Tennis Coaching

location
1 - 12 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+

rating  Fantastic 4.5  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Very high response rate


Especially good for

Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Groups

About the program

The children of Mzuzu love playing tennis and table tennis, and need volunteer coaches. Come volunteer with us!

About the Program
This volunteer project in Mzuzu, Malawi has a unique focus, especially for a country like Malawi; it uses tennis and table tennis to educate and empower youth and children.

Tennis Kids Malawi is actively promoting table tennis and lawn tennis by creating structured and progressive ...

About the program

About the Program
This volunteer project in Mzuzu, Malawi has a unique focus, especially for a country like Malawi; it uses tennis and table tennis to educate and empower youth and children.

Tennis Kids Malawi is actively promoting table tennis and lawn tennis by creating structured and progressive coaching but also competitive structures for athletes, coaches, administrators and match officials to be involved in these sports, from beginner’s level to international games.

This shall be guided by the following principles:
  • Creating an environment for table tennis and tennis for all that are interested to develop both positive physical health standards but also life skills, social skills and personal development.
  • Improving the standard of play and market table tennis and tennis in the northern region to compete with the best on a local, regional and international level.
  • Making table tennis and lawn tennis the most widely played sport at a grassroots level in Mzuzu.
  • The mission of this program is to provide necessary skills in table tennis and lawn tennis in a sustainable, structured, progressive and professional manner as well as introducing the program's objectives at various youth organizations, like primary and secondary school.
The organization is involved in many activities that improve the general health of children and develop the skills of Lawn tennis and Table tennis as a life sport.

Coaching
One of the main activities of Tennis Kids, where volunteers will be involved, is the actual playing and coaching of table tennis and/or lawn tennis. The daily coaching sessions will show you just how big the interest of the local youth is in getting actively involved, even though these sports are not the most well-known or popular in Malawi. Training sessions are focused at different age groups and levels of experience, and any volunteer with basic skills can contribute hugely by offering the extra help.

Coaching Workshops
To offer the best quality of training and to have a sustainable long term focus there is an ongoing need for coaches who are dedicated and know how to coach and improve the skills of the children and young adults. Tennis Kids conducts coaching courses at the beginning of every year to provide more advanced coaching skills to already trained coaches, any new coaches coming from different youth organizations and teachers from different primary and secondary schools.

School League Tournaments
SBB organizes a schools league tournament which involves players of different schools competing against each other. Currently there is a total of 11 schools taking part in the league. The Tennis Kids coaches are usually assigned to visit the schools once a week to train any interested children and to identify talent.

Tournaments for HIV / AIDS Awareness
The tournament activities are part of the national reBanda who will pick you upsponse to the HIV/AIDS pandemic threatening the general population of Malawi. As the youth is especially vulnerable and within a high-risk age group, Tennis Kids believes that through sport the message of the risks of HIV/AIDS can be positively carried out.

The tournaments offer, next to playing sports, a variety of activities that can influence the youth to make use of testing and knowing their status as well as counselling for those infected. It is intended to influence positive change in sexual behaviours and to decrease the risks of HIV/AIDS among young people.

Championship Competitions
Tennis Kids organizes regional tournaments with funding from different sponsors and stakeholders, but is also involved in National championships by entering some of their top players. These tournaments, as well as end-of-term tournaments, provide the youth different opportunities to test their skills against each other and socialise with players from other parts of the region or country.

You most likely won’t be alone when volunteering at Mzuzu and meet both local as international volunteers. We get volunteers from all over the world, from the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the UK and many other countries.

GUIDANCE AND SUPERVISION
Guidance will be offered in multiple ways as different people are involved in your stay in Mzuzu. 

PROJECT NEEDS
The biggest need for Tennis Kids is to have enthusiastic and knowledgeable coaches to offer the best training and coaching they can. Volunteers with some experience and a love for either one of these sports will be highly appreciated and welcome to form part of the team. There always is an ongoing challenge for financial support and materials. If any volunteers can contribute with any of the following items this would be highly appreciated;
  • Tennis rackets and balls
  • Sports uniforms and tennis shoes
  • Table tennis bats and balls
  • Sports clothing

Typical day

Working hours are flexible, but will generally be from 9.30am – 5pm during the week including the following activities.

  1. Help develop social, interpersonal, and life skills of the children and youth in Mzuzu, Malawi.
  2. Build an active environment to encourage the betterment of physical health.
  3. Assist ...

Typical day

Working hours are flexible, but will generally be from 9.30am – 5pm during the week including the following activities.

