Kenya

I spent two weeks living with a Maasai family and volunteering on various projects. It was a phenomenal experience.
As part of my volunteer vacation to Kenya, I wanted to go on a short safari. Both Mohan in Dallas and Jimmy in Nairobi offered to arrange the safari for me but Jimmy convinced me that it would be cheaper to have him book it in Nairobi, so that's what I did. It was odd that Jimmy and Mohan didn't have a standard arrangement in that regard. To make a long story short, I was told by Jimmy that the cost of the 3 day-2 night safari on the Maasai Mara was $400. I learned on the safari from other volunteers on the trip that I had paid more than one of the other volunteers. We were both quoted $400 and we paid on the same day but I was told to pay 34000 Kenyan schillings and the other volunteer was told to pay 32,000 Kenyan Schillings. After my return home, I called this to the attention of Jimmy and asked him to refund me the difference. Rather than do the right thing, he came up with ludicrous excuses like how the exchange rate changes all the time (not on the same day at the same hour!) and he made some hateful and very unprofessional remarks to me in his e-mail. I had hoped that he would do the right thing and reimburse me but after waiting 3 more weeks without hearing any more, I decided to contact Mohan in Dallas. i also asked him for a refund. His response was very rude, hateful, and unprofessional. and he refused to reimburse me, claiming they did nothing wrong.
Another volunteer on the safari was traveling with Global Crossroad and Mohan was also the administrator of that program in Dallas. He scheduled her safari and charged her $750.00 for the exact same trip that the rest of us paid $400 for. He refuses to make it right.
My warning: If you go on a volunteer vacation with any organization to any African country that offers safaris, don't let them overcharge you. It is best to book from Nairobi. And don't trust these administrators. They have no problem ripping off volunteers. It's just plain wrong,

The whole experience was simply brilliant - what I liked about IVHQ was...well, a lot, but that they had such a wide range of programs and countries that they support in. The costs, support given before and during the placement were superb and I really felt I had someone there throughout the volunteering helping me when I needed. Cannot recommend IVHQ highly enough and would definitely use them again.

I was placed in the Maasai teaching program in Kadjiado. Absolutely loved it!
Within 48 hrs. of my application and acceptance, I was emailed a very comprehensive manual. I had a few questions before leaving and my questions were answered within 24 hours. NVS exceeded my expectations with pickup after the placement and transport to a Nairobi host. Weekend trips to Mombasa and Hells gate were arranged and well worth it.
I plan to continue annual volunteer trips with IVHQ.

Last summer I had the unique opportunity to spend 6 weeks volunteering with GVI (Global Vision International) in Kenya. GVI runs two schools in Bombolulu, which is the biggest slum in Mombasa. Although Mombasa is a nice coastal city with direct beach access, people in the slum village live in the most basic conditions. Children often have to work during the day to help sustain their families and therefore do not have the opportunity to visit classes on a regular basis. The schools run by GVI offer children in the village the possibility to fulfil their primary education by only paying a low amount of school fees.

During my time in Mombasa I taught a standard 6 class (average 12-13 years old) at Precious Vision Care Centre. The institution is run based on Christian values. This is why every morning the kids sing and pray for an hour before going into class. The school also serves three basic meals a day for the children, often the only food they get. From the first moment I was overwhelmed by the love and joy the kids share, despite the poor circumstances they live in. They were grateful for every new thing they learned and showed a great amount of motivation when it came to work in class. However they also enjoyed playing games (usually football and rope jumping for the girls) during break time on the playground.

In addition to teaching English at Precious Vision I also taught Computer lessons twice a week in the community church of the village. Adults also have the possibility to participate and benefit from lessons in English, Swahili (their native language) and Maths. Although working with adults was not comparable to the time with the kids, it was all such an enriching experience and the students showed a great level of motivation and dedication.

Being part of this project has been the most humbling experience of my life. All the impressions and experiences I have made will be invaluable to me in many aspects of life. If you have the opportunity I would definitively encourage everyone to spend some time volunteering in a third world country. It changes the way you look at the world.

