Malawi now offers a well thought-out and certainly one-of-a-kind, four-to-six-week language and cultural exchange program. It is not a traditional SYLE, but one that is open to any current Servas member, not just youth.  

Malawi is a long, narrow, landlocked country in east Africa (see map below), surrounded by Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania. It is commonly called the 'warm heart of Africa' and has a population of 14 million consisting of Muslims, Christians and Animists. The economy is largely based upon tea, coffee and sugar production. The daily staple is Nsima(maize) with relish (little fish-kapenta, beans, tomatoes, andonions). 

These are the requirements for participation.  

• Be a model Servas traveler 

• Be prepared to give a PowerPoint presentation about your life, your country, your Servas group 

• Buy and pay for your air travel and insurance. 

• Be between the ages of 18 to 80. 

• Pay $25 for four Chichewa language lessons. 

• Pay $100 SYLE fee (50% goes to the NGO that you volunteer with) 

• Be fit and have health Insurance. 

• Be able to communicate comfortably in English. 

• Pay for your own lunches, local buses, and incidental expenses. 

• Pay for the ingredients and cook one meal for each ‘long-stay’ host. 

• Have an up-to-date Servas LOI. 

• Have funds to travel the last week around Malawi. 

 

Arrival: 

You will be greeted at the airport and taken to the home of our National Secretary where you will stay for two nights to settle in before beginning your SYLE. We will present you with a Servas Malawi membership, T-shirt, ID, and an item worth up to $50 for YOU to donate to the NGO you choose to work with (see below). 

 

Week 1: Stay two nights with three or four Blantyre hosts who will: 

1. Take you to work with them for a day. 

1. Show you how to use the local minibuses, etc. to get around. 

1. Help you study and speak Chichewa. 

1. Visit St Michaels, Carlsberg, Thyolo & Mulanje 

 

Week 2 - 3: Stay with two long-stay hosts, one per week while doing daily volunteer work with an accredited NGO’s from the list that follows: 

1. Footprints Africa- agroecology in Mulanje. 

1. Tiyamike – photography work - make a booklet. 

1. Work with 2-6yr old children in a Nursery/Primary sch. 

1. Blood Donor Board – work in Mzuzu/Lilongwe 

1. Garage Workshop. 

1. Housing support. 

Week 4: 1 week of self-funded travel @ lake oraround Malawi & back for debrief with National Secretary. 

For more information CONTACT:  

National Secretary: demelzabenbow@gmail.com  •  WhatsApp +(265) 999-482-983 

SYLE Support: Jacqueline13@hotmail or call +(265) 997-376-475 or 993-920-386 

Servas International would like all members to share their thoughts on how to grow – perhaps with special interest groups. To that end, the Servas International Development Committee (SIDC) created a survey that they would like as many members as possible to complete.  Complete the survey here. 

SIDC has received a lot of requests to consider setting up special interest groups as a way for members to collaborate.We are asking that you complete this survey to find what special interest groups members are interested in. These groups will work together (in-person or virtually) to initiate, learn, and collaborate on topics they are interested in. Some interest groups that have been suggested are listed here. Please check as many as appeal to you. If there is a different interest group in which you might be interested, please include your suggestions at the bottom of the survey.

The survey is available in other languages on request.  

  

 

 

 

Moraira, Alicante, Spain • September 16-23, 2023

Servas Spain invites members to participate in an international meeting with a focus on peace from different points of view; Personal Peace, Peace in Servas, and Peace in the world. And of course, this will be combined with leisure and tourism activities in the area, giving priority to enjoying and having a good time with peace of mind. 

For more details, follow this link. 

August 25 to 31 , 2023

There is a tradition of inter-Pyrenees meetings, and this year Servas members will meet in the Núria Valley near Andora. It is an ideal place to visit, relax, see nature, go hiking... The plan is to spend a few days together, live together, get to know each other, exchange and share experiences in the surroundings of the Pyrenees. 

Click HERE for details, housing options, and registration. 

Servas members of Finland will gather on an island in the beautiful Maxmo Archipelago, off the west coast of Finland near the city of Vaasa. The group will be staying in the quaint Wästinn Hotel, located by the sea, complete with traditional sauna and fishing facilities. There are only left 4 places available for international friends, and altogether there will be about 30 people. Events included are sharing friendship in Servas spirit, hiking on the seashore trails, international dancing, and enjoying sauna, swimming, and tasty local cuisine. 

From abroad, you can fly directly to Vaasa or fly first to Helsinki and then take the 4-hour train from Helsinki to Vaasa. Before or after the meeting you can stay with some of Servas families in Vaasa. From there, there's transportation with private cars to the meeting place some 50 km north. Contact: Arja Sigfrids arja.sigfrids@akat.fi for more information. 

October 12 - 15, 2023 Caleruega (Burgos) 

Servas Spain will hold their 2023 national assembly at the Santo Domingo Monastery in Caleruega in the foothills of the Pyrenees in north central Spain. The monastery is a sanctuary of Dominican friars and offers a calm place for reflection and prayer to those who wish to withdraw for a while from daily occupations and find themselves more deeply with themselves. It has ample space for the activities and an assembly hall to celebrate the gathering.  

