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Lilongwe, Malawi

Safety

Safety in Lilongwe, Malawi
What do other Racers need to know in order to be safe? Current safety protocols/precautions in place? Any relevant issues/concerns? Any precautionary suggestions?

People’s Opinions

  1. Ministry: Youth for Christ, Team: Overflow We stayed at a guesthouse on the Trans World Radio compound. It was gated and there was 24 hour security so we always felt safe. We used the same taxi drivers (Austin and Friday) for ministry days, but used local transportation on our off days and never had issues. The only time that safety seemed a little questionable was being out in the city at the store past dark when there was only a couple of us girls, so I’d recommend trying not to do your grocery shopping at 7pm with just 2 or 3 ladies like we did one time.
  2. We were at African Bible college. Very safe, 10-15 guards on campus. You can walk alone on campus, but outside of campus have a partner. Don’t go too far outside of campus at night because there is prostitution on the streets.
  3. Also, avoid the mini bus stations at all costs. Lots of pickpockets and just not a safe area.
  4. Lilongwe is fairly safe. Just don’t go out alone, be smart, and DO NOT, under any circumstances, go to the professional soccer games.
  5. Lilongwe was safe. Area 49 was really safe during the day & night. The market place near the bus station in the city was very busy, and there are many pickpockets. Keep bags in front of you and look out for other teammates with backpacks on.
  6. Youth Care Ministries:We felt very safe while here. You are about a 50 minute drive outside of Lilongwe by mini van. We were told to keep windows closed at night to decrease risk of burglary.
  7. Try not to take mini buses outside of the city, they are super dangerous.If you are at African Bible Colleges it is safe to walk around the campus at night, but it is not safe to go outside the will without a host after dark, especially walking.Keeps bags in front of you, especially at bus depots and markets.If you are robbed, remember that it is just stuff, and do not tell “theif” because Malawians take burglary seriously and will mob him, possibly to death. So yea, don’t do it.

Ministry Summary

Ministry Summary in Lilongwe, Malawi
Breakthroughs? Suggestions? Concerns? On a scale of 1-4 (1 being not at all, 4 being absolutely) how strongly would you recommend another World Race team go to this ministry location & why?

People’s Opinions

  1. Ministry: Youth for Christ, Team: Overflow We were the first team to ever get to partner with YFC Malawi. In fact, our month here was helping to pioneer the organization and start it from the ground up. Our ministry involved sharing what we learned with outreach and putting on programs from Impact Africa in South Africa, and also sharing all that we learned from being with YFC in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (how it runs, what the target age is, how to raise up leaders, how to reach the targeted age group, tips and tricks, songs, games, bible lessons, event ideas, etc).
  2. We partnered with a Pastor and his church this month. We lived about 30 miles outside of Lilongwe in his house with his family. Five days out of the week we went to a different nearby village and evangelized from 9a-2p. We split up into groups of 2 plus a translator. We also helped preach on Sundays and assist with the children’s group. Every night someone from our team lead a devotional with the family.
  3. We worked at African Bible College with Richard McGuire. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays we worked at the college. There was a lot of different options to choose from. You could do swimming lessons, basketball coach, soccer coach, teaching in the academy, construction, office aide, library aide, worship training, radio, tv broadcaster, clinic, etc. Tuesday’s and Fridays you go to a village and work with Live Love ministry. Tuesday’s you can do soccer, teaching at an after school program, or women’s bible study. Friday you can play soccer, women’s bible study or VBS. The thing about ABC, is that if you want to do a certain ministry, just ask. Even if it’s not an option presented to you, they most likely can make it happen.
  4. We worked at African Bible College with Richard McGuire. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays we worked at the college. There was a lot of different options to choose from. You could do swimming lessons, basketball coach, soccer coach, teaching in the academy, construction, office aide, library aide, worship training, radio, tv broadcaster, clinic, etc. Tuesday’s and Fridays you go to a village and work with Live Love ministry. Tuesday’s you can do soccer, teaching at an after school program, or women’s bible study. Friday you can play soccer, women’s bible study or VBS. The thing about ABC, is that if you want to do a certain ministry, just ask. Even if it’s not an option presented to you, they most likely can make it happen.
  5. Pentecostal Christian Ministries:Tues- Fri Mornings: door- to- door evangelism. In the afternoons we did kids ministry in different areas. Friday afternoons we did youth ministry. One saturday we visited a hospital & preached there. One Saturday we did a sports tournament with the youth kids.Sundays: we preached & taught the kids.
  6. Youth Care Ministries:In the morning we did manual labor Monday-Friday, while the kids are at school.In the afternoon Monday-Thursday we did after school programs teaching English and Math. Half the team would go to one on Mondays & Wednesday. The other half went on Tuesdays & Thursdays to a different school. They prefer the same people go to the same schools each week for accountability.If you are not at an after school program, you help the kids at Youth Care with Homework and do tutoring (English classes).Friday afternoons was volunteer work. We spent our 3 Fridays in a nearby village.
  7. We worked at African Bible Colleges. In the mornings as would teach at the academy(grade school) and then in the afternoons we would partner with a teacher or a college student in the ministries they do around Lilongwe. We had a lot of downtime due to not always having transportation to outside ministries, so we tried to build relationships with some of the families and kids on campus. If you work with Gret Glyer as your host ask him about doing malaria clinics. This was my favorite thing I have done on the race so far. We went into a village and tested about 80 kids for malaria and provided mediction for the ones who tested positive. Also ask Gret about HOWMs. It’s an organization he started to provide homes for widows and children in villages around lilongwe.

