Frequently asked questions
Our FAQ section answers your frequently asked questions. If you did not find what you are looking for, feel free to contact us
When you give to Urunji, you are assured that 100% of your donation will go towards the intended expenditure.
Our general operating expenses are covered by other partners and Friends of Urunji, ensuring that your donation gets to work where it was intended.
The other reason why you should donate to Urunji is that you are supporting a grassroots organization. This means that less funds are spent on administration and other bureaucracies.
It is easy to convert cash into urgent assistance than the challenges of receiving goods from the port which is over 1,000 miles away, get them to travel by road which is in terrible state, clear them with the Malawi Revenue Authority, and pay for transportation to where we work.
There is no gateway for receiving donations in Malawi. As such, we use third party platforms such as GivenGain to receive donations.
We will receive the funds within a month if you donate through GivenGain. However, it will take 3 months or more if you donate through the New Horizons Foundation.
Yes, you can obtain a tax receipt when you donate through the New Horizons Foundation.
The donation platform charges their fees and we are also charged incoming wire fees by the bank.
YES, we accept donations of stock (shares), bonds, unit trusts and others.
We have a robust financial management system with tested internal controls. We provide financial reports to both regulators in Malawi and our partners.
We periodically request our partners to fund external audits to ensure credible financial reporting.
YES, we accept in-kind donations of clothes, shoes and other items.
We will share the details of the fundraiser and lead person on the Urunji Facebook page as well as on our official website.
Donations to Urunji are not refundable. However, they may be transferable, less bank charges in special circumstances if allowed by the Board of Trustees.
Please contact our finance team for wire transfer instructions.
Please note that all wire transfers are to be made to a bank account carrying the name Urunji Child-Care Trust and to a bank domiciled in Malawi.
YES, it is possible to donate to another organization in Malawi through Urunji in the form of a sub-grant.
The best time to give is NOW. Please donate on this link.
Please do not apply if we have not advertised. We do not process unsolicited applications.
We advertise job opportunities on our website as well as social media pages.
We love to keep our staff for as long as possible. We do not typically intend to employ staff on a short-term basis.
On average, a staff member works for 10 years. However, staff are free to leave should they wish to, subject to serving a month's notice.
Do NOT submit your CV if we did not solicit it through an open advertisement.
Please report to the Police and the Executive Director any person who offers a job at Urunji in exchange for money.
We conduct interviews based on the same questions and conditions.
Please visit this link to explore internship opportunities.
Sponsoring a child ensures that they live in a loving home than in an orphanage. There are so many disadvantages of placing a child in an orphanage. Find out here.
Please visit this page to learn more about child sponsorship and to select a child.
There are no contracts so you can cancel sponsorship at any time. However, we appreciate sponsor a child until they reach 21 years of age.
We identify the children with the help of local volunteers and our staff (case workers).
Yes, we encourage you to contact your sponsored child. Please note that you can only contact a sponsored child through Urunji.
Yes, you can send gifts to your sponsored child. Please do not send perishable foods, or medicines as they may not be delivered to your sponsored child owing to customs restrictions.
Urunji will deduct any customs or incidental fees from the sponsorship money unless you send extra.
Please note that unless you indicate, any gift above USD 200 will be shared with the community. This is to ensure equal distribution of resources.
We empower a child's family to become self-sufficient. One of the ways is to provide seeds and farm implements, supporting social enterprises, and ensuring that guardians receive basic parenting skills.
Satisfaction that you have helped a helpless child and have helped them to reach their fullest potential. It is an invaluable feeling.
You must be at least 18 years or older to sponsor a child with Urunji. If you are younger, please obtain a letter of consent from your parent or guardian.
Please note that people who are surviving on government benefits are not eligible to sponsor a child.
As you may have read on this website or elsewhere, over 70% of children in Malawi live in poverty. For many children, sponsorship is the only path out of poverty.
The Department of Social Welfare is the authority that approves and facilitates adoption in Malawi.
YES, you are welcome to visit your sponsored child. However, consider the financial implications before making this decision:
The costs of air travel, accommodation, visa and local travel outweigh the benefits of visiting the child.
You may therefore wish to donate that money instead and ask for a video call with your sponsored child. Thank you for your understanding.
Any foreign national is required by Malawi law to obtain a work permit including volunteers even if they would be volunteering for a few days.
Exceptions may be given to donors who come to Malawi to evaluate programmes for a short duration, typically a week or less. There are heavy penalties for NGOs which disregard this requirement and the volunteers may face arrest and/or deportation.
Only those whose skills are not locally available are allowed by law to volunteer or to be in paid employment. Examples include doctors and specialists in other fields that are typically not available or in short supply locally.
