Malawi 2024 (held at Earleywood campsite) was hugely successful in continuing to prepare all participants for our big adventure in the summer. The camp welcomed members from the Malawi diaspora community in England as well as a team from the Malawi High Commission (London). This contributed valuable learning about the culture of Malawi.
The weekend was essentially visiting different activity and skill bases. These included: construction work; refurbishing a storage unit; mural artwork; photography; African drumming; cultural bases; and catering. The weekend also included a focus on the importance of welfare and wellbeing. It was great to see we have so many artists amongst our participants. This will add so much to our project work when refurbishing school classrooms and care centres.
Malawi 2024 online shop
The online shop is open for business! Click this link to visit the shop. Goods in the shop include clothing, bags, etc, as well as the opportunity to ‘buy a brick and help build a better life in Malawi’.
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 | |
| Balance | £900 | 30 May |
| An invoice will be sent for each stage payment |
Key dates
| Key dates | 2023 |
| 2024 | |
| Participant/Parent/Leader webinar | 29 April |
| Leader Briefing | 12 May |
| final training weekend | 21–23 June |
| final briefing (participants/leaders/parents) | 2 July |
| 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 |
| Personal kit list | click here |
| Online Shop | click here |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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)