Butterfly Space is a UK charity trying to make positive changes in our community, and environment. We provide a unique space for travelers & the community to engage in meaningful, ethical & sustainable projects to provide & enhance educational, practical, & creative opportunities. Volunteers and interns will work directly with communities to gain an authentic and deep insight into people’s lives and challenges they face. We welcome people with all skill sets, from nursery school volunteers, to university students for Internship programs, both local and international.
Our grassroots projects are impactful. You’ll be immersed into a new culture, contributing to your education & personal growth. We encourage you to get involved in the areas and projects they feel most passionate about, and bring along their new ideas to contribute, too. We also offer tailored internship opportunities for your course & personal goals. Read below & see our Projects page for ideas, opportunities, cheap & affordable volunteering costs, and how you can apply!
Who We Are
Josie, Alice, and Holly, friends who met in Malawi, have developed Butterfly Space since 2007, sharing a desire to create an inclusive community based hub, encouraging socially responsible travel, with a shared vision to offer affordable, ethical and impactful volunteer programs. We provide educational, practical & creative opportunities and empower our community. We focus on education, sustainability & green initiatives. We are a grassroots organisation working hands-on with our projects and volunteers.
Our vision
Our vision is to develop and support projects which are beneficial and sustainable, and we want to empower those who benefit from the projects to govern, encourage and develop them.
We want to encourage self advocacy, self development and motivation
This video was made by World Race volunteers who volunteered with community based nursery schools and youth groups, here at Butterfly Space.
Volunteering in Malawi can be an enriching experience which will help you to connect with the community and the world we live in.
Why Choose Malawi?
A small country offering an abundance of activities and natural beauty, Malawi is perfect for all types of travelers and budgets. Labeled as the ‘warm heart of Africa’ because of the kind and friendly nature of its people, visitors always feel welcomed and safe. It offers an abundance of wildlife & nature that be enjoyed all over the country, boasting many affordable game reserves, national parks, world-class hiking at Mount Mulanje, and its prized jewel, the Lake. You can explore on scuba safaris, snorkel, swim & enjoy its golden sandy beaches & stunning views. The adventure of a lifetime awaits you!
Volunteering & internships in Malawi
Our diverse & flexible volunteering Opportunities include:
- Stepping Stones School: Volunteer and Support Primary, Nursery & Vocational Training Education
- Community Development: Share Skills Through Diverse Community Outreach Programs- ITC Skills, Business, Environmental Demonstrations, & Womens Groups
- Become a Media Centre Or Recording Studio Technician; Run Music, Journalism or Film Making Workshops; Create Events & Share Skills Through Online Platforms or Organise Live Performances and Events!
Tailored & flexible nonprofit Internships include:
As a sustainable tourism intern you will be based at our non-profit eco-lodge and become an integral part of a dedicated team, gaining practical insights into local tourism, business management, marketing, and communications while contributing actively to our sustainable objectives. Our lodge supports 10 different social and environmental projects and our lodge, volunteers and interns helps us to support them
- Contribute to innovative marketing and communication strategies
- Create content for communication channels including blogs & newsletters (Mailchimp).
- Develop strategic advertising approaches for volunteer opportunities.
- Establish partnerships with advertising platforms & corporate businesses (Corporate Social Responsibility)
- Implement and optimize digital marketing campaigns.
- Maintain and develop the websites (WordPress), and optimize SEO practices.
- Social Media management, and marketing
- Sustainable destination Management- Identify and analyse good practice and “green solutions”. Train staff and community members through interactive workshops through community based projects to improve locally sustainability. Make green solutions available and sustainable to the projects and lodge, with follow-up research, integrating good practices within the workforces and community.
Work side by side with grassroot community based projects and NGO management teams and gain hands on experience while assisting with NGO management tasks, community outreach programs, workshops and activities.
Our programs include: Malawi School Permaculture Clubs, Stepping Stones Primary, Nursery & Vocational Training School, Earth Workshops (Agroecology), Community IT, Media, & Music Production Centre, and community links & networks, including disability, youth and women groups.