The work permit fee is USD 2,000 and is renewable initially after 12 months and thereafter at 24 months intervals. An application fee of USD 100 is also payable to the Malawi Immigration Department.
It takes not less than a month for the permit application to be approved by the Malawi Department of Immigration and more than 3 months for it to be issued. There is usually no guarantee that it will be issued and many times it is declined in the name of protecting local jobs.
If you are a doctor and want to volunteer in Malawi, you will also be required to sit for and pass exams administered by the Medical Council and pay a licence fee to practice as a doctor in Malawi.
Given the high cost of the work permit fees in Malawi, their non-refund policy and the likelihood that the work permit application will be declined, we suggest you consider other ways of volunteering with Urunji. For example:
- •Starting Friends of Urunji in your country or at your college
- • Fundraising or crowdfunding
- • Speaking about Urunji at your club or religious institution
- • Inviting us to speak at your workplace, club or church
- • Sponsoring a child or family
- • Sending gifts in kind (explore our gift catalogue on this page)
- • Donating the money instead
- • Starting a corporate giving programme for Urunji
- • Donating your birthday
To ensure good governance, we do not accept obtaining visitors visas for volunteers who want short-term placements. They must instead obtain work permits to comply with local laws.
However, you can still visit us for a day to appreciate our work without getting your hands on it and that would not be considered volunteering (working). Thank you for your understanding.
We have WiFi at the office and it is available free of charge while within the office complex.. However, you will be responsible for your data costs outside the office
We recommend that you fundraise enough money for the period of your placement before you come to Malawi to volunteer.
We would be happy to provide a reference letter if you so wish.
Yes, you are allowed to host your friends and family as long as it does not deprive other volunteers or disrupt our work.
You are required by law to provide a police clearance certificate as part of your work permit application.
You will also be required to provide your Resume or CV, medical certificate and certified copies of your academic qualifications.
Yes, you will be able to withdraw cash using your Visa card at most ATMs.
However, networks may usually be unstable and we recommend brining cash or wiring the money to the Urunji Child-Care Trust bank account. You will be able to withdraw the local currency equivalent here.
Please note that you will not be able to withdraw US Dollars or any foreign currency at any bank in Malawi.
We welcome families to come to volunteer. Please note that the location of our programme is deep in the village where amenities like international schools, hospitals or shopping malls are not available.
Yes, you definitely need international medical insurance that has a provision for emergency medical evacuation back to your country.
Our hospitals in Malawi are often under-staffed and under-equipped to handle emergencies such as snake bites or other medical complications.
As at the writing of this text, you need yellow fever vaccination when coming to Malawi as well as other vaccinations listed on this link.
Please bring basic medicines (a first aid kit is advisable), a water filter, power bank, insect repellent and of course clothing.
A wall outlet in Malawi outputs 220 volts of alternating current (AC). This voltage is often unstable. Please consider a surge protector for your sensitive devices.
You will not be allowed by law or Urunji to have a side job (side-hustle as they also call it). Please ensure that you have enough funding to cover your living expenses while in Malawi.
You must obtain an international driver's license before coming to Malawi to be able to drive within the country.
Our team will guide you on how to convert your foreign driving licence to a Malawi (SADC) driving licence when you arrive.
Please note that unless by prior agreement, Urunji will not be able to provide a vehicle for personal use.
We will arrange to take you to the nearest clinic and will coordinate with you to have you evacuated if it is a medical emergency.
Be sure to contact us and we will be happy to answer your question.
No. We are not an orphanage. We are a registered non-profit organization a.k.a NGO in Malawi.
Our work focuses on children among them orphans, believing that orphanages do more harm than good.
We believe that the best way to reach out to children and to make a lasting impact is to support them from their community. This helps them return to their community and give back in terms of skills, volunteering and decision making which helps bring sustainable change and development.
No. A big NO! We are neutral and are not affiliated to any religious institution or political party. Most of our beneficiaries subscribe to the Christian faith but we are not faith-based.
As an NGO, Urunji is not owned by anyone, not even the founder.
The Trust has a Board of Trustees who operate on a fixed term and do so on a voluntary basis. You can check out our vacancies page should there be a vacancy for board members.
Sure, you are welcome to join us as a board member. Feel free to check out the requirements on this page and also to learn how to express your interest.
We conduct baseline surveys (needs assessments) which guide us on what programmes should be run in particular areas.
This is a participatory approach where the concerned communities take part in every step of the programming.
We are presently focused on 4 programmes namely:
1. Health and nutrition
2. Education & early childhood development
3. Climate justice, and;
4. Community strengthening & livelihoods development.
We conduct periodic as well as annual reviews to ensure that we track performance and make adjustments as needed. We have a dedicated Monitoring & Evaluation Manager who manages that section.
Urunji provides narrative reports every quarter which are merged into an annual report at the end of the financial year.