Lodging

If you are looking for specific ministry information, please click on the link under the Ministry Partner Info section to visit that page.
Mabuya Camp
Email: info@mabuyacamp.com, bookings@mabuyacamp.com
Website: http://www.mabuyacamp.com
Contact: Brian

Last used Fall 2010

Lodging in Lilongwe, Malawi
Where did you stay? What were the accommodations (sleeping arrangements, toilets, showers, etc.)? Cost (per person per night in USD), Contact info.

People’s Opinions

  1. Ministry: Youth for Christ, Team: Overflow We stayed at a guesthouse at Trans World Radio. My team had the whole house all to ourselves- 2 bedrooms with 3 beds in each room. We had a normal toilet and shower (cold water, but hey it was a real shower!). There was a kitchen and a dining room. TWR provided towels, pillows, bedding, and mosquito nets for us. They also provided all the kitchen dishes/cooking utensils. Basically all we had to ever buy was our food and toilet paper and laundry washing soap. There is also wifi at the radio station. It was weak inside the house, but the closer you got to the radio station building (literally 15 feet away) the better it worked.
  2. My team: RootedWe lived with Pastor and his family in his house in their village about 30 miles outside Lilongwe. Our team was co-ed so 3 girls slept in one room with 2 beds and the 3 guys slept in another room with bunk beds. You share the 1 bathroom with the family that has a bucket shower and 1 sink. If you want hot water they will boil some for you. Usually the days were warm so the cold water was good. There’s not much to do in the village, but you can walk or ride a taxi bike to the market for snacks or a cold Fanta. 🙂
  3. We stayed at African Bible college. It was so nice and way unexpected. There are 4 huts and we had two teams here so we accommodated 2 of the huts. 6-8 beds in each hut. They are bunk beds, super soft mattresses, mosquito nets, room to unpack! 2 bathrooms/showers per hut and there is a fan. Hot showers almost all of the time. Power is on a schedule, so ask someone to send you a schedule of the power. There is a common room that is pretty big, we had the whole squad come over for a potluck and it fit all of us. Really nice kitchen with a fridge and a freezer (bottom part of the fridge wasn’t working when we were here, so use the freezer for fridge items). Lots of stove tops, but only 2 of the ovens worked. One was a gas stove. Water is always available. There is a washer and dryer but you are supposed to pay. There is also a guy that can cook and clean for you in the kitchen, but it was easier for us to just cook and clean for ourselves, don’t take advantage of him. Really good opportunity to bless him.
  4. Mabuya Camp also has western toilets and HOT showers!
  5. We tented at Mabuya Camp for 3 months. Plenty of room (the entire squad of 51 + SQLs stayed for one night). They gave us a deal of $3USD per night to tent. The staff is incredible!! They built us a shelter to keep our tents under, since it was rainy season. Max, Kelly, Henry and Joseph are AWESOME!!
  6. Rej’s Lodge: Area 49Great accommodations. Beds to sleep on with a fan in the room. Running showers. Great staff that provided breakfast. $4USD per person/night (including breakfast).Phone: +265 0999458640email: k.mkwinda68@gmail.com
  7. Mabuya CampRun by white people, so understanding them on the phone is actually possible. We had 48 people tent here, with plenty of space. They were friendly and love World Race groups and will always give a discount for teams. We paid $5USD/night. Phone: : +265 1754978
  8. My team stayed in huts at African bible colleges. They were approximately $5 per night per person. And they were legit!! Super soft beds, mosquito nets, warm showers(until the water ran out) and there is wifi on campus, just ask the host. We also had a chef that prepared our meals after we purchased food from shoprite which is in walking distance.

