Location:

Nairobi, Kenya

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

High School

Term:

Fall Semester, Rolling Starts, Spring Break, Summer, Year Round

Program Overview

Program Description:

Voluntary Care work in Kenya is an ideal way to get involved and help improve conditions for local children. You can contribute towards this vital development work during a gap year, career break, or just a holiday. Volunteers with qualifications and experience are welcome but you do not need to have either to volunteer. Energy, passion and commitment to the work at hand should see you through. Kenya in East Africa is a country of rich natural resources and ancient traditions. However, an ever-growing disparity between rich and poor has resulted in a large percentage of the population still living in poverty. Poor health and sanitation have contributed to the low life expectancy and high infant mortality rates. Problems such as violent methods of discipline, child labour and poor education means that childhood in Kenya can be a real struggle, which is why our volunteer Care projects are so important. The number of orphans in Kenya is a massive problem for the country's rudimentary social welfare services. In the orphanages that do exist, staff struggle with limited resources to feed, clothe and educate the children in their care. Staff all too often simply don't have the time to provide the individual love and attention that these children need so they can have as normal a childhood as possible.

The Projects Abroad team in Kenya organize regular workshops for our care volunteers in all regions. The workshops will provide you with a valuable insight into the local care system and the background of the placement where you’re working. You will receive advice and suggestions regarding activities to carry out at your care placement. The workshops may also cover topics like Kenyan culture, your role at the placement and useful resources to use. In whichever volunteer Care project in Kenya you find yourself, you need to be ready for a challenge. Many of the children are desperate for attention and there will undoubtedly be children present who have health problems and who need special attention due to disabilities. It is in your role as a volunteer - spending time with the children, playing with them and putting a smile on their faces - that Projects Abroad volunteers are so valuable. Whether you are helping older children with school homework or teaching the alphabet to the younger ones, you will be an essential part of their development. Any extra interests or skills that you have can be put to good use, and please let our local staff know about them when you apply. You can join a Care project in Kenya for two or three weeks if you don't have time to join us for four weeks or more. This project has been selected by our local colleagues as being suitable for short term volunteering for both the host community and the volunteer. Although you will gain a valuable cultural insight and work intensely within the local community please be aware that you may not be able to make the same impact as someone volunteering for a longer period.

1) You'll Be Giving Something Back A prominent reason why people volunteer is because they want to do something good for others. We work with communities based all over the world focusing on the areas of development, childcare, wildlife and conservation. We're sure there's an i-to-i project to suit you! 2) You'll Have Unique Opportunities Volunteering abroad offers unique opportunities that are usually off limits to travellers. When it comes to working with animals or on conservation projects being a volunteer has some fantastic advantages; unless you have a strong animal biology background you're unlikely to find a paid position where you'll be able to look after lion cubs in South Africa or turtles in Costa Rica and you certainly wouldn't get behind the scenes if you were just a visitor! 3) Use Your Skills to Benefit Others Use your strengths to help others! Bring the skills you'd use during your 9-5 to the table and if you're at school and have bundles of enthuasiasm - ideal. Some of our projects do require a specific skill set but in general all we ask for is the want to succeed and make a difference! 4) See a New Culture from the Inside One of the greatest benefits of volunteering abroad is being able to spend an extended period of time in a new country. It's a truly unique learning experience that will see you interacting with new cultures, trying out loads of awesome new food, speaking new languages and meeting new people. As a volunteer you will get a glimpse of the local culture, allowing you to become a traveller, rather than a tourist. 5) Experience Personal Growth Many volunteers come back from their experience and say they've evolved as a person. In most cases volunteers become more concerned and aware of the problems facing the world and once they've returned from a trip are usually more independent, more adventurous and more courageous - especially if it was their first independent trip. 6) Stand Out If you're looking to stand out from the crowd, volunteering is a great talking point in all forms of life - from future interviews with new employers to life stories down the pub! 7) Recognition, A Sense of Achievement and Feedback Recognition of your efforts is another thing that keeps volunteers coming back again and again. Telling someone that they are doing a good job inspires confidence and pride, and it's always great to see when you've completed building a house in Masai people for example, or helped save turtles in in Kenya! It reminds you that the work you are doing is important and that you are making a difference. All of our volunteering projects are aware of this and are genuinely grateful for the time and effort that hope mission centre volunteers contribute to their cause. 8) Learn New Things Spending some time out abroad allows you to learn about interesting cultural differences, like what Kenyans eat for breakfast or how South Africans greet their friends! The world is filled with unique experiences but it's easy to miss them if you're just passing by; try your hand at salsa, explore local customs and see if you can learn a little bit of the local lingo. It's all part of the experience! 9) Friendships, a New Family and Belonging Making friends with other volunteers is a strong motive for many of those who choose to volunteer abroad. Many volunteers make lifelong friendships that come from working through difficulties and exploring new things together. 10) Skills and Experience Want to gain a whole new host of skills? By getting stuck in on one of our volunteering projects you'll be picking up loads of handy new skill sets as you go, especially if you're helping out on a project which is a little out of your comfort zone! 11) You Could Learn a Foreign Language The best way to develop your language skills is to use it day to day in real life situations, and volunteering provides the perfect opportunity to do this. You don’t get very far practicing Spanish three hours a week if when you speak English for the other 165 hours of the week, but when spending a significant amount of time abroad you will be speaking a foreign language twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. You could be a language genius in no time! 12) See the Difference You've Made Stand back and take a look. Pausing to take a moment to see what you've achieved during your time away is an incredible experience! 14) It'll Be Bags of Fun! Whilst you're embarking on your volunteering journey, you're going to have loads of fun! Volunteer work can be hard work, but it is also great fun and extremely rewarding. 15) Build Your CV During your time away you'll find out so much about yourself. You'll learn new skills and build on your current experience, and all of the above is great for padding out your CV. 16) Spend Quality Time Away From The Norm Getting bored of your current 9-5? Take a break and volunteer. Not only will you be doing something worthwhile, but you'll get the chance to get focused about wh

Setting Description:

During term time, the majority of children at orphanages and care homes attend school during the day. Most volunteers choose to accompany the children and help out at the school or kindergarten during these hours, assisting the teachers with basic numeracy and literacy education. If you’re happy to get your hands dirty it may also be possible to stay at the centre and assist the house mother with cleaning and general house duties whilst the older children are at school

Cost:

2 weeks-$250 3 weeks-$350 4-weeks-$450