Duration: 14+ days If you enjoy telling stories of your adventures, why not have an adventure telling stories to African children as a story-teller with the Book Bus in Malawi.
By climbing aboard the Book Bus your contribution will help children become readers, opening up all sorts of doors and opportunities. The Book Bus visits schools and remote villages in southern Malawi, loaded with a cargo of picture books, painting equipment and all sorts of other design materials. Wherever we stop we read to the children and use creative activities to bring the stories to life. To make the visits sustainable, we donate a "Reading Corner" (starter library) to each establishment.
The Book Bus operates in Malawi throughout the year and we need volunteers to join us during this period for a minimum of 2 weeks up to a maximum of 5 months.
Malawi is often called "Africa for beginners" because it's so safe and the people so welcoming. It has none of the "edge" and threat that many of her neighbours now have. The scenery is beautiful with rollings hills and uplands, the magnificent Mount Mulanje massiff and the star of the whole show, Lake Malawi. It has so much to offer the visitor and there's a wealth of things to do after your working holiday. Why the Book Bus needs you.
Malawi is the 13th poorest country in the world with an average literacy rate of just 63%. Despite free primary schooling for all children, teachers struggle to improve the country’s education standards.
Read more... Huge class sizes and lack of resources hinder teacher and pupil alike. When the Book Bus outreach team visited the country’s schools in 2010 the requests for books were overwhelming.
Currently available resources in Malawian schools average less than 1 textbook per student.
Leader journal What will you be doing?
Volunteers travel on the Book Bus and work with small groups of children. We aim to give them the opportunity to engage with the stories and characters. We encourage them to associate books with enjoyment and creativity and in doing so hope to sow the seeds of a lifelong love of reading that will benefit the children and their communities for years to come.
Read more... We work with the children in the following ways:
Practising Reading
This can be a case of working individually with the children or reading altogether in one group
Dramatising stories through art and craft
By planning arts and crafts around the storylines and characters the children have the opportunity to be creative and use their imagination.
Organise fun activities around the books
This is a chance for the volunteers to use their imagination and play games and plan fun activities related to the stories.
A typical day
7am - Wake up - breakfast and washing up
7:30am - Prep time
8:30am - Hit the road
9am - 1:30pm - At school (4 one hour sessions)
2pm - Lunch back at camp
Afternoon/evening - Free for prep/relaxation/after school classes
What makes a good session — Art and craft — Which books work well The Book Bus crew
The Book Bus crew is made up of a volunteer leader, Book Bus driver and up to 10 volunteers at any one time. You will travel on board the Book Bus from school to school and often orphanages or hospitals.
Read more... Do you have a passion for books and a desire to share the magic of stories with children?
If you combine these two traits, then consider climbing aboard, as your contribution to the Book Bus could help children become readers for life, boosting their education and quality of life in the future.
Your desire to engage with children will be key to the success of the project (previous experience of working with children is welcome by not necessary). Some measure of artistic and/or musical talent, or at least a willingness to have a go, will stand you in good stead. And, if you are shy in company, be prepared to shed at least some of your inhibitions! Our crew members all share a positive outlook, enjoy being part of a team and have a real desire to make a difference.
There's no doubt that it's the hard work, dedication and teamwork from the Crew that helps the project run smoothly: every Crew Member plays a vital role in making the project a success. We find that within every group there are a wide range of skills and talents that can be drawn upon at different stages to complete the project. For example, interpersonal skills that help the group "bond" and form an effective team; practical skills such as language, the use of basic hand-tools and the ability to provide a decent meal from "challenging" ingredients, all help to make the project team efficient and selfsustaining. Crew Members with a talent for art, music or sport make a difference during project "down-time" and a positive approach fired by the desire to help others will provide the motivation to keep the group on track throughout the project.
Glenn: Book Bus leader — A typical crew Life in camp
During the project you will be staying in comfortable bungalows situated in the lower Shire Valley with magnificent views, around 15 minutes from the city of Blantyre.
Read more... Accommodation
Your accommodation is set in a magnificent fifty-acre park on the edge of an escarpment, overlooking the Great Rift Valley. The park is filled with indigenous trees and plants and home to a multiplying population of antelope.
There is a swimming pool on site and the views of the surrounding country are magnificent.You will be staying in shared bungalows, each one with its own bathroom
Meals
You will be eating communally and very much working together as a team. We can cater for virtually any dietary requirement as you will have input into the weekly shop and can even accompany the leader to the local markets. The Book Bus attracts volunteers from many different walks of life and ages so you can be sure that you'll be part of a diverse and interesting group.
The crew tend to dine together although you can always dine out in Blantyre for a change of scene.
Weekend activities — Blantyre profile Placement cost and what's included
Everyone that joins the Book Bus pays for their own flights, a project contribution and makes a donation to the kitty. This covers all food, accommodation, art material, 24/7 support, field manual, volunteer leader, Book Bus T-shirt, running costs of the Book Bus.
Read more... The project contribution for an initial two week placement is £749 plus a local payment of $450. Each additional week is £195 plus $225 local payment.
It is possible to raise funds for your placement and The Book Bus Foundation is listed on www.virginmoneygiving.com We can provide you with a fundraising pack, leaflets, money boxes, stickers, posters and t-shirts to support your event or activity.
Not included
Malawi Visa (if required), International flights, optional activities, travel insurance, vaccinations, personal expenditure.
Flights to Malawi range from £600-900. VentureCo have access to favourable rates and are fully ATOL bonded. If you would like a quote just get in touch.
The nearest airport is Blantyre where we pick-up and drop-off. It is often cheaper to fly to Lilongwe and catch the 4 hour express bus to Blantyre. Contact us for advise and options.
Duration
You can volunteer for any duration from 2 weeks to 4 months. The Book Bus departs our base every Monday which means you will have to arrive on the Saturday. This gives us a chance to conduct a project briefing on the Sunday and for you to meet your fellow volunteers and settle into Malawian life.
This is a popular project and space is limited so we advise that you send in your booking form (download here) as soon as possible.
Volunteer review — Facebook Important Information
You will recieve a field manual before you travel with everything you need to know, including advice about visas, health, expected weather and what to pack.
Read more... VentureCo are well practiced in preparing volunteers for placements and you can be assured that high measures of safety and security will be followed at all times.
Weather — What to pack — Visas The history of the Book Bus
Tom Maschler came up with the idea for the Book Bus when on holiday in Zambia in 2007, since then it has expanded to five projects in three countries.
Read more... Tom Maschler was a publisher for over four decades. While still in his twenties he ran Jonathan Cape, where he published no fewer than thirteen Nobel Prize winners. He nurtured the careers of many of the Twentieth century's most esteemed authors, including Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Ian McEwan, Joseph Heller, Roald Dahl and Bruce Chatwin. He also came up with the idea for the Booker Prize; now acknowledged as the most significant fiction prize in the world.
On holiday in Zambia he was shocked at the lack of resources in the schools and so came up with the idea of the Book Bus; a mobile library, travelling from school to school promoting literacy.
Read more about the Book Bus Foundation on www.thebookbus.org
The original Book Bus — Quentin Blake Book Now
You can secure you place on board with a deposit of £100 per person.
Download and complete a booking form now and climb aboard for a life-changing experience.
If you have any questions or need further information or would like to speak with a past volunteer then drop us a line. volunteer@thebookbus.org