Food / Meals

If you are looking for specific ministry information, please click on the link under the Ministry Partner Info section to visit that page.

Food / Meals in Lilongwe, Malawi
What did you eat? Where did you get the food? Cost (per person per day in USD)? Contact info (if applicable).

People’s Opinions

  1. Ministry: Youth for Christ, Team: Overflow We grocery shopped and cooked for ourselves. We cooked/ate all our meals together which made the $5/person per day go a long way and because of that, we were able to treat ourselves to a couple boujee dinners as a team this month. We shopped at Chipiku because it was the cheapest usually and then would go across the street to shoprite for the couple items we werent able to find at the first place. There was a fruit stand on the street near our house, so we’d purchase bananas and other fruit there!
  2. We went to the nearby shoprite and bought our food. We cooked for ourselves. You can go a long ways with $5 a person per day. We bought food for 4-5 days at a time, but our team only ate dinner together because of ministry. We had pizza, steak, chicken.If you want a meal out there is 4 seasons but be prepared to pay $10-$15 usd.Plenty of places to go eat such as pizza inn, there is an Indian restaurant that we ate at very often at Gateway mall.
  3. Dinner at Mabuya camp costs 3000MWK (or 4000MWK for the more expensive option). For breakfast we would buy groceries at Game/Shoprite/Chipiku or you can buy at Mabuya (but it’s much cheaper to get groceries). Mabuya has a guest fridge and cabinets, but the stove/oven in the guest kitchen doesn’t work. For lunch we usually at with our hosts. On off days, you can buy lunch at Mabuya too.(Mabuya has all American food and it’s all really good!!)Other places to eat:-Bombay Palace (indian restaurant): Nice restaurant, you can go and sit down, or call in and order/ go pick it up (or get one of the taxis to get it!) Portions are LARGE- would suggest splitting curries with another person.-Pizza Inn: it’s pizza, but it’s not great. We got sick the one time we tried to eat it. (The one by Game. Another team says the other one is really good.) Buy one Get one free pizzas on Tuesdays.-Galitos: We’ve probably eaten Galitos 30258594 times. SOOOO good. It’s a grilled chicken fast food chain. We always get Chicken Strips & Chips, Lemon Garlic and Herb. (Just make sure you tell them no Mayo if you don’t want it all over everything you order, including salads.) Roughly 2000MWK per meal & so worth it.-Creamy Inn: Ice cream & really good too! They’ve got cups, cones, toppings, caramel & chocolate dips, milkshakes and slushes.-Mama Mia: Italian food, haven’t tried it yet, but supposed to be really good.-Everest: Pizza can be ordered from Mabuya & they’ll deliver it for you! You can also go to the restaurant- lots of options.-Uni Cafe: all the deserts in the world. Chocolate Lava Cake, Nutella crepes, ice cream sundaes, milkshakes, etc.Food Lovers Market is over at Gateway mall (area 49) and about a 10 min tuk tuk ride away. It’s practically African Whole Foods.You can find next to any American food in Lilongwe. Superior food market is also near Game. Lots of American candy/ every flavor of Oreos ever created/ etc.
  4. Breakfast was provided at our hostel. Lunch & dinner our host prepared for us. We stayed within our food budget of $5 per person/day. We ate lots of nsima, rice, beans, & potatoes, with some greens, meat, and Sobo Squash to drink! We even had some people from the church bring us homemade bread & muffins. So great:)
  5. While at Youth Care, our host Aunty Mercy cooked our meals for us. She is wonderful, love her well. Because she loved us so well. She is full of laughter. Don’t be afraid to tell them when you are in need of something if you are running low. Also, if you choose to pay for food in increments, make sure you let them know for how many days the money is for. We miscommunicated this the first few days, and had a considerably more amount of food after we explained it was only for a week.Water you should buy in town. We went to City Mall (By Crossroads) almost everyday to the supermaket, on our way home from After School programs.
  6. In the same mall is a Chipiku, which is also good for groceries. Near the Pizza Inn is a small restaurant called Papaya. They have wifi, which works decently, as long as you don’t have more than 5 World Racers sucking the juice. The food is pretty good too!
  7. There is a shoprite right next to the mall for grocery shopping. There is also a store called “game” right in the mall that is just like a walmart. The Pizza Inn in the mall has decent pizza. Don’t waste your time on the ice cream next door to the pizza inn, it’s gross!

