Sean Marriott, 18, England – June 2014

I visited Lilongwe Wildlife Centre in June 2014 for just two weeks and it was the best experience in my life. I found out about the centre through the Worldwide Veterinary Service and as soon as I arrived the staff were extremely friendly and were helpful with any task. I was kept very busy when volunteering from day to day considering I am a non vet and I was lucky enough to work with all the animals at the centre one way or another! There is a non-contact policy with the animals as the centre aims to rehabilitate the majority of the animals into the wild when possible. I found this reassuring as many other organisations are not particularly open about what happens to their animals after they are released (if ever) so I knew my hard work was going to a great cause.
We had two cooked meals a day (lunch & dinner) both of which were cooked by the on site chef Josef who is possessed with talent in the kitchen and never failed to impress me! When it came to the evening the night life of Lilongwe was a very enjoyable experience and I would recommend getting out as much as possible and experiencing everything! I was also lucky enough to visit the South Luangwa Nature Reserve in Zambia, organised through the land and lake safaris and the centre so I only had to turn up and pay! This was absolutely spectacular and I am still mesmerised at some of the photos I took! My one regret from the entire trip is not staying for longer!