• Most expenses will be prepaid for you including: ground transportation, medical evacuation insurance, hotel room accommodations, translators and team meals.

• Each volunteer is financially responsible for paying for and obtaining a passport and visa (if necessary), receiving any necessary immunizations, all food/beverage items in all airports and outside team meals, and any other personal expenditures/shopping during the trip.

• You will want to take enough cash with you for personal shopping. Bring U.S. currency that is as new as possible and undamaged. Traveler’s checks and credit cards (VISA or Master Card) will be good in airports, major hotels and many shops, but cash is the easiest and most convenient method of payment.

• You will be able to exchange money locally. Please bring new $100 bills. You will get a better exchange rate than smaller bills, and they don’t take older money. 

• The currency in Malawi is the Malawian Kwacha. To find the most up-to-date currency conversions, please go to XE Currency convertor. 

Here are some helpful guidelines concerning the safety and security of your personal items:

• Be mindful of how you carry your purse or where you place your wallet. Men, keep your wallets in a front or zippered pocket, as keeping it in your back pocket will make it susceptible to pickpockets. Ladies, keep purses across your chest or use a fanny pack (keeping your hands free is also wise).

• An under garment money belt worn around your waist is a safe way to carry your personal cash or passport.

• Stay with a group of people at all times – always go somewhere in pairs.

• Take a minimal amount of jewelry with you – nothing flashy.

• Be a confident traveler even if you are unsure or uneasy in a certain situation; confidence and calmness is key.

• We also suggest that you make copies of all flight itineraries, wallet contents, passport, visa, etc. and carry copies in a separate, secure location. It would also be a good idea to leave copies of everything with someone at home also, just in case. These copies could prove invaluable should your personal documents be lost or stolen.

We hope you will enjoy the local cuisine. Most meals will be eaten at a hotel or local restaurant. All foods that will be provided to you should be well prepared and safe for you to eat.

Meals are supplied on clinic days, but not on travel or recreation days.

• As far as drinking water is concerned, to be on the safe side, always drink bottled water and brush your teeth with bottled water at the hotel. Avoid ice. Bottled water will be available.

• You may want to take some personal snack items with you – good items to take include granola bars, dried fruit, and trail mix.

WEATHER:

Malawi has a tropical climate with a wet and dry season. The rainy season lasts from November to April, bringing warm temperatures and frequent showers. The dry season, from May to October, features cooler, more stable weather with lower humidity and sunny days, making it ideal for outdoor activities.

For further information about weather, please consult these sites: Weather.Com and Weather Underground.

TIME ZONE:
Malawi is in the Eastern Central African Time zone and does not observe daylight-savings time.
Click here to view the current time in Malawi.

Clinic Dress Code

• Please wear long pants and the team t-shirts provided by our partners. We have found that breathable type pants by Eddie Bauer or Columbia are a good option for hot clinic days (jeans are fine). You will receive TWO clinic t-shirts on the first day of the trip. You may be able to do laundry (for a small fee) at the hotel; we also recommend bringing a mini bottle of detergent (can be purchased at the travel section) to do laundry in your room.

• Bring comfortable shoes to wear. No open toe shoes for clinics.

• No shorts in the clinic.

Before/After Clinic

• There will be time for recreation (going out, dinner, etc.) after clinic days.

• Bring a fleece jacket for the mornings and evenings when it could get cool. Days will be fairly warm.

Day-Off

On our day off, it is fine to dress like an American tourist.  Please keep jewelry to a minimum.

Here is a one week packing list as an example. You can click here to get a printable list.

Clothing

• 4 – Pants

• 5 – Shirts

• 8 – Pairs Socks

• 2 – Clinic Shirts (will be provided)

• 2 – PJ’s

• Walking Shoes

• Windbreaker or Light Jacket

• Swimsuit (if needed)

• Sandals

Toiletries

• Shampoo

• Conditioner

• Toothbrush

• Toothpaste

• Razor

• Hair Things

• Brushes

• Sunscreen

• Bug Spray

• Lotion

• Sunglasses

• Kleenex

• Imodium

• Advil

• Any Medications Needed

Miscellaneous

• Cash

• Passport

• Passport Holder

• Bank Card

• Credit Card

• Pen (to fill out forms)

• Neck Pilow

• Phone Chargers

• Computer chargers

• Converter/Transformer

• Laundry Detergent

• Wine Opener (for others)

• Head phones