About AIESEC AIESEC in Malawi
About Malawi People & Language Currency Culture Food Tourist Destinations Accommodation
Insurance & Medical Care
AIESEC is a global, non-political, independent, not-forprofit organisation run by youths around the world.
Like you must have noticed, our members are interested in world issues, leadership and management. Hence, we do no discriminate on any basis either of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, creed, religion, national, ethnic or social origin. Our international platform, the one on which your exchange was secured, enables young people to explore and develop their leadership potential to have a positive impact in society.
We have very unique values, which are:
Activating Leadership
Enjoying Participation
Demonstrating Integrity
Striving For Excellence
Living Diversity
Acting Sustainably
How do we organise our projects?
All projects organised by AIESEC in Malawi are either run nationally or by a local committee. Some of the projects are organised in partnership with other organisation while some others are AIESEC selforganised projects.
What is an OC and the role of an OC? Considering we love to be efficient in everything, we use a lot of acronyms in AIESEC – if you haven’t noticed. An OC is the Organising Committee of a project. So you can call them the “Organising Team./Crew”. These are the guys that take every detail into account for the smooth delivery of the project and for the best experience for you as an Exchange Participant, EP. Should you have any issue, or query during your exchange period please do not hesitate to contact any one of them, They are ever eager and cheerful to help you out.
AIESEC in Malawi was initiated in 2014, and since then has experienced amazing growth for a such an infant entity. There is primarily 1 Local Committee at the moment which is: AESEC at Exploits University. However, there are undergoing plans to extend AIESEC to two other districts. By the end of 2016. AIESEC in Malawi’s leadership shares the same structure as every other AIESEC national entity across the world.
MCP & MCVPs
MC
MC Support Team
MC Managers
LCP, LCVPs, TLs & TMs
LC
LILONGWE
KWACHA (MWK)
SOUTHERN AFRICA
Population: 17964697 (CIA World Factbook, May 2016) Main Ethnic Groups (in %): Chewa/Chichewa (32.6), Lomwe (17.6), Yao (13.5), Ngoni (11.5), Tambuka (8.8), Nyanja (5.8), Sena (3.6), Tonga (2.1), Ngonde (1), Asians & Europeans & Others (3.5) Religions (in %): Christians (68%), Muslims (25), Other (5%), None (2%) Form of State: Malawi is a democratic republic based on a unicameral parliament consisting of the National Assembly and Senate. Members of the legislature are elected for a five-year term from Malawi's geographic districts Legal System: mixed legal system of English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal Climate: Sub-tropical with two distinct seasons: rainy season (From November to May) : with an average temperature varying between 17 and 27 degrees Celsius, sometimes falling to about 4 to 10 degrees Celsius, and dry season (May to November) with an average temperature varying between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius.
MAP OF MALAWI (with the flag colors)
Please ensure to ask your EP buddy or OC contact person about the weather in Malawi and for extensive advice on this subject! If you’re coming in the summer, you can come along with summer clothing and bathing suits. But if you’re coming in the rainy season, rain suits and boots are appropriate.
45,746.9 Squared miles
GMT +2
Three Horizontal Stripes (Black, Red, Green)
The Malawian people are, without doubt, its greatest asset: friendly and welcoming to a fault. Every visitor is met with a smile and the warmth of the welcome is genuine and long-lasting. Hence, it is often called the "warm heart of Africa�. Rural Malawians typically live with their extended families in huts that are grouped together in villages. A spirit of cooperation prevails as family members share both work and resources. As you drive through Malawi you can see the small villages of huts and people at work in the fields or collecting water for their families. Many of today’s Malawians are descendants of the Bantu people who moved across Africa and into Malawi for hundreds of years up to the fifteenth century. About 80% of Malawians live in rural areas. Official Language(s): Chichewa and English
The Malawian Kwacha, abbreviated as MWK, is the currency of Malawi as of 1971, replacing the Malawian Pound. The Kwacha is divided into 100 tambala. That is, for every 100 tambala, you get 1 Kwacha. Just like for every 100 cents you get 1 US Dollar. Malawi makes use of coins and bank notes. The only coins that are commonly in use now are those of the Kwacha. Inflation has consigned the tambala coins almost to history, although you may still see them around. The tambala coins are denominated as 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 tambala coins. The ones you will see are the 1, 5 and 10 kwacha coins. The bank notes are of these denominations: 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 kwacha notes. How To Get Hold Of The Kwacha Since you won’t be able to get your kwacha notes before arriving in Malawi, you will have to explore the options for getting them once you arrive. This is best done by visiting either a bank or a bureau de change. There is a reasonable number of these in the main cities, but it goes without saying that finding currency becomes much harder the further you go into rural areas. This means making sure you are prepared and have enough cash to last when you want to see more of the country.
