How safe is it in Malawi and at Mwaya?
Malawi is pretty safe and its people are some of the friendliest you are likely to meet in Africa. Our volunteers say that they haven’t been worried about walking around locally after dark and, because of the work RIPPLE Africa and the volunteers are doing for the community, the locals seem to be very protective of those staying at Mwaya Beach. However, as with any country in the world, the cities and towns in Malawi have their fair share of con artists and thieves, and our advice is to be sensible about carrying money and valuables, as you would be in cities in the West. It is important to bear in mind that Malawi is in the top ten of the world’s poorest countries and, although US$1 is not a fortune to us, it is the average daily wage for a Malawian — if they’re lucky enough to have a job. This being said, we’ve never felt threatened by anyone in Mzuzu or Lilongwe — there’s just the annoyance of people coming up and trying to sell you anything from carvings to windscreen wipers!