- Program development & evaluation
- Measure impact and create impact reports & visuals
- Help develop and run online fundraising and individual giving campaigns
- Research & develop various funding channels & opportunities
- Assist with donor management & outreach
- Help develop communication strategies, manage social media, write content for blogs and newsletters
- Assist with community programs, & implement new community based workshops and initiatives
Gain practical fundraising experience, contributing to impactful initiatives that uplift local communities and foster sustainable development. Learn about the international funding landscape during a fundraising internship with an environmental non-profits based in Malawi. During this remote or in-person fundraising internship, you’ll be part of a grassroots program that runs permaculture clubs at schools in rural communities, and Agroecology based skills training in communities, with the aim of promoting natural land management and enhancing food security. As an intern, you’ll help run online campaigns, write funding proposals, and assist with reporting to funders. You could be writing grant applications, reaching out to potential donors, assessing monitoring and evaluation metrics, creating impact visuals, or setting up online fundraisers – all of which are vital to sustainable success. You can also gain online communication experience by helping manage social media channels and assisting with website management.
- Develop and run online fundraising and individual giving campaigns
- Research various funding channels & opportunities
- Complete grant applications and write proposals
- Assist with donor management & outreach
- Measure impact and create impact reports & visuals
- Help develop communication strategies, manage social media
- Write content for blogs and newsletters,
- If you are based in Malawi: you can get involved with any workshops and activities on the ground.
Tailored internships where you can gain valuable hands on experience at a thriving and inspiring rural international primary and nursery school, where you can make meaningful contributions to the school and the students education.
- Gain hands on experience in education, NGO & project development, social work & management activities in a school environment
- Assist students and teachers in lessons across several subjects
- Assist teachers with lesson plan development in different subjects
- Provide one-to-one support plans, and lessons for children who need extra support
- Organize special activities and events for the students
- Assist with the development of special support programs and systems for children and their families
- Assist with day-to-day managerial and admin tasks
- Developing and hosting after school activities and clubs including sports coaching, youth empowerment workshops, sex education & environmental education workshops
- Work alongside community run nursery schools, to assist and develop early childhood development programs and teacher training programs
- Development of online communications including website development & social media
- Assist with the financial operations of the school
- Support student sponsorship programs and fundraising activities for the school
The Uje Umampha! (Be Well!) program is a nutrition focused program to improve the lives of people living with HIV. The 10 week program aims to establish a peer support group through weekly sessions which provide information on health, nutrition, and income generation. The session plans have been carefully and sensitively developed by health care professionals to offer vital support, information and give education, knowledge, and counselling where possible. We encourage interns delivering this program to inspire and support the group to develop some business opportunities, to generate an income to support themselves and others in the group. Previous groups have established a massage business, a usipa (small fish) business, eggs and baby basket weaving.
Interns can also work alongside the Agroecology based EARTH Workshops, and Information Room to evaluate, research and develop nutrition based workshops and community outreach programs.
This Media and Communications Internship in Malawi involves a wide rage of tasks, including content writing, social media, public relations, and fundraising, so you can expect a multi-faceted experience. At the same time, you’ll get to be involved in some of the projects on the ground, which will give you a good understanding of the way charitable projects run at a grassroots level. It’s a great opportunity for students of Communication Studies, Media Studies, Journalism, Fundraising, or related fields.
- Development of communication strategies,
- Social media (content creation & strategy)
- Newsletters & other PR activities,
- Grant research and writing
- Photography and videography (if you have relevant skills),
- Content and blog writing.
Supreme is an amazing charity & social enterprise based in Nkhata Bay. They support gender equality through empowering girls and women of all ages. The core mission of their social enterprise wing is to provide Malawian women with access to safe and affordable reusable sanitary products.
The benefits of reusable
Reusable products are cheaper, free of irritant chemicals, and reduce plastic waste.
Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, and disposable sanitary pads and diapers constitute a significant expense for local people. In addition, they can contain carcinogens as well as allergens and other chemicals that can irritate skin and unbalance PH levels. Finally, disposable pads are up to 90% plastic and can take between 500 and 800 years to break down, contributing to a growing waste disposal crisis in a country that is afflicted by cholera. All Supreme sanitary pads and diapers are reusable, easy to wash and last up to 24 months.
The benefits of local:
Supreme believes in existing within the Malawian economy and not above it. Therefore, Supreme’s sanitary pads are made from locally sourced materials in our Nkhata Bay workspace by Malawian women and sold directly and in local shops in Northern Malawi. All materials used for tailoring are sourced locally. They have a production team capable of handling big orders for NGOs, schools, orphanages or hospitals.