Caleruega is a municipality with fewer than 500 inhabitants, located in the region of La Ribera del Duero, about 160 km. from Madrid. A few places of interest in the area are: Clúnia, an archaeological site, La Yecla Gorge, Santo Domingo de Silos, Covarruvias, Lerma, the small old village of Peñaranda de Duero, Wineries in Gumiel de Izan, Museum of Human Evolution, and the Unesco archaeological site of Atapuerca. Follow this link for further information. 

by Paige LaCombe & Alvany Santiago

After the four-day UN Commission on the Status of Women CSW67 conference in NYC, see OD article, Paige LaCombe (US Servas), and Alvany Santiago (Servas Brazil) flew to Santiago to share their experience with women attending the XIII Congreso Latinoamericano de Investigación sobre la Paz (CLAIP), i.e., Latin American Peace Conference.It was held at the University Alberto Furtado in Santiago, Chile from April 18 to 24, 2023. Attendees were thrilled to have these two powerful women make their conference presentation, “UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW): The Experience of Servas Representatives”. 

Paige LaCombe is the former peace secretary for Servas International. She holds a BA in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College, Pasadena, California.She’s taught in Los Angeles for more than twenty-five years to maximize opportunities for migrant children and their families. She also has a keen interest in gender issues, particularly the rights of girls to participate in sports, as well as supporting equal opportunities for education and wages for women. She served as the Servas International Peace Secretary from 2019 to 2023 and focused on organizing the attendance of Servas International Women at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and developing partnerships with men’s group that support gender equality. 

Alvany Santiago is a Servas Brazil member, a founder of SantiagoEcoAmigas, and a member of the Conflict Resolution Team for Servas International. She is a professor in the postgraduate program in Development Dynamics of Semi-arid Regions and Public Administration at the Federal University of Sao Francisco Valley, Brazil. She is the leader of the research group Laboratory of Career and Competences Development (LCDC) and a member of the research group Governance for Sustainability and Carbon Market Management at Federal University of Bahia, Brazil. She was a visiting fellow at the University of Birmingham, UK and at the University of Tampere, Finland. Her studies revolve around the contribution of people and organizations to sustainable development, including gender equality, circular economy and business ethics.  

Like the New York CSW, the Chile conference included people from diverse groups within Latin America, not just Servas members. Their first objective was to inform attendees about Servas and describe efforts to address gender and diversity issues within an international peace organization. To achieve this, they introduced Servas International, described the strategy of action, and analyzed Servas International’s participation in CSW. Their presentation conveyed the energy and relevance of the CSW as they shared some of the key sessions and presentations from the UN conference, including the presentation hosted by Servas Canada member, Julie Cormak, entitled Women and Girl's Access to Education in Afghanistan, and Türkiye Servas International Peace School. See video. 

During their time in Santiago, they stayed with wonderful Servas hosts Javier Heusseur, National Secretary Servas Chile, and family, and with Emilio Caicedo, Peace Secretary, Servas Chile.  Many thanks for their hospitality, conversations, meals, and true Servas camaraderie! 

Paige Lacombe, Alvany Sanitago and Javier Heusser attending Servas SYLE online

L-R - Christine, Javier, Emilio and Alvany (Servas hosts and traveler) 

Emilio Caicedo and Paige Lacombe 

On May 31, 2024, the schwelle Foundation will confer the 11th International Bremen Peace Award for exemplary commitment to Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation. The award is given with the aim of honoring people and organizations that set an example through their work contributing to reconciliation, human rights, overcoming racism, social justice, sustainable handling of nature and environment as well as to intercultural and inter-religious understanding.The patron of the Bremen Peace Award is Bremen’s former mayor Karoline Linnert. For more information about the Peace Award and the schwelle Foundation click HERE. 

By Julie Cormack & Kent Macaulay

Did you know that Servas plays a role at the United Nations?  

As an organization promoting peace, Servas International has “consultative status” with the UN.  This means that Servas can name 15 official representatives to the UN and can participate in and contribute to various UN conferences and discussions.  In return, Servas members are requested to learn about and support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2015-2030 and other UN initiatives.

One of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals is gender equality.  For the past few years, Servas members have been delegates to the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) conference held at the UN in New York every March.  This year, over 40 Servas members from around the world registered as delegates for CSW67.  Some of them attended a portion of the two-week conference in-person, while others participated online.

Join The Discussion on ZOOM

Sunday, May 7, 2:00 pm Eastern (11:00 am Pacific)

Hear what Servas members gained from CSW67 and how they contributed to it. Discuss how Servas International could increase its participation in next year’s CSW and other UN events and activities.

Click HERE  to join the discussion

Hosted by

Julie Cormack and Kent Macaulay

Servas Canada members and Servas International Reps to the UN

Servas International Peace Secretary, Francisco Salamón Luma, will host a new online "Servas Peace Forum" on April 22, 2023. These meetings will occur quarterly and will allow our members meet online and have regular cultural exchanges without flying.  Topics will vary, but don't miss this opportunity to connect with other Servas members throughout the world. The 1st Servas Peace Forum is open for registration now. You are welcome to join us. Please register by April 8th. Here is the registration link.