The three weeks I spent volunteering in Kenya will stay with me forever. When I arrived in Kenya I was given the opportunity to move where I carried out my placement so that I could be with the other volunteers and so I spent the next three weeks working on the women’s ward of Malindi District Hospital.
It was such an eye opening experience. The way the staff managed with such limited resources (even down to a lack of gloves and antibiotics) was incredible and humbling to see. The medical officers were beyond welcoming and made sure to include us as much as possible. We went on ward rounds and learnt about the conditions they commonly see (and limitations they face when treating them); helped on drug rounds administering IVs and tablets and observed procedures such as chest drain removals, stitching and HIV testing. Whilst we were there there was fighting in the Tana River region and we helped out in A&E when a convoy of patients were brought to the hospital- in addition to giving us amazing medical experience it also allowed us to witness the difficulties faced in Africa that don’t always make the Western news. On our last few days we donated our medical kits to the hospital- their excitement over the things we take for granted like paracetamol, rehydration salts, torches and iodine made me so glad we did.
Whilst we were in Malindi we stayed with host families which meant we got to experience a little more of the Kenyan lifestyle and also try traditional Kenyan foods such as Ugali and bitter greens. When we weren’t at the hospital we explored the local area. We also spent several afternoons at a local children’s home where we spent hours dancing with them, being taught Swahili, running around with them and learning some of their songs which was a really great experience. We also had the chance to go on a weekend Safari in Tsavo which was incredible.
It was one of the best things I’ve ever done and I’d definitely recommend it to other people. We did have to stay flexible- often there wasn’t much to do in the hospital (especially as a doctors strike occurred whilst we were there) and everyone has a (sometimes frustratingly) laid back attitude but it gave us the opportunity to talk to our hosts and the doctors and learn more about their lives in Kenya and challenged us to push ourselves forward.

Frontier were really good at guiding through the application process and keeping in contact with us whilst we were away with regular emails from our project co-ordinator. I'd recommend this project.

Volunteering for this project changed how I see the world, and I don't think I can give it a bigger rap than that. If you are looking for a grass-roots organisation where you can make a tangible, visible difference every single day, this is it. This was exactly the type of volunteer experience that I had searched for for almost ten years - a small but powerful organisation where I could play a hands-on role in actively helping people, especially children.

Every day at Gabriel's was different, and the variety was so stimulating, and gave me a really broad sense of both the problems at play in the Kaptembwe slum and their possible solutions. From teaching songs about frogs to the children in the school, to cleaning out the house of a man who had lost his wife to AIDS, to being part of the most beautiful and powerful women's meeting with the sewing students, every task or activity was rewarding. There was an incredible sense of community around the centre, and I felt not only safe but treasured.

I can't speak highly enough of Susan, the director, and Christopher, the operations manager - they are caring, wise, incredibly knowledgable about the local situation, and have the trust and admiration of the local people. They were able to show us how to use our time and money to literally change the course of people's lives, and were adaptable and accommodating of our areas of interest, and how we wanted to spend our time. They encouraged us to travel and see the country, which in itself was a gift. On one of our trips away (to our utter disbelief!) our group successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

I cannot wait to return, and am particularly excited about the possibilities that will be opened up when Gabriel's moves to its new premises, where we will have the opportunity to help change the lives of even more women and children, and to develop ongoing and meaningful relationships with them. As well as more classrooms and school facilities, the new building will house a rape and refuge centre for women, and volunteers will be able to stay there as well.

There isn't a day that passes when I don't think of the Nakuru Kenya Family Project - of the lessons it taught me about humility and generosity and the huge amount that can be achieved when good people have the resources to reach out to people and places that would otherwise be forgotten. If you are even vaguely considering volunteering here, I urge you to take the plunge.

It was a tiny article in the travel section of the newspaper that led me to decide to
volunteer for 3 weeks in the slums of Nakuru, Kenya. I spent a few hours with Susan asking questions about the project. Inspired by Susan’s passion and dedication and that the project is funded totally by fundraising and donations I made the decision to go to Kenya.