Transportation

Transportation in Lilongwe, Malawi
What transportation did you use to enter the country? Where were you coming from? What transportation was used to move throughout the country? Be sure to include the cost per person in USD and contact info if applicable.

People’s Opinions

  1. Ministry: Youth for Christ, Team: Overflow We either used local transportation, the radio station’s personal transportation, or Friday and Austin (the taxi drivers our hosts set us up with)
  2. We didn’t get a transportation budget because we didn’t need one. Mini busses aren’t safe to take out of town, but are safe for traveling around town. 300mwk a person to go anywhere. Tuk tuks are the next expensive route, 1500-3000mwk depending on where you are going. That is for everyone. Then you can get taxis which are more expensive than that.
  3. Mabuya Camp will call you a tuk tuk anytime during the day (don’t take tuk tuks at night). They’ll usually take 3 people, but they aren’t supposed to. If they get caught by the police they get fined 5000MWK. They’ll take you into town for 1500MWK one direction, and all the drivers know where Mabuya Camp is.Rashid & Stanley are the taxi drivers too, & they’re awesome. 2500 one direction
  4. Taxi Driver:We found a great taxi driver that we grew close to, great guy that was very dependable whenever we needed his 7 person van to drop by.Latkece (pronounced Lat-kiss)0999 309 102Latkecepatrick@gmail.com
  5. Youth Care:To get into town you walk about 10-15 minutes to the main road. You can catch a mini van into town for no more than 400 kwacha each. If they try to charge you more, tell them “no, 400”. You’ll get some laughter from the whole van because they know you know what is fair. It’s 400 no matter if you stop at Crossroads or go all the way into town. It’s about a 50 minute ride more or less, depending on police stops and pick ups. Get ready to experience all sorts of smells and have no personal space. But it’s really the only way into town.If you are coming home to Youth Care, you can get a tuk tuk from Crossroads/City Mall for 2000 kwacha.If you’re brave and willing to put a little extra cash in, you can get a taxi for 3500 kwacha.Reuben is a nice tuk tuk driver: 0999581323
  6. You can take cabs to get around Lilongwe. Shouldn’t be more than 2,000-4,000kwacha depending on how far you’re going. We often used a cab driver named Roger to get around and go to the Mozi embassy. He is a Christian and really nice guy. If you need a mini bus to get around, Bernard is a really great guy. Our team rode with him all month to do ministry and we used him to pick up our coaches for debrief. His number is 0996776610

Medical

Medical in Lilongwe, Malawi
Information on local hospitals / doctors / pharmacies. Where would someone go in a medical emergency? (addresses and contact info).