  1. Help develop social, interpersonal, and life skills of the children and youth in Mzuzu, Malawi.
  2. Build an active environment to encourage the betterment of physical health.
  3. Assist with the promotion of lawn tennis and table tennis in the northern region.
  4. Help empower and educate youth and children through sports.
  5. Immerse in the culture and lifestyle of Mzuzu through daily interactions with locals.
Volunteers can be involved in a variety of tasks and activities within the diversity of what Tennis Kids offers such as:
  • Assisting with coaching and training of children and youth.
  • Developing new coaching techniques and teaching others.
  • Personal health and fitness activities.
  • Visiting schools and teaching sports.
  • Organizing awareness and further growth of the sports in Mzuzu and surroundings.
Some weekends will be focused on tournaments so expect that working hours can be different.

Volunteering at this project can be challenging at times but if you love to work with children that are eager to play and learn as much as they can you will have an incredibly rewarding time with Tennis Kids. You will have a fair level of freedom to discuss your personal talents and ideas with the management to create a unique and personalised programme to make the most out of your stay.

Free-time activities

There are a few things to do in Mzuzu. There is a shopping centre with a modern supermarket, an internet cafe and a few restaurants where you can go to. Furthermore you can go hiking in the Mkuwazi forest reserve! If you like to do more, you can go a little bit further by public transport or rent a ...

Free-time activities

There are a few things to do in Mzuzu. There is a shopping centre with a modern supermarket, an internet cafe and a few restaurants where you can go to. Furthermore you can go hiking in the Mkuwazi forest reserve! If you like to do more, you can go a little bit further by public transport or rent a car and do it yourself!


Requirements

Requirements

Minimum Age: 18 years

In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

Language Skills

You need to speak English (basic level)

Criminal Background Check

required

Nationality Restrictions

No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

Other Skills

It is important that volunteers of this project understand the importance of the following: - To be enthusiastic and independent - To show respect towards the people and culture of the local community. You might not agree with certain ways of conduct during your stay here, but don’t forget you are a guest here, and you can’t try to change everything in a period of just a few weeks. - To show flexibility towards responsibilities, tasks and activities.

Time Commitment

Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 09:30 - 17:00

What's Included

What's Included

Services by Go With Khaya

Information and assistance before departure - City Tour and Introduction Program - Direct donation to the project - Accommodation and all meals (7 days a week)


  • Information and assistance before departure
  • Accommodation and all meals (7 days a week)
  • Volunteer coordinator available 24/7
  • City Tour and Introduction Program
  • Direct donation to the project
Excluded from your fees:
  • Extra costs for airport transfer or bus tickets
  • Private Luxuries (snacks, cool drinks, alcohol, etc.) 
  • Costs for weekend outings 
  • Laundry
  • Toiletries 
  • Air tickets
  • Insurance 
Extra costs: To get to Mzuzu you have a variety of options depending on your personal preference and needs.

Airport Pickup at Mzuzu

Lilongwe Airport transfer (one way private vehicle) - $160

Daily Transport $25 p/week


Direct transfer:
We will gladly pick you up from the airport in Lilongwe for the additional cost of 160 USD. This is a local payment and needs to be paid directly to our coordinator. These costs can be shared if there are more volunteers arriving on the same day, so with 2 people it will be 75 USD per person, with 4 only 37.50 USD per person. Mzuzu is 340 km from the international airport in Lilongwe, making it quite a trip to pick you up, but we gladly arrange it for you. 

Own transport Malawi:
As Malawi is such a friendly and relatively easy country to travel in, public transport is another option to arrange your own airport pick up with accommodation in Lilongwe, and to stay over before taking a bus to Mzuzu. We gladly help you with planning this and giving you free advice.

Own transport via Tanzania:
As the flights to Lilongwe can unfortunately be quite expensive, we suggest looking at the alternative to fly to Dar es Salaam or Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, offering cheaper flights and to take a bus to Mzuzu. Buses are available on a daily basis and can take 16-20 hours to get to Mzuzu. 

Accommodation

Volunteers will stay with one of our selected host families within walking distance of Tennis Kids, making it very easy to come to work and get back home.

We offer a comfortable family home with 2 bedrooms with 2 and 3 beds respectively. There is a private bathroom for volunteers to use with a western toilet and shower with warm water. The home offers the use of a dining room, lounge with TV and large garden.

Depending on how busy it is, you will share a room with other volunteers.

Food & Beverages

There are 3 meals a day prepared for you which will be local food - mostly made up of rice, pastas, ‘nsima’ (porridge of maize meal), fish, vegetables and meats.

