Volunteer in the warm heart of Africa

What does it involve?

A volunteer visit can range from one week to three months and we accept individual and groups. Over time, you will get to know our Malawian team and discover how best you can support them each day.

You can expect to get involved with all aspects of daily life with Open Arms including caring for babies in the infant homes, visiting families in local communities, working on maintenance projects or helping in nursery schools. 

You will no doubt learn a lot from our team who will be around to guide you during your visit. 

When you go on community visits to a rural village, or join a Nursery School for the morning, you will meet some of the families we work with and see the difference that our support makes. 

Apart from growing your skills and experience, meeting wonderfully inspiring people, making new friends and unforgettable memories, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in a rich African culture and also explore a truly beautiful country. We encourage all volunteers to take advantage of the tourist experiences, such as Liwonde or Majete National Parks, Mount Mulanje, and Lake Malawi. We can help you make arrangements for this and anything else you want to do while in Malawi.

What other volunteers say

Volunteering at Open Arms was a defining moment in my life. If I had to summarise it in a few words they would be: 'fun, amazing, eye opening, beautiful, madness, best thing I ever did'” ~ Sharon, London

'There simply are not enough superlatives to describe Malawi....'  ~ Corporate volunteer

The impact of Open Arms’ professional and efficient model is highly effective. The sustainability of returning infants to their communities, rather than keeping them institutionalised for their whole lives, creates empowerment and benefit reaching further than the walls of the homes.  ~ Becky Bottle