Malawi is an amazing country for a unique Africa experience. During your trip you will meet awesome people, enjoy spectacular views and come face to face with large and small wildlife on safari. But unfortunately, it’s not all just happiness. As one of the poorest countries in the world, Malawi faces several challenges. That’s why we ensure that making your dream trip not only brings great things for yourself, but also contributes to a sustainable future for the people and nature in this Warm Heart of Africa!
Sustainability in Malawi
If you’ve been following us for a while, you know that sustainability is important within our company and our private lives. Many people think that this is only about “green” sustainability, but social sustainability plays an equally important role since we live in Malawi!
It’s no secret that we are passionate African wildlife. The longer we live in Malawi, the more we realize that nature conservation can only be really successful if the people in that area feel actively involved. By stimulating the local economy in various ways, people become less dependent on illegal logging and poaching, for example. If they also experience real added value from nature, such as through job creation in (eco)tourism, they will want to contribute more to nature conservation.
There is of course much more to this than we explain now in a few sentences, but the most important thing is that the old-fashioned way of protecting nature does not work.
What is the Future For Malawi levy?
Making long journeys by airplane is (not entirely unjustly) being criticised in the media lately. The large CO2 emissions are the reason that we don’t offer trips of less than two weeks. Secretly we will even try to convince you to come to Malawi for at least three or four weeks. Then your flight is ‘’worth it’’ more, and you also have the chance to experience much more of this beautiful country!
In addition, we are always looking for ways to better restore the balance between the negative and positive effects of traveling to Malawi. For example, we only work with accommodations that are good for their environment. We are certainly aware that this sounds rather vague and is difficult to express in numbers. Which may make you wonder if we’re not just greenwashing…
To make it as clear as possible, we have implemented a kind of own tax. This Future For Malawi levy is USD 150 per international traveller who books through us, regardless of the length of their trip. We are still looking for the best way to shape this exactly within the local laws and regulations, but this money is kept separately and then divided over a number of sustainable projects that we support.
Which projects in Malawi do we support with this?
SEEn Foundation
This Dutch foundation very specifically supports the Nguwe Community in the Kasungu District. Sustainable agriculture & water use, education, talent development & entrepreneurship and community building are the four pillars on which the foundation’s work is based. The real work is done by the people in Nguwe, who are supported with knowledge and materials when necessary. In the short existence of this inspiring collaboration, a new school building, solar-powered borehole pump, irrigation system, women’s entrepreneurial group, fuel-efficient stoves and the first steps towards more sustainable agriculture have already been realized.
Fish For Tomorrow
The organization Ripple Africa started the Fish For Tomorrow project in 2011 in Nkhata Bay, northern Lake Malawi. They not only involve the local communities, but make the fishermen 100% responsible for the project. This has been so successful that they are now helping to protect 450 km of Lake Malawi. No fewer than 326 Beach Village Committees together ensure that 85 important breeding grounds for local fish species are left completely alone. In other places they only fish with nets with larger meshes, so that the young fish are no longer caught. The whole village gets involved in enforcing their own rules. This has resulted in recovering fish populations in Lake Malawi and even bigger fish being caught again. Now a few fish a day is enough, whereas before everyone had to catch tens or even hundreds of small fish to survive.
Watch this video for more information:
Zomba TREEZ
TREEZ is the conservation project of the Zomba Forest Lodge. Together with their team, Tom and Petal protect, restore and enhance the extraordinary ecosystem of the Zomba Plateau Forest Reserve. They do this by actively collaborating with the communities on and around the plateau. While many similar projects mainly focus on planting new trees, the TREEZ team believes it is especially important to give nature the chance to restore itself. Their greatest success is in establishing and training local Fire Management Clubs, which jump into action when wildfires start during the dry season. In addition, they work closely with the schools in the area to teach children in a playful way how important nature and the environment are. In this they are supported by locally known artists from Zomba town and the rest of Malawi. TREEZ sponsors several local football and netball teams in exchange for active help with their projects.
Permaculture Paradise Institute
The Permaculture Paradise Institute in Mchinji, is an initiative of Luwayo and Grace. This young motivated Malawian couple has a mission to help large and small farmers getting closer to nature. They provide training to people who make the promise to train others themselves, so that the principles of permaculture are spread throughout Malawi.
On their own grounds, they show how to increase yields by harnessing the power of nature, rather than relying on chemicals. They also help people plant “forgotten” native species, so that various vegetables, fruits and grains can be harvested all year round. People are no longer dependent on the relatively short rainy season. The focus is on sharing knowledge and fair opportunities for men and women in an agricultural system that forms a balance between plants, animals and people.
Responsible travel to Malawi
In addition to supporting these projects, we believe it is important for our travellers to understand how everyone can make a difference each day. Involving local communities in nature conservation is not the only thing that contributes to social sustainability. It’s also about the way you interact with everyone you meet on your journey.
How do you behave in another culture?
How do you help to change the narrative and stereotypes, so that others get a more honest picture of the country?
How do you make a positive impact, while also enjoying your trip and creating as many new memories as possible?
Specifically for anyone who goes to a country in Sub-Saharan Africa for volunteer work or an internship, Dilo and Patricia (our sustainability buddy in Ghana) have developed an eye-opening online training.
Experience Africa, more impact and joy while volunteering in Africa
Within this topic, things are not always very clearly right or wrong. The best and most valuable conversations about these grey areas happen with a cold beer around a campfire. Fortunately, Malawi is a great country for that!
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