Breakfast is usually porridge or bread with coffee or tea. Lunches are light meals and dinner is cooked.

Internet Access

Limited access at the project site

What's NOT included?

What's NOT included?

Flight Tickets

The nearest airport is Mzuzu (ZZU) in Mzuzu. We assist you to find cheap flights to Malawi. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

Travel Insurance

Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Malawi provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

Vaccines

If you are intending to volunteer in Malawi you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Malawi. VACCINE CHECKER

Details on arrival

Availability
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Program fees

1 week (min. stay) 298€
2 weeks 498€
3 weeks 727€
4 weeks 913€
5 weeks 1,127€
12 weeks (max. stay) 2,628€
Average fees 258€/week

Program fees

258€ per week 1 - 12 weeks Age 18 - 50+

Payment methods

Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

NO CREDIT CARD FEES


Duration

1 - 12 weeks

Deposit

The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.


Final Payment

Your final payment will be agreed with Go With Khaya during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.


Meet your organization

Go With Khaya

Fantastic 4.5 rating (42 reviews)

Agency - founded in 2005

Verified by Volunteer World

  Very high response rate

Coordinated by

Igna

Spoken languages: English

About the project

Go With Khaya provides responsible and affordable volunteer projects. Take a gap year, work with communities and children, teach sport or work with wildlife.

Meet your organization

“Khaya” means village or dwelling in several African languages – but it also has a deeper meaning, that of ‘belonging’. In Xhosa it also means home or homestead and in Swahili it means boma, which is an enclosed secure area for cattle. At Khaya Volunteer Projects, we make our volunteers feel that they belong. If you choose Khaya to organize your volunteering experience, you will feel secure and well-informed. You will also feel that you belong to the project you decide to work with, as Khaya fits the right people to the right projects.

History

Go With Khaya Travel Experiences was established in 2005 under the initial name Khaya Volunteer Projects. We offered international students the opportunity to come to South Africa and experience working with local companies and organizations as interns. Our goal was to offer an incomparable experience of the diverse culture and socio-political landscape of this amazing country, and our hope was to inspire people to offer their time and effort in return.

We soon found that many volunteering projects needed more hands and financial support than interns could provide, so in 2009 we started to offer volunteering opportunities to people of all ages and walks of life, such as gap year students, travelers, and conscientious older people with time to spare – whoever you are, you will find the right project for you and fit right in. Things took off from there and we didn’t look back - in 2011, Khaya expanded to Tanzania (Arusha and Zanzibar) and Zimbabwe. Today we have offices in South Africa, Zanzibar, Tanzania and Malawi.

Our Mission

Our mission is simple but resonant: we provide volunteering opportunities for international travelers that are both unique and as affordable as possible with high standards of service and facilities. Needless to say, we also prioritize our selected volunteer projects’ needs in ways that benefit both project and you, the volunteer.

At Go With Khaya, our greatest desire is to show people the true Africa, with its dynamic cultures and its incredible raw beauty. To live and work locally in South Africa, Tanzania or Zanzibar means immersing yourself in these countries and experiencing your travels in an entirely unique way you will never forget.

Our offer

Go With Khaya will introduce you to affordable volunteer projects which have been personally chosen by or established by us. You can choose from a number of viable, sustainable, rewarding ventures: working with children, healthcare, sports development, education, conservation, animals – whatever you can think of, that project wants and needs your time and energy!

We have developed an extremely hands-on and personal approach to your experience. You will have a project facilitator working closely with you throughout your volunteering program to make sure your questions are answered and your concerns addressed. No question, suggestion or complaint is too silly, small or simple! This is just one of the many reasons Khaya has volunteers coming back to us year after year.

Dynamite comes in small packages! One of our points of pride is that our volunteering projects are selected and developed for quality over quantity. This means you won’t have to stand in a queue to touch an elephant or to take part in an activity – this isn’t Disneyworld!  Many other volunteer projects have 30 or 40 volunteers involved, which we feel dilutes your experience and denies the volunteer project your focus and enthusiasm. Some of our volunteer projects are rather new and in the process of improving, so we at Khaya make it our priority to uplift and support where we can and grow these projects to new heights – and for this, we want our volunteers to be as involved as possible and not just people who paid a fee to be ‘faces in the crowd’!

Why Go With Khaya?

Affordability

We focus on keeping our volunteer projects’ prices transparent and as low as possible while still offering the highest level of service. We encourage…no, we CHALLENGE you, our prospective volunteers, to compare our prices with other organizations. We offer incomparably affordable experiences for the level of service you will be receiving. We make sure to eliminate hidden costs and ‘fine print’ as far as possible in our volunteer project pricing. All your meals, transport and 24/7 supervision and guidance is included in our offering (this MAY differ per project, so please double-check with us).