People’s Opinions

  1. Ministry: Youth for Christ, Team: Overflow Our squad was recommended to take Bilharzia parasite medication at the end of the month. We purchased it at a pharmacy near Chipiku. It was super cheap- less than $1 for all the pills. You literally just walk in and ask for it, they weigh you, and then give you the amount of pills you need based on how much you weigh.
  2. African Bible college is your best bet.
  3. There is a pharmacy at ABC if you go to the clinic, but there is also a stand alone pharmacy in the Game shopping center. They’ve got Malaria pills, pills for after you swim in the lake, everything.
  4. African Bible College clinic in Area 49 is really good. There’s a smaller clinic just down the street from Mabuya Camp, but it’s a lot more sketch. Also, we’re pretty sure they’re mostly a gynecologist (??). We had Salmonella & E. coli and they tested us for Malaria and told us we had food poisoning. Would recommend ABC. Great doctors, much more clean.
  5. African Bible College has a good clinic on campus. The doctors speak english and were very helpful.
  6. There is a pharmacy in City Mall by Crossroads. If you need parasite meds, Flagyl is a wonderful thing. My team had take it in South America, so we recognized the symptoms right away. You get 30 tablets for about 350 kwacha. They know what flagyl is, and they have them pre-packaged.
  7. African bible colleges has an awesome clinic on campus with English speaking doctors. They also have doxy pills for about 3 cents per pill if you need a refill.

Communication

Comptech Cyber Cafe in Lilongwe is cheap, decent speed ethernet and individual computers (no wifi, though.) It’s something like 450 kwatcha per hour, which is nothing, and they are almost always open, which is handy. Skype works well. It’s located next to Ali Baba restaurant and across from Station (sp?) Bank.

Minutes for cell phones are really easy to get (almost every street vendor sells them). Internet cafes with plug-in stations are cheaper than getting WiFi.

Communication in Lilongwe, Malawi
Did you have cell reception / Internet service? Where? Carrier / Provider, where did you get phones / SIM cards, cost? Country code?

People’s Opinions

  1. Ministry: Youth for Christ, Team: Overflow We purchased SIM cards and data from Airtel which is in the same shopping area as the Chipiku grocery store. Service was great. Data was a little more expensive here compared to previous countries though.
  2. Many members of my team bought wifi routers, very expensive though. $50usd for 15GB. Some people bought a sim and put it in there phones. TLs and SQLs got SIM cards for team phones. Buy minutes on the street or at Airtel. Pretty hard to find wifi anywhere else that is worth going to. If you have sprint, your phone should work.
  3. Wifi is expensive. Would recommend getting Airtel sim cards for phones. They work great and only cost 500MWK for the card. You can buy minutes & convert them to GB’s of data (2000MWK = 1GB wifi)Logistics & SQLs- we got Internet Sticks from the Airtel store. A little pricy, but definitely worth it for emails/check ins/ debrief planning!
  4. Our team went to the Grill House and had to pay for wifi. 400 kwacha for 30 min. It was pretty good wifi for the cheap price. Next to the Shoprite in the city center. A bonus: you could also get coffee, coke, & some good food there too!
  5. Kiboko Hotel Restaurant has great wifi. You need a skyband card to access the internet. They sell cards for 5,000kwacha. You can use your own skyband card if you have one. You will need to purchase a drink or coffee to be there. Cost is 600-1000kwacha for drinks I believe.