I travelled to Nakuru with Susan and 5 other volunteers from Australia. It was an experience unlike anything I have known; on one level I was providing practical help such as helping in the pre-primary classroom, taking food parcels to families in the slums, washing and mending school clothes, sorting lentils for the children’s lunches, teaching women to sew, purchasing clothes in the markets, visiting families in the slums, cleaning a young woman’s home. I was confronted on a daily basis with meeting families who were destitute, hungry and illiterate … and some who had lost the will to live. Children happily come to school to learn and patiently wait for their lunch of ugali and lentils. I learned that for most, this is the only meal they will eat. Mothers thank us for taking them a parcel of food. I learned that they had not eaten for 2-3 days. Families gratefully accept the gift of a foam mattress. For they only have a cement floor and newspaper to sleep on. I experienced emotions ranging from rage, despair and sadness … to optimism, humility and gratitude. The three weeks in spent in Nakuru was rewarding beyond expectation. Do yourself a favour and go.

I stayed in Kenya for 4 weeks for the AIDS/HIV program. Everything was amazing. I was worried that I would be sick but I turned out to be healthier than ever there. The homebase in Watamu is truly a lovely place. It is a beach plot. The view was gorgeous. I felt like I was on a vacation instead of a volunteer experience. You won't be bored there. On the other hand I got to do a lot of volunteer work than I expected. I applied for the HIV program. So I helped in the clinic, went to outreach with the clinic staff to do HIV test and went to the home visit to the HIV patients. Besides all these I also visit the orphanage very often and had been teaching in the Secondary School as well. You will find a lot to do there. And the people! The amazing, lovely Kenyan people!!! I made a lot of local friends there. The whole experience was just incredible!!!

I spent one month volunteering with The Nakuru Kenya Family Project. The entire experience exceeded my expectations! The accommodations were lovely and very safe. Rosemary is a very helpful and welcoming host.
The center is located right outside, Kaptembwa, the largest slum in Nakuru and only a 20 minute walk from your home stay or a quick 5 minute boda boda (bicycle) ride. At the center, you can do a variety of tasks depending on your skill set and desire. I assisted the teacher with pre-primary and primary children, sorted lentils, served porridge and made several home visits. The children are incredibly eager for affection and knowledge. It is shocking to witness the extreme deficit that the families of the slum face. It will forever change you. At the same time, you get to be a part of the solution to aiding these families in great need. The center provides such great hope to destitute families. Christopher, the operations director of the center, constantly said an expression that will always stick with me,"challenge the challenge," which is what he does day in and day out and inspires everyone who surrounds him to do the same.
I often think of the children, families, and people of Nakuru, and I can't wait to return. In addition to the much work that needs to be done, I miss Nakuru daily life and Kenyan culture. Asante sana, Susan Saleeba, for all the work you do and all the people you bring together to support the sweet, sweet families of Kaptembwa.

I am so glad I volunteered with The Nakuru Kenya Family Project.
It was exactly the kind of volunteering project I was looking for.

I had previously been to Nakuru with another well known Volunteering organisation. I had given over a small fortune to that organisation and very few of these funds were given to the orphanage/home stay were I worked/stayed. So I had heard about a fabulous woman, Susan Saleeba, who had given all her time and energy into setting up a volunteering programme that didn't rip off volunteers and made a massive difference to the lives within the local community. And it certainly was everything I expected and more!

Being involved with The Gabriel Learning Centre was the most rewarding experience of my life! I met the most amazing people during my time in Nakuru. It was like a home away from home. The children, the people, the other volunteers and the experiences I will never forget. If you are considering volunteering in Kenya, all I will say is just do it. An amazing country and amazing people.

Often things you see on the internet can be intimidating: I wondered if what I was walking into would really reach my expectations, and it certainly did. The program is well run and the coordinators (aside from being amazing, inspiring and passionate individuals) know exactly what they are doing and tackle problems head-on.

Overall, this is a great project and I highly recommend it.