Join the team at Malawi's only wildlife sanctuary, the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre, and help rescue and rehabilitate injured, orphaned and abused animals.
The Lilongwe Wildlife Centre is Malawi’s only animal sanctuary – widely reputed as one of the best facilities in Africa for its high standards of animal welfare. The Centre is the only sanctuary in the world to have obtained accreditations from the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries and the Born Free Foundation PAW scheme.
Every single animal that comes into our care – whether as a result of abuse, illegal activity or human-wildlife conflict – receives a carefully tailored programme of support from our team of experts. Where possible, we aim to rehabilitate and return animals to the wild. Those that cannot be released are cared for in the safety of the sanctuary. Volunteering at the Centre will give you a powerful insight into the life-changing and life-saving work of wildlife rehabilitation.
The work
Wildlife rescue & rehabilitation
Most volunteers choose to spend the majority of their time with the animal care team, where work covers the whole rehabilitation spectrum. Expect to get your hands dirty, work hard and sleep well! Duties include animal husbandry (cleaning, sanitation, feeding and enrichment), orphan care, vet clinic support, observations, integrations and reintroductions. You’ll also get the chance to learn more from lectures and presentations about specialist areas of work such as enrichment, observation and rehabilitation techniques.
Education & community outreach
You will also have the opportunity to join our environmental education team at the Wildlife Centre and in schools out in the community. Our outreach team also welcomes help on their adult literacy and fuel briquette projects.
About us
We are Malawi’s first and only wildlife sanctuary and environmental education facility. Our remit has grown in response to the emerging conservation challenges of the past decade and we focus on where we can deliver the greatest impact. Our mission is to save wildlife, campaign for conservation justice and inspire people to value and protect nature in Malawi.
All of the money raised through our volunteering programme goes towards supporting our wildlife rescue and welfare work. It also supports our education and community projects which are essential for the future of conservation in Malawi and allows us to provide employment for local staff.
Your support enables us to provide food and essential medical care for the animals, as well as improving and implementing our rescue and rehabilitation projects to ensure their survival not only within the centre but also when they are released back into the wild.
Start Dates
All year round.
Costs / Benefits
2 Weeks - £1,370
4 Weeks - £2,235
6 Weeks - £2,885
8 Weeks - £3,450
10 Weeks - £3,930
12 Weeks - £4,350
Requirements
We welcome volunteers of all walks of life and whilst relevant skills and past experience are very helpful, it is those with enthusiasm, a positive attitude, flexibility and a good work ethic that leave the biggest mark and who get to go home with the greatest sense of achievement. Volunteers are of mixed nationalities and ages, the minimum age to join us is 18 but there is no maximum age limit, the oldest volunteer was 72! Please be as honest as possible on your application form about any concerns about the type of work you can or can’t do and if you have any medical conditions. This will be treated with the utmost confidence and we will let you know if there is something you declare that would compromise your experience with us and what the options are.
