Volunteer midwife, Hayley Dunlop, has written a story about her time spent volunteering with us in September 2025 in Malawi. Read her full story below.
Leading up to volunteering for Ripple Africa, at times felt very easy to say ‘yes, I’m going’, to the realisation then setting in, and feeling quite nervous about it. Asking myself am I doing the right thing, having been a family unit for so long (husband and three children for the past 27 years) and then the realisation that I have never been away, solely on my own, but I did it and loved it!
The start of the journey really for me, was registering with the Nurses and Midwives Council Malawi as a midwife. We then had an eight hour road journey travelling from Lilongwe to Mwaya Beach. The journey was long but with our driver, Shem Junior, it was comfortable and we were well looked after as we chatted about anything and everything along the way and shared our music tastes and playlists. Life outside of the car seemed so busy compared to a road trip you would take in the UK – people everywhere, walking, on bikes carrying masses of wood bundles on them, so tall and heavy looking, it’s unbelievable they managed to cycle! And women carrying whatever they wanted or needed to carry on their heads – what strength and amazing posture!
Arriving at Mwaya Beach, in the dark, was a bit daunting and it felt good to arrive with another volunteer, however I needn’t have worried as there was a very friendly welcome from Dan (Assistant Manager) and the nightwatchmen. It was very difficult to get your bearings, with only the light of the kitchen, but we were shown to our chalets (needing a head torch all the time as it was pitch black). After a very tasty dinner of bean curry and rice, it was back to my chalet to unpack and sleep, telling myself not to look for creepy crawlies! Then my first morning at Mwaya Beach and my first impressions was a wow factor – it is the most idyllic setting and the lake is so beautiful!
My time in Malawi volunteering with Ripple Africa was an experience I will never forget! From the induction days with Dan, to volunteering as a midwife at Kande Health Centre, Kachere Health Centre and Mwaya Dispensary, to a motorbike journey of the fruit tree projects with Maston (Fruit Tree Project Manager) followed the next day by a full tour of the Ripple Africa projects with Dan and Lawrence, to helping out at the pre-schools (and helping paint one of them) to helping with reading club. It was all incredible not only to volunteer as a midwife, but to then also have the opportunity to be part of the community and involved in so much more! The induction days and opportunities to tour the Ripple Africa projects were invaluable, just to get a sense of where you wanted to work and help out, but also to realise the value and immensity of the charity and all that it has achieved over the past 22 years!
We visited Chinteche Rural Hospital (which was very informative and interesting to see, but I didn’t go on to work there, purely because I wanted to stay more local to Mwaya and the community) and then the Health Centres and Dispensary which I then went on, in the following weeks, to work locally as part of my midwifery volunteering. It is difficult to describe the clinic rooms, that the staff work in, at the hospitals, health centres and dispensary, and where the women receive their care during their pregnancy, giving birth and postnatally, as they are so different to the UK and feel extremely basic. It’s difficult to process and not to feel shocked whilst at the same time wanting to be respectful and not wanting to offend the staff that work here, who take great pride in their place of work.
I worked as a midwife with Dorothy at Kande HC and Suzgika at Kachere HC and Mwaya, a great insight into local maternity services, the provisions and plan of care for the local women along with an opportunity to build on important relationships with Dorothy and Suzgika and get a real sense of their lives, both at home and work. They were both so welcoming and grateful for my help and by the end of my time working with them they had become valued work colleagues and friends.
The time I spent seeing the Ripple Africa projects was amazing, humbling, emotional and inspirational all at the same time! I got to travel on a motorbike with Maston to see the fruit tree projects, the people involved and village life. Such pride is taken by the villagers, in growing their fruit and vegetables as well as tending to their livestock. I was truly moved and in awe of their enthusiasm, treating me like a VIP guest to show off their skills and achievements as well as singing and dancing for me, what a privilege.
The next day was spent seeing more of the Ripple Africa projects. We met Loveness, the physiotherapist, and went with her as she coordinated the distribution of new wheelchairs provided by Malawi Against Physical Disability (MAP). An extremely emotional experience, seeing the joy and excitement that Mike, a young man receiving his new wheelchair, had when he saw Loveness and Dan and what these two people mean to him. We then went on to visit Makuzu Kamwala Sanctuary to learn about fish conservation and the eco project of aiding the community to learn about the importance of fishing legally and responsibly. We also got to visit a village and meet the community, who took pride in showing us how the Changu Changu Moto cookstoves are built, as well as used, and how important they are for fuel efficiency and quick cooking. Last but not least we went to the Ripple Africa office to meet Force Ngwira, the Country Director & Environmental Programme Manager for Ripple Africa. We received such a warm welcome and he talked extensively to us about all the Ripple Africa projects and what Geoff and Liz Furber have enabled and empowered the Malawians to do, putting their trust in them and engaging the community wholeheartedly with such respect, truly inspirational!
In my last week I helped at the pre-schools in the morning and with reading in the afternoon, which was a wonderful experience too, as the children are delightful and the staff so hard working but joyous in their approach. Work starts before teaching, with cleaning, sweeping and mopping inside. They then sweep outside, pump water from the borehole into large buckets, that the teachers then carry on their heads back to the school (it never ceases to amaze me, the ability and strength to do that, which I didn’t even try, and I carried the bucket by its handle)! Cup and bowls are washed, then the Changu Changu Moto cookstove is lit to boil water and potatoes ready for the children to have their tea and sweet potatoes at the end of pre-school. All of this is no mean feat and done with no complaints before teaching, playing, singing and dancing with the children.
Reading help with the older children in the afternoon started slowly as there were 20 or more children, of different ages, who needed assistance to get through assessments to aid their reading skills. However, after starting reading with just one boy, which in itself was a joy, soon more children became interested and there were seven or eight children all around me, being read to and reading with me – a wonderful, heartening experience!
It felt really rewarding to be part of the pre-schooling, but also to know that I had helped paint Matete 1 school, making the children’s learning experience more aesthetically pleasing and engaging to the eye. Another bonus was being able to organise the pre-schools wish list of toys by coordinating my friends and my contribution! It worked well due to the great timing of me ordering it to the office in the UK, to the Ripple Africa UK team then being able to bring it out and give space hoppers, building blocks, toy cars, toy animals, baby dolls, colouring books and crayons to the preschools! With this wish list idea in mind, I then went on to help organise equipment and curtains for Mwaya Dispensary that the Ripple Africa team were also able to bring out as well as provide from local sources!
My time with Ripple Africa has been something I will cherish forever, and I will continue to tell its inspirational story! I missed my family and friends so much whilst I was away and looked forward to seeing them all, then came home and missed my time at Mwaya beach, with all its beauty and simplicity as well as missing the Ripple Africa family and wishing I could take all my family and friends there to see it all! Ripple Africa, Mwaya and the surrounding community will always have a place in my heart and I’m looking forward to continuing to help them in any way I can❤️!