Financial

Financial in Lilongwe, Malawi
Location of banks or ATMs, notes about transaction fees, best places to exchange money, and other money related advice.

People’s Opinions

  1. Ministry: Youth for Christ, Team: Overflow We used the ATMs in the same shopping area as the phone store/grocery stores. There’s also a currency exchange place nearby in that area. Ask your hosts for the name of it or use google and you’ll find it. I found that it was about 50/50 for places that accepted cards or places that were cash only.
  2. There is ATMs at Gateway mall, that is where we got our money out.
  3. The AIM cards usually only work at the National Bank ATMs (by Chipiku). There is also a National Bank right in town. Can’t get USD at the National Bank, even in the foreign transaction line. But that’s the line you’ll use to get large sums out on the AIM cards. They’ll send you to a foreign transaction office where you can trade Kwatcha for USD. $10USD charge for getting USD.
  4. In the same mall/shopping center area where the Chipiku and Papaya and Pizza Inn are, there’s a street of banks and ATMs. There’s also an upper floor of ATMs in the shopping area, next to Chipiku.

Translators

Translators in Lilongwe, Malawi
List any local translators – name and contact information, languages spoken

People’s Opinions

  1. Ministry: Youth for Christ, Team: Overflow Our hosts, Edward and Nellie, and their partners, Faith and Tammie, translated for us most times
  2. We paid our pastor (with Harvesters) $100USD per month up front

Off Days / Fun Activities

Off Days / Fun Activities in Lilongwe, Malawi
What activities did your team experience? Recommendations? List locations/contact info. Any locations to be avoided? Any extra safety tips for off days?

People’s Opinions

  1. We hiked Mount Mulanje. Our host took us. It was a 4 day trip and we stayed in huts on the path. About $90usd a person which includes transportation, gas, lodging, and anything else you can think of. Food was in team budget. Gateway mall has food lovers, shoprite, couple restaurants. That’s where we would see the whole squad on the weekends. We were fortunate enough to stay at ABC, so we had a pool, gym, soccer fields, basketball, volleyball courts. We hosted a potluck at our house for the squad. There is a thrift store called DAPP, this is a must do. Very nice things for very cheap. Most of the squad got a complete wardrobe change here. Markets are fun to go to, but don’t let them rip you off on prices.
  2. To do most extravagant things, you need more than one off day (ie, Safaris). Just something to keep in mind when planning.
  3. -We hiked Mt. Mulanjie (about a 6 hour mini bus ride to Blantyre). We paid 180000MWK one direction for a private mini bus that held our team of 6.-DAPP is the thrift store & it’s really fun! They set limits for the day, so if you go on a good day you can get a lot of stuff for really cheap.-Chichenge market– awesome for wrappas (1500MWK). Wouldn’t recommendthe market just in town, unless you go with a local. They’ll rip you off HARD CORE.-Gateway mall- lots of shops, food lovers market, shoprite, airtel store, DHL and FedEx offices, and a really nice Salon (haircuts, manicures, pedicures, waxes, everything)-DO NOT GO TO THE PRO SOCCER GAMES. I know it sounds fun. I know it looks cool. Just don’t go. Our team was sexually harassed/ groped/ the whole nine yards. Just don’t do it.
  4. Bunda mountain is pretty cool. We rented a van for about 15000 Kwacha ($30) from someone who lives on campus and drove ourselves there. It’s a pretty easy climb(45mins) but it’s steep. Also, be sure to turn left before you make it to bunda agriculture college or you will have to drive all the way around the mountain to find the entrance. Take a left at the faded rock quarry sign.

Other Important Contacts

Other Important Contacts in Lilongwe, Malawi
Additional ministry opportunities, local pastors, etc. Relationship & follow up suggestions

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Tips

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Additional Info

Additional Info in Lilongwe, Malawi
Anything we’ve left out? Any additional suggestions to make travel easier for others?

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