International Volunteer HQ’s partner NGO in Kenya requires volunteers NOW! IVHQ has a wide range of volunteering opportunities available in teaching, orphanage work, HIV/Aids work and medical placements in both urban and rural Kenya.
LOCATION OF KENYA VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
IVHQ has volunteer placements in Nairobi (suburban Nairobi and Kibera – the largest slum in Africa), Mombasa and rural Kenyan communities and villages. While we would like an indication of your location preference when applying, this can be finalized with our program partner on arrival in Kenya.
START AND DURATION OF KENYA VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
Placements begin on the 1st and 15th of each month. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for periods of one week to six months.
KENYA VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS
Volunteers must be over 18 years of age at the beginning of the program and have at least a high school education. Volunteers participating in the MEDICAL PLACEMENT must have appropriate training and certification (to be presented to IVHQ partner staff on arrival in Kenya).
KENYA VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT DESCRIPTIONS
TEACHING
Volunteers are placed in community schools, public schools or orphanage schools. Many of the schools we work with are constantly understaffed and are always in need of new volunteers. In this program, volunteers can work by themselves or alongside other teachers and volunteers. Typical subjects taught include – English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Art and Physical Education. School in Kenya runs for three terms a year (Term One – January to April, Term Two – May to August, Term Three – September to November). There are short breaks between these terms during which time volunteers can take a break, travel, engage in tourist activities such as safari, take tutorials for senior students, or participate in another placement. N.B. Volunteers DO NOT need to be a qualified or experienced teacher.
IVHQ Placement: Diagorretti Primary School - This school is located approximately 10 minutes out of Kibera and provides education for over 300 children ranging age from 5-15. Similar to many schools in this area, there is a desperate shortage of teachers and professional to help educate the children.
ORPHANAGE WORK
Due to the high incidences of poverty and illness orphanages in Kenya can host 50-300 children at any one time and there is always a high demand for more volunteer assistance. Volunteers who work in an orphanage help with general work and daily chores. This work ranges from cooking and cleaning to farm work, assisting with feeding programs, caring for children and babies and teaching.
IVHQ Placement: Merciful Redeemer Children's Home is located in Nairobi's South C Mitumba Slum. South C is in Nairobi West Sub-Location, Kibera Division. Mitumba Slums is about 4 kilometres from the Nairobi City Centre just next to Wilson Airport. The home was started in 2002 by its Founder and Director Mrs Anne Mugane. The home admitted its first 5 children in 2002 in the Director's house. The home's present capacity is 80 Children. The children admitted range from 3 years to 16 years. Most of them are orphans or street children brought to the home by relatives and friends. (Please Note - This is just one of many orphanages on our program and not necessarily the one you will be working at).
HIV/AIDS WORK
In many African countries such as Kenya, HIV/Aids is responsible for the deaths of thousands of people each and every year. In an effort combat this deadly disease, many hospital and local NGOS are presently running HIV/AIDS testing, counseling, and an awareness campaigns in Kenya. Our HIV/AIDS volunteer program is aimed at giving care and support to the HIV infected and also creating awareness to vulnerable groups about the dangers of HIV/Aids through HIV/Aids outreach programs. These Outreach programs are generally done through schools and community groups while work consists of; visiting patients in their homes, helping with medical care and food, conducting lessons to educate people on the dangers of HIV and how to prevent themselves from getting infected. Our program is organized in collaboration with Government institutions, NGOs, and community based organization CBOs who are working very closely with the communities and HIV/Aids patients.
MEDICAL PLACEMENT
Healthcare is neither easily accessible nor affordable for many Kenyans living in the rural villages and slums such as Kibera. Poverty creates a large barrier to the acquisition of healthcare in general, but in rural areas in particular. The Kenyan Government has authorized our program partner to place medical students and professionals in their clinics and hospitals. These dispensaries and hospitals have very basic equipment and facilities. Volunteers are placed in a hospital or dispensary based on previous medical training and experience. N.B. For the MEDICAL PLACEMENT, volunteers need to be training or qualified in a relevant medical field. Therefore, volunteers are required to present a copy of their qualifications and certificates to our program partner on arrival in Kenya.
KENYA PROGRAM COSTS
One of the strengths of IVHQ is our extremely affordable fees. CLICK HERE to see the program cost to volunteer in Kenya and what you receive in exchange for your fees.
ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS
Volunteers are accommodated in a home-stay where they will live with a local family. We give that family money from your fee for support, food and board. It is exciting to stay with a family; that way you will learn the Kenyan way of life, meet local people, eat local food and engage in local customs and traditions. Living is basic but the large majority of home stays have electricity and running water (some rural home stays may not have electricity or running water during times of drought). Volunteers can expect to share a room with one or two other volunteers. Regardless of the tribe or culture your host family is from, they will be sure to give you a good Kenyan treat. Kenyans eat three meals in a day. Bottled water is readily available in Kenya and volunteers should budget approximately US$5 per week for this (2 liters per day). Breakfasts generally consist of Chai (tea), toast, cereal, fruit and mandazzi (deep fried dough). A typical lunch can include meat and vegetables with rice, sandwiches and fruit while dinner usually sees traditional food such as ugali, chapatti, boga and irio accompany the meat and vegetables. Breakfast is taken in the morning, then lunch, which is served at about 1 PM (or you can take a packed lunch if you wish to eat at your project) and then dinner/supper served at 7 or 8 in the evening. If you have special eating needs, please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you. However, we need to stress the point that you should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, but also as a volunteer, there is a need to be flexible.
ORIENTATION
Orientation will begin on the morning of the 1st or 15th of the month (dependent on your booking) and you will be picked up from your accommodation and taken to the orientation. Orientation will be conducted by the team in Nairobi and cover everything you need to know for your volunteering placement in Kenya – Introduction to Kenya, Kenyan Customs, Language Training (Kiswahili), Rules and Expectations, Safety, Travel Opportunities in Kenya, Introduction to your project and placement. The orientation will also give you a chance to meet other volunteers and swap contact details for weekend travel and socializing. Once orientation is complete, volunteers will be transported to their home stay and introduced to all relevant parties – home stay family members and program placement staff.
VOLUNTEER WEEK
First Day: On the first day of the volunteering placement, the volunteers will be escorted to the project and introduced to the staff at the project you will be working with.
Weekdays: While our programs are flexible and can be fitted to your requirements, an example of a typical day is as follows.
- 7.30AM Breakfast with the host family
- 8.00AM Volunteer leaves home and is dropped (or walks) to the project;
- The volunteer joins with the local staff. You will be given a duty roster and a plan for your work. There is usually a tea break and a lunch break. Work and hours is dependent on the project and location that the volunteer is participating in.
- 2.00PM-5.00PM Work at the project usually ends. The volunteer at this point is free to visit and see places or do shopping. Usually we will have a guide to take you around. You may also want to hang out with the kids up to around 6.00PM.
- 8.30PM Dinner with the host family.
Weekends: During the weekend, volunteers have spare time and usually just relax or take the opportunity to explore other parts of their local town, Nairobi, Kenya and Eastern Africa. Long weekends can be taken to travel further afield (i.e. Mombasa, Uganda or Tanzania) or to embark on a safari. If volunteers wish to volunteer over the weekends they can join local teams and visit other orphanages (or other children helping organizations) to spend time simply playing with and entertaining the children.
WHAT PAST VOLUNTEERS SAY ABOUT THIS PROGRAM
Although IVHQ is a young volunteering placement organisation (we were formed in early 2007), we are getting tremendous feedback from our first volunteers who are finishing programs. Here are just a few small snippets of what volunteer's are saying about our programs.
"My project exceeded my every expectation—this was without a doubt the single greatest experience of my life!......................The accommodation was excellent—VERY VERY CLEAN—(they sweep the dirt driveway every day and the sink is so clean you can see your reflection in it!) I left my sneakers outside one night and found them outside my bedroom door the next morning perfectly cleaned and polished. The food was delish and again they are very sanitary in their preparations and clean up. I can’t say enough about the host family—never in my life have I met such wonderful welcoming people!" Janet Patry, Female, 23, New York, United States - Orphanage and Teaching Volunteer.
"Things have been going really well here in Kawangware. I have been busy at the clinic and doing home visits. I have talked to many patients and heard some sad stories. Everyone has been really nice. Kids especially get excited to see me because, to them, I am a mzungu (white woman)!" Deepa Shah, Female, 26, London, United Kingdom - HIV/Aids volunteer
KENYA INFORMATION
Capital: Nairobi
Population: 8 February 2007 census: 31,138,735
Official languages: Swahili, English
Currency: Kenyan shilling (KES)
Time zone: EAT (UTC+3)
Climate: Kenya enjoys a tropical climate. It is hot and humid at the coast, temperate inland and very dry in the north and northeast parts of the country.