Snail Mail

Most volunteers stay in contact with their friends and families via regular mail. Hey, it might be the 21st century, but it still works well! Letters being sent from the States to Malawi via airmail can take anywhere from 7 days to three months to arrive (the average is month). Letters from Malawi to the US usually take a much shorter time; expect a week to two months for the letter to arrive. Surface mail, through cheaper, can take as long as six months.

Be careful with what is sent in the envelope. Many volunteers have reported that they suspect their envelope was opened in the hopes of finding money. Many volunteers prefer to have their letters and packages sent to Peace Corps Malawi Headquarters in Lilongwe because their local post office is a bit less than trustworthy. This is the same address that trainees use for the first two or three months of training. That address is:

Peace Corps
[volunteer name]
P.O. Box 208
Lilongwe, Malawi, Central Africa

Packages

Many volunteers receive packages from family and friends throughout their service in Malawi. Unfortunately, sending a package to a volunteer does not always mean that it will get to the volunteer intact or sometimes even at all. Malawi’s postal system and the surface and airmail systems to Africa have been known to render packages opened or altogether lost. Many volunteers report that it can take anywhere from two weeks to 6 months to receive a package from the United States! Sending packages from Malawi to the United States is possible and not too expensive. Of course, the same problems of package tampering apply.

	Suggestions:
	•	Don’t send cash in the mail, as it could be easily stolen
	•	Non-perishable foods are ok (eg. “just add water” mixes, powdered drink mixes, etc)
	•	Volunteers love to hear new music! Mixed cassette tapes are a favorite.

Internet and Email

The Internet has only recently made its way into Malawi. Currently, there are a handful of service providers offering Internet access in the three main cities (Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu). Because most volunteers will not have phones in their homes, most will not have Internet access in their homes either. Of course it is possible to use the Internet on occasional visits to town and one of the few Internet cafes. Peace Corps is in the process of adding a monthly allowance to cover such costs. In short, don’t expect to have regular email access. It is here, but it’s very slow (analog phone line connections) and is fairly expensive to use.

For those times when you are able to access email, you will want a web-based email system (like that of Hotmail or Yahoo). Our suggestion is Yahoo. Hotmail, although fast in the United States, is very slow here in Africa. Yahoo, because of more servers in Africa, is much faster.

If you plan to bring a laptop computer and would like Internet access, here are a few bits of information you may find useful:

	•	The vast majority of computers in Malawi are PCs, but the Peace Corps office uses Macs (although Peace Corps is planning on adopting PCs). As a result, it may be a good idea to bring a PC instead of a Mac. If you are Mac person (and this entire site was created on a Mac laptop in Malawi) you can still get on the Internet; it just may take a little more struggle.
	•	As written in the electricity section of living conditions, make sure that you computer can handle Malawi’s 240v system. We STRONGLY suggest you invest in a voltage meter when you arrive here. My poor computer was fried once without a voltage meter and has survived countless surges and brown-outs (drop in voltage) with it.
	•	All Internet Service Providers here in Malawi offer only analog phone connections to their servers. So all you will need is a 56k modem. An extra phone cable is probably a good idea.
	•	Because most volunteers do not have phone connections in their homes, you will probably need to bring a sturdy travel case. Just remember, everything seems to break in Malawi. My computer has survived with no problems (other than electrical), so it’s possible to keep it safe. A strong case and some extra padding when traveling (like a t-shirt or two) is a great idea.
	•	As far as software, all you will need is your web browser and an email client if you plan on accessing a non-web-based email account. Most ISPs will help you set up your computer to access their servers.
	•	Monthly costs vary pretty widely (as does the quality of service). Expect something between $15.00 and $50.00 per month.
	•	Bring back-up software for when you are in the middle of Malawi with a crashed computer!
	•	Finally, keep in mind that items sometimes get stolen here in Malawi. Please don’t be the poor person that had their computer stolen. Keep it safe in a locked cabinet and don’t tell many people in your village that you have one.

Phones

In Malawi, there are 250 people to every phone line, while in America there are three people to every one line.

In other words, you will most likely not have a phone in your home (in fact, at the moment, no volunteers have phones in their homes). What you can expect to have is occasional access to make calls and receive calls. Volunteers are able to receive international calls and make reverse charge calls from the Peace Corps Transit House in Lilongwe (+265 751 596), the Blantyre PCVL house (+265 620 127) and the Mzuzu PCVL house (+265 334 847). Of course if there are emergencies, Peace Corps Headquarters in Lilongwe can always be called at +265 757 157.

Take a minute or two to call your local phone company to inquire about reduced rates for calls to Malawi. Many families have found some excellent deals that considerably reduce their phone bills.

Television

Malawi does have a television station (although at the time of this writing, it’s future is in question due to money problems). It has extremely limited broadcast range and offers only two channels. There is a digital cable system now in the larger cities of Malawi. Of course, most volunteers don’t have television and therefore miss The Simpsons terribly!