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Host rating
85 %
Last replied
25 Apr 2025
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Details
Description
Hello! Muli Bwanji? How are you?
We are Sabine and Emma. Together with our fantastic Zambian team we run the foundation, which means ‘friend’ in the local language and friends is what our organisation is all about. Our NGO is committed to improving the lives of communities in rural areas of Zambia. We are located in Mfuwe, Zambia, right next to the world famous South Luangwa National park, known for its wildlife and as a top notch safari destination.
Our mission is to create positive, sustainable change through hands-on projects. We work very closely with the community members to ensure that all our projects fit their real needs. It keeps our work relevant and long-lasting. We are always working on multiple projects and new projects always pop up!
At the moment we are working on different projects in the community.
1st project: - we train local farmers in sustainable agriculture. This project is all about experimenting and learning about new techniques in the areas of healthy soils, water management, danger of use of pesticides, how to use natural fertilizers etc. Education and experimentation on this topic is crucial for the people in the village to create food security and promote environmental conservation.
2nd project: Hands & Horizons - this project is all about fighting poverty and negative behaviour while at the same time creating income opportunities for the youth. Through local arts and crafts training this initiative helps young people in the village to learn artisan skills. We also host workshops for tourists.
3rd project: Roots & Rhythms – we create a space for cultural exchange by building a museum that showcases local culture. This project is all about preserving heritage while connecting visitors with the community’s history and traditions.
4rd project: Village Tours - our village tours promote equal intercultural knowledge exchange between the tourists and the local community. Visitors get an authentic look into daily life, learn about culture and traditions and get to see our projects in the village.
We work and live at our headquarters. So when we are not working in the villages, the HQ is where we spend our time. We have an office space here and it is our general working place. Besides that we have a small but busy campsite for international travelers with tents and overlanding vehicles. We have a nice little paradise with vegetable gardens, braai areas, fruit gardens and a lot of creative projects which are always ongoing! There is really always something to do and something happening at our HQ!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Teaching
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Hospitality/Tourism
General Maintenance
Interests
Culture
Charity work
Photography
Animals
Nature
Outdoor activities
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Besides Emma and Sabine, who are Dutch, we work with only local Zambians. Our staff, but also the people in the communities that we work with would love to show you around and share their culture with you. They also love to learn from your culture. You can learn so much about traditional lifestyle!
Help
We would love to invite people to join the family. We love to share our knowledge about Social Innovation, community development, and of course the Zambian culture. We like to invite people from all over the world who can share their knowledge with us on various topics and support us in our projects.
We have a place for almost everyone. We are looking for people with a passion. People that can help with educational programs, give trainings, write reports, manage our social media, help in community gardens, train farmers, facilitate intercultural interactions between locals and internationals… but also help us to organise events, contribute of fundraising efforts, welcome the guests at our campsites, maintain communal areas, build and decorate at our headquarters and so so much more! There is always something to do and we would also love to hear your ideas.
What we find most important is that you are passionate, open-minded, eager to share your knowledge, are respectful to other cultures and traditions and of course support the goals and mission of the foundation. You should be willing and happy to work alongside our amazing Zambian team. Speaking English is essential, but it is okay if you are not fluent. We work from approximately 07:30 until 16:00 - and depending on the programs of the day, that is what we expect from our volunteers too. We always have a one hour lunch break and take one or two days off in the week, depending on the busyness of the season.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Chichewa, Chewa, Nyanja: Fluent
Accommodation
Staying with us means that you have to love being outdoors and spending time in nature. We live in an area with wildlife (elephants, lions, leopards, but also snakes and lots of insects). So expect a basic and outdoorsy lifestyle and lot’s of safari’s to the national park in your free time. We have a basic setup at our headquarters, this is also where volunteers will stay. We are off-grid, meaning we run 100% on solar power and have our own borehole for water. We don’t have shopping malls or cafes and bars, but we do have the most amazing sundowners, safariss, BBQ nights, karaoke nights and small trips around the area to enjoy together.
All volunteers stay in small bow tents (big enough to stand in). Depending on the season, time of the year, and how many volunteers are with us, you will either have a private tent or share one with one other same-sex volunteer. The tent has a comfortable bed, mosquito nets and a place to store your personal stuff. We have shared showers and toilets at the headquarters. We serve three simple local meals a day, we mostly eat vegetarian so catering for vegans is also no problem. If you feel like cooking for yourself, you can use one of our fridges and the a charcoal BBQ or small gas cooker. Locally you can buy vegetables at the market and we have a small supermarket with basics like pasta and rice.
What else ...
If you are looking for a party destination this is not the place for you. We live in a very rural area with no shops, malls, restaurants or typical city things. There are some nice activities you can join during the tourist high season, like visiting the Bush Spa for nice massages and you can join jewelry-making workshops. But in general you should be prepared to enjoy the nature and wildlife surrounding us. When we are not working, we love to go on safari ourselves, go for sundowners, explore the area, relax by our fire pit, do pizza parties, sing karaoke or take a dip in our small swimming pool…… There are plenty of nice spots around our headquarters to relax.
During your time off you are of course able to visit the South Luangwa National park and there are also 3-4 small local places for a coffee or a lunch. And don’t forget to see more of Zambia after your time with us, there is so much to see in Zambia, like the Victoria Falls!
If our car is available, you are welcome to use it around town. Just cover the gas. We can also help you arrange a car for yourself if you prefer to rent one for your time with us. Otherwise, local transport in and around town is quite cheap (but time consuming). It’s very safe to travel alone. If you want to travel to foundation, you can travel to the capital of Lusaka - and from there take a local bus (runs daily, takes 12 hours, very cheap) or take a flight straight to Mfuwe which will only take you one hour. You can also drive down yourself with a rental car or we can organise a pick up for you in Lusaka, which will also take around 11 hours.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
Depending on how busy our campsite is you can use a camp site, and if we are fully booked we can sort something out. :)
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