This is very much a cash society so you shouldn’t expect to make much use of your credit or debit card. Indeed it is all but impossible to use cards outside the biggest cities. You can still take traveller’s cheques with you if you want to make sure you have something other than just cash. The best option is to take your traveller’s cheques in British pounds or US dollars.
It’s been a long-held belief among bemused westerners that when you enter the African time zone you switch to ‘African time’. It’s not so much the time difference they’re talking about, when you cross latitudes and longitudes, as the cultural difference you encounter. Music and dancing has always been an integral part of most African culture, and Malawi is no exception.
Festivals and celebrations are the best places to experience true Malawian cultures.
Gule Wamkulu Dancers
Lake of Stars Festival
Blantyre Arts Festival
Tea and fish are popular features of Malawian cuisine. Sugar, coffee, corn, potatoes, sorghum, cattle and goats are also important components of the cuisine and economy. Nsima is the staple food in Malawi. It is made from ground corn and served with side dishes of meat and vegetable. It can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is the one food not to be missed when in Malawi.
It can be gotten almost anywhere across he country – from local/rural restaurants to urban eateries.
Nsima relishes
Tea is the second biggest export crop of Malawi. Chances are that you have already tasted Malawian tea yourself without knowing it - producers abroad will often mix tea from Malawi with lesser quality tea leaves to augment the taste of their beverages. Naturally, the taste of Malawian tea by itself is nothing less than exquisite.
Malawian Tea
Fish in Malawi ranges from "utaka“ and "chambo" (a famous fish from Lake Malawi).
Kachumbari is a fresh tomato and onion salad dish that is popular in the cuisines of the African Great Lakes region. It is an uncooked salad dish consisting of chopped tomatoes, onions, and chili peppers (and salt to taste). Variations of Kachumbari can be found in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and in central African countries of Malawi and Congo. It is usually eaten on its own like any other salad dish or can be used like a salad side dish for a main meal
Malawi, just like any other country, has several attractive and “touristic� sites. Most of these sites are natural heritage sites. The crown of all of Malawi’s touristic sites is the Lake Malawi National Park. The Lake Malawi National Park is a body of freshwater fringed by beaches of golden sand. It is not only a scenic wonderland as it provides water sport opportunities for those looking for something beyond sun, sand and swimming.
The Mulanje Massif, also known as Mount Mulanje, is a large monadnock in southern Malawi only 65 km east of Blantrye rising sharply from the surrounding plains of Chiradzulu, and the tea-growing Mulanje district. It measures approximately 13x16 miles (22x26 kilometres) and has a maximum elevation of 3,002 m at its highest point, Sapitwa Peak
Kasungu National Park is a national park in Malawi. It is located west of Kasungu, about 175 km north of Lilongwe, extending along the Zambian border.
Chongoni Rock Art Area is located in the Central Region of Malawi consisting of 127 sites in the forested hills of the Malawi plateau with depictions of rock art and paintings of the farmer community of the Late Stone Age and the Iron Age period.
Located at the southern tip of Lake Malombe in the south of Malawi, Liwonde National Park is truly a national treasure worth experiencing. Several safari trips and adventurous activities are available
Nyika National Park is Malawi’s largest national park, with an area of 3200 squared km. The park covers practically the entire Nyika Plateau which is a beautiful, montane, highland area, lying on the Malawian border, at the eastern-most tip of Zambia. Sitting 2000 meters above sea level, the views from the Plateau are spectacular with dramatic cloud formations on the horizon. This is surely one of the most beautiful places in Africa.
When coming to Malawi, be rest assured that accommodation will not be an issue. We usually cost of accommodation is usually for all Exchange Participants, except mentioned otherwise. EPs can also be hosted by Malawian families. However, at the moment our major accommodation is at the national house at Area 12, Lilongwe.
It is strongly recommended that you ensure you are adequately insured and bring all related insurance papers with you. Make copies of this also! Leave a copy of the number to call for claims and your policy number in your wallet and label it as insurance in case you are brought into the hospital unconscious. Consult your doctor or travel doctor early on to plan ahead for getting your vaccinations. Some of them require more than one injection, while others should not be given at the same time.
Recommended Vaccines Diphtheria and Tetanus: Both of these diseases occur worldwide and you should be vaccinated at home. Check to see if you need a booster. - Hepatitis A and B - Rabies - Typhoid - Measles, mumps, Rubella - Tuberculosis - Yellow fever - Malaria Prophylaxis:: Highly recommended. (Lariam, Malerone, Doxy-CT etc) Please do consult the hospital or immigration in your country to know what vaccines to take and medication to carry along.
We look forward to having you with us