Kenya

one problem, two weeks were no where near long enough!! Kenya is a wonderful country, everyone is welcoming, especially when you attempt some Swahili. Travelling in the country, i always felt safe, especially with the help from GVI, telling us safe hotels to stay in and picking us up from the airport.
GVI were very organised, however there was still a laid back feel to the experience.
Living a the village was the best part of my experience. i felt part of the community. GVI works WITH the community, to help them help themselves. this will allow the villagers to carry on working on sustainable project that will keep money coming in. on our trip we also visited another village that GVI had been working for longer, and it was wonderful to see a final outcome of others work.
living conditions were very basic but still comfortably. this also meant that my bond with the other volunteers grew very quickly. i have made friends with people i will never forget. after working for 10 day we went on a safari together. this was all organised by GVI and all the food was included. it was definitely worth the money, and we saw all the big 5! it was also a lovely time to relax with our new friends.
GVI was a brilliant company to travel with. it is run by enthusiastic and committed leaders, and i will be definitely travelling with them again!

Was in Kenya and hated every moment of it when I was placed with this company. The only good times were when I escaped to other volunteer organizations who helped me. Please be aware this company is exactly the same as these companies

- RUSTIC VOLUNTEER AND TRAVEL
- GLOBAL CROSSROADS
- IFRE
- RDCP INTERNATIONAL

They are owned by the same Nepali man who lives in the US. Is this legal? I feel robbed.

Here is a series of videos one girl posted of her time on the program. DO NOT GO WITH ANY OF THESE COMPANIES LISTED ABOVE. THEY ARE ALL THE SAME!!!

http://iamthevoluntourist.com/

Was in Kenya and hated every moment of it when I was placed with this company. The only good times were when I escaped to other volunteer organizations who helped me. Please be aware this company is exactly the same as these companies

- RUSTIC VOLUNTEER AND TRAVEL
- GLOBAL CROSSROADS
- IFRE
- RDCP INTERNATIONAL

They are owned by the same Nepali man who lives in the US. Is this legal? I feel robbed.

Here is a series of videos one girl posted of her time on the program. DO NOT GO WITH ANY OF THESE COMPANIES LISTED ABOVE. THEY ARE ALL THE SAME!!!

http://iamthevoluntourist.com/

I took the Global crossroad program on the Mini adventure package to Kenya and it gave me the opportunity to discover Kenya and visit one of the world’s greatest wildlife parks the Masai Mara. Before I arrived in Kenya, I received very rigorous orientation from USA office. The orientation was basically about the project, host family, possible travel opportunities during weekend. I found that all information was very helpful. Once I arrived at the airport, Nairobi. I was greeted by Sami, a very nice guy and took me to the host family. First and foremost, I was very happy to meet my host. They advised and assisted me with all my needs. Another successful part of my program was Grace School and orphanage, where I would spend my next 2 weeks was about 10 mins walk from my host house. At Grace orphanage and school I was able to help with some teaching and helping the school to get some needed resources. I also managed to take the students on a school outing to a local museum and park. The Matron Ms Salome of By Grace was a very nice person and kept us best informed while taking care of the kids. Volunteers like us can greatly help By Grace School to get necessary resources (Which can be well understood only by physically being there) and advice to improve management methods. The safari given by this program was excellent. The Kairi tour and travel had a good record and gave us a guide who was very skillful in recognizing and identifying game species at a great distance. During our visit to Masai Mara we saw lions, cheetahs, buffalo, giraffes, hippos, hyenas and many other animals. We were also able to visit a nearby Masai village. This whole trip, I will never forget. It was a really a great adventure. I thank Global Crossroad for offering me a life changing opportunity.

JARIYA RASAPUTRA, Nairobi, Kenya

Hello Rustic,

I wanted to post this short and sweet message to let everyone know that I had great time in Kenya! I left Kenya physically, but my heart still belongs there. I am sharing pictures and stories with friends and family members who are deeply touched by what I have done in Kenya. I miss everyone so much, and I am thinking and praying about when to visit next. Until then, I am going to talk with my nursing school about partnering up with orphanage where I worked to send packages of first aid and medications to help them with these needs.

Nakupenda!

It was terrible!! None of the things promised happened. There was no one at the airport to meet me - I had to wait. I didn't get taken to the hotel in the city I was told I would go to for the weekend before I went to my placement in the country, but to a hostel way out in the boonies where it was almost impossible to get into the city to do the last minute things I had to do - and where the food was so scarce it was ridiculous. Peanut butter and white bread for breakfast and not much of that, and then nothing until supper which was a bit better but certainly NOT what had been in the brochure nor sufficient in quantity for the young folks. I'm a retiree so eat less than the kids would, but still not enough. And they locked the place down at about 7 p.m. so you couldn't even get out to do things or buy food. Oh - and there were four bedrooms, each with 6 bunk beds - AND ONE BATHROOM FOR US ALL.
The placement I went to didn't even know I was coming and government paperwork had to be done. They were right mad. AND they didn't get any of the $$ I was told they were getting from my fee. My hosts told me they weren't even getting enough to feed me and that's just eating the food they ate, nothing "western" or special. Actually they told me how much they had been paid, and going to the local market I figured out it wasn't enough to feed me.
I quit the program very early on and just did my own thing, helping them start a website where they could get their own volunteers with no middlemen scooping off all the money. We formed an NGO, and I spent a lot of time and money helping them with that.
At first I thought that Joe Ngugi, the guy in Kenya was the main problem - and he surely was a problem. He handles volunteers from several volunteering outfits and from what I heard at the hostel, rips them all off. Some of the people there didn't get to see any volunteering the whole time they were there, just basically locked up in that hostel. One girl complained, and Joe told if she didn't like it to go find her own placement. One couple of girls booked a trip (Joe made everyone book trips through him)and the driver was incredibly drunk and very abusive. The girls cried for hours after they got back, they were so scared and upset.
BUT - since the problems in Kenya have been set out and explained to VS on more than one occasion, and they're still using Joe Ngugi, I guess it's a case of them not caring that both the volunteers and the projects are being ripped off, or maybe they are complicit. The problems certainly don't seem to be limited to Kenya with their programs.
I would NEVER go with them again or ever recommend that anyone should. I have always previously found my own volunteer gigs and will continue to do so. No more third-party providers, which just dilutes the money that goes to the community at the very least. And in many cases like with VS it's much worse that that. They are actually doing harm to the cause of volunteering and to the communities they are in and supposed to be helping.

"" Deciding to volunteer with GVI was one of the best decisions I have made!!
I have been home from my Kenyan Construction Project for nearly 3 weeks but I am still feeling the 'Kenyan Effect'. I am still buzzing with the positive vibes!
The staff, my fellow volunteers and of course the local community, (from the village of Kasaani), bonded so well so quickly. The work was hard, (building a chicken coop), hot and dirty, and the accommodation was basic, (an old chicken coop) - BUT, I truly had a fantastic time filled with fun and great laughs.
It wasn't all hard work there were walks to take in the fantastic scenery and memorable nights of singing, dancing and chappati making.
From my tentative application to the inspiring culmination the whole process was extremely professional yet friendly, I was well-informed and kept up-to-date at all times.
Importantly, GVI consults closely with the community, working with them to provide what is wanted and needed, and delivering results.
I believe GVI is making a difference, and I am so proud to say that I have been a part of that - without doubt I WILL VOLUNTEER AGAIN!

My experience volunteering in Kenya was incredible. Please let me start by saying one thing - one very important thing - this program is fairly bare boned and really gives you the basics BUT IT IS A GREAT MEANS TO