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14 Sixth Form students and four members of staff enjoyed an excellent month-long expedition to Malawi this July.
Well over 1000 miles were covered as the team criss-crossed the country, joined along the way by some of the young people – Brighton, Moses, Norman, Promise and Wilson – whose college and university education we sponsor through the annual Malawi Walk undertaken by the whole Lancing College community.
The group helped in the construction of a girls’ boarding house at Chankhasi Secondary School in Nkhotakota, painted a children’s playground and classroom at the Bloomfield Day Care Centre in Thyolo, and helped repaint the Kumanda clinic in Blantyre whose construction Lancing fundraised for. We enjoyed unforgettable visits to all these places as well as activity days at Chilanga School for the Blind, Jacaranda Children’s Home, GEMO Nursery School, St Anne’s Hospital and Open Arms Mangochi.
Additionally, the team experienced Malawi’s wonderful landscapes and natural beauty, from time spent on the Lakeshore, to an exceptional three-day hike on Mt Mulanje, to stunning river and bush safaris in Liwonde National Park. Spirited and numerous football and netball games were enthusiastically played virtually everywhere we went! This was an utterly memorable, life-enhancing 31 days in which Lancing students made the most of every opportunity and gave their all as ambassadors for the College community.
LVI former Nerea writes:
Before leaving for Malawi I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I'd heard people saying that they returned from the trip with a different view on life and that the expedition had transformed them but I didn't understand how a school trip could do that. Now it is clear to me. Malawi was an incredible, eye-opening experience and something hard to put into words. I didn't think it would have such a great impact on me but now being back at home I have realised how special that month in Africa was to me. It has truly made me see everything differently, taking for granted all of the comforts and luxuries we have at home and how lucky I am to be studying for my A levels, something we take for granted. I will be forever grateful for the friendships I made with the Malawians we met and the other Lancing students on this trip. I can confidently say that this experience will stay with me forever.
Mr Dominic Harman, teacher of English, added:
Over the course of our month in Malawi, so many things made an indelible impression: the extraordinary wildlife, the varied and beautiful landscapes which ranged from dusty red plains to the lush tea plantations of Lujeri, the extraordinary crowds who turned out every time our team of mzungu played football or netball with the local village team, ghost stories by firelight in the 125 year-old Hope Rest mountain hut, sunrise at Mangochi, sunset on Mount Mulanji; watching the fisherman of Nkhotakota paddle out at dawn and return a few hours later laden with an abundance of delicious fish which they were only too happy to sell and we were only too happy to buy; seeing our pupils laying bricks and giving lessons at Chankhasi School, painting classrooms at Bloomfield Day Care Centre and playing with the children at the Open Arms orphanage. But above all it was the people we met, our Malawian friends, who made the trip truly memorable. Everywhere we went we were treated with the most extraordinary warmth, generosity and kindness. We encountered numerous inspirational people – Andrew, Mary, Jesman, Osman, Fatima, Nev and Enipher – who were making a real difference to their communities: a difference that the money raised by Lancing pupils helps support. It was a moving, joyous, life-affirming, humbling experience. It was a privilege to be there. It was, quite simply, unforgettable.
I will never be able to give a big enough thank you as, for all of us in the group, it was the best month of definitely our Lancing life, and potentially our lives.
Tom, Upper Sixth Leaver
A huge thank you to Matt Smith, Dominic Harman, Maria Espiga and Siobhan Airey, who made this adventure possible. Your efforts continue to inspire and shape our students.
To read about the 2024 Malawi Reunion, which celebrated the 42nd anniversary of Lancing's first expedition to Malawi, follow this link.