As a social entrepreneurship intern for this amazing grassroot organisation, your tasks will be varied, and will likely include the following:
- Assisting with overall business development and operations
- Doing market research
- Designing and running marketing campaigns
- Data collection on the ground focused on impact
- Monitoring and evaluation and impact reporting
- Helping with fundraising and stakeholder management
- Assisting with human resources (streamlining systems, assisting with recruitment)
- Helping develop skill development schemes for employees
- Assisting with product development
Contact us for diverse tailored internships with sustainable agriculture programs including EARTH Workshops and Malawi School Permaculture Clubs.
Contact us for diverse tailored internships with our school and community links.
Testimonials
Can I Volunteer for Free?
We never charge volunteers a fee to get involved with projects at Butterfly Space. We are a UK registered charity and work on a non-profit basis. We work towards achieving long-term sustainable development goals by creating projects which act as sustainable business models in the community. We also encourage volunteers to fundraise before they visit us to buy equipment, build new school blocks etc.
Volunteers stay at our non-profit lodge for a proportion of their stay so volunteers are comfortable and safe. Accommodation prices are kept to a minimum and start at $10 per night. We have a volunteer package which offers reduced accommodation rates for longer stays and covers food, and project coordination. We are unable to provide free accommodation to ‘volunteer abroad’ because providing good service comes with costs! We have bills to cover and wages to pay to ensure volunteers feel safe and happy! Accommodation costs means you will have an experience that is impactful and sustainable.
How to Become an Intern or Volunteer in Malawi?
Want to know more about opportunities at Butterfly Space? The good news is that we make it incredibly simple! Just follow these steps to make your Africa volunteer travel dreams into a reality:
- Look at our Projects Page . Think about where you want to work, whether it’s working with children, running workshops in your areas of expertise, or getting involved in practical projects such as renovations to school buildings or permaculture gardening.
- Decide how much time you have to travel to Malawi, the places you would like to visit while in Malawi, and how flexible your dates are.
- Contact us through our Volunteer Form, so we can provide more tailored information to help you make the right choice to reach your interests and goals. We will send you an up to date information pack full of essential travel and medical advice.
Volunteer & Intern Packages
Butterfly offers a Package which covers the cost of one month’s accommodation in our dormitory, a food allowance covering two meals, alongside project coordination and support. This includes a discount on our usual room rates to keep living costs for our volunteers to a minimum. For a shorter duration, we can adjust the package accordingly. Upgrades to private chalets are also available. We do not charge a fee for volunteering, but internships are cost $200 to cover coordination costs & time.
In Your Spare Time . . .
Our lakeside location is picturesque with summer temperatures all year round. You can chill out anywhere around our peaceful grounds, take a dip in the lake, use our free snorkels, beach BBQ, paddleboards, slackline, work out in our community gym or hide away in your secluded chalet. We also have a bar with a pool table, ping pong, delicious cocktails, juices and amazing views.
Activities around Nkhata Bay include
- Boat trips where you can experience cliff jumping sites and see Fish Eagles, very near to Butterfly
- Scuba Diving at the local dive school Aqua Africa
- Kayak Hire & overnight canoe trips with Monkey Business Tours.
- Bongo drumming lessons, village hikes, craft workshops & more with ‘The Carvers Association’
- Go to parties on Sunday at Chikale Beach, visit local nightclubs
- Visit Kaya Papaya, and other great local restaurants
- Learn the local language Chitonga and the more widely spoken language of Chichewa
- Make use of the affordable and talented tailors using the local fabric, Chitenge!
Want to know more about opportunities at Butterfly Space? The good news is that we make it incredibly simple! Just follow these steps to make your Africa volunteer travel dreams into a reality:
- Look at our Projects Page . Think about where you want to work, whether it’s working with children, running workshops in your areas of expertise, or getting involved in practical projects such as renovations to school buildings or permaculture gardening.
- Decide how much time you have to travel to Malawi, the places you would like to visit while in Malawi, and how flexible your dates are.
- Contact us through our Volunteer Form, so we can provide more tailored information to help you make the right choice to reach your interests and goals. We will send you an up to date information pack full of essential travel and medical advice.