Where does your money go?

We donate a good portion of your volunteering fee directly to the projects we work with (this can differ per project, you can check with us). This means that not only are you helping and supporting the projects with your time and energy, but you are also financially contributing to them! Khaya ensures that the costs involved in our projects are as transparent and uncomplicated as possible so that you know exactly where your hard-earned money is going to. Please contact us if you have ANY queries whatsoever regarding your fee, and what kind of mileage you are getting for your buck!

Locally based

Go With Khaya has one fantastic advantage over other volunteer groups – we’re based right here in Africa, and are therefore directly involved with the volunteer projects on an ongoing, hands-on basis. We make every effort to visit all our projects regularly to ensure that everything is running smoothly, and to ensure that both projects AND volunteers receive all the necessary support and guidance. Our direct partnership with our projects allows us to see immediately how you, the volunteer, fit into the bigger picture, and at the same time we can help with the day-to-day details of your stay.

Very important to us: Go With Khaya strives to create employment in Africa by employing local people at several of our projects and giving them much-needed income opportunities.

Going the extra mile

Go With Khaya believes in going the extra mile. Whether you have questions specifically about the volunteer project you have embarked on, or just a general travel question (er no, lions and elephants don’t usually run rampant in city streets here! :). Ask away with impunity, nothing is too big or small for us to find the answer.

Go With Khaya also conducts ongoing coaching and training of our local partners and coordinators. We train the staff of several projects on how to deal with volunteers, how to utilize them, and the best possible way to assist them. In doing so, we offer support for volunteers and at the same time foster an environment of empowerment for the full-time project workers.

Keeping it real

The pictures that you see on our website are authentic – they were taken by volunteers and GWK staff. We want you to see exactly what you get if you sign up for a volunteering project with us. We are NOT involved in this industry merely to make a buck – we have a passion to make change happen, and to create a win-win situation for all involved. Also, we really want you to send us YOUR pictures and words, your vision of your experience, for our own knowledge and for potential future volunteers.

Pre-departure and feedback

Before you depart your home country, GWK will supply you with a pre-departure guide with information about the project you choose. We will supply everything you need to know about visa requirements, and a list of what you need to bring with you; the climate; what to expect culturally and environmentally; and much, much more information!

We always aim to improve our services wherever possible, so once you have completed your time as a volunteer; we will ask you for feedback on your experience with us. Your feedback is of utmost importance to us to keep improving and growing our partnerships to new heights.


42 reviews · rating4.5

Claudia Fiedler rating3

2024 at Teach Assistant

School: Overall the teaching experience is an experience that changed my view on the world. However, if you are visiting from europe you need to be aware, that things in africa work differently than at home. To me, the project seemed quite unorganised. The communication with the school was ...
David Mason-Williams rating4.4

2023 at Siyafunda Wild Experience

Volunteering with Siyafunda was one of the best decisions of my life! Everyone involved in the project is passionate and knowledgable about their work, which I find inspirational. I learnt so much during my six weeks with Siyafunda, and I cannot wait to one day return and learn more! Anyone who is ...
corinne loze rating5

2022 at Vervet Monkey Rescue

it was an amazing experience with a lot af support and involing of volonteers. The program is very serious and it was just so adorable to take care of pink faces ...
Lison Mc Nicoll rating4.6

2022 at Vervet Monkey Rescue

I stayed 2 weeks in Bambelela in June-July 2022. It was amazing! People there are so nice and we have plenty of monkey time. The tasks to do are easy but so helpful for them! An experience of a life! I’ll always remember my beautiful monkeys there! ...
Aniek Fassotte rating4.4

2022 at Penguin Rescue and Rehabilitation Assistant

Het originele plan was om zes weken bij dit project te gaan werken. Uiteindelijk is dit me zo goed bevallen dat ik mijn verblijf heb verlengd met twee extra weken. Het was mooi om zulke ervaring op te kunnen doen. Maar eerlijk is eerlijk, met de 'bazen' bij dit project moet je wel om kunnen gaan. ..
Zeyneb Kasmi rating3.2

2022 at Teach Assistant

I spent in total 5 weeks in Zanzibar. The island became a second home. I taught mostly in a secondary school. It was a wonderful experience! However, I was living 25 min away from Stone Town / and the school. I did not like taking the bus/dali dali every single day. They only drive to up to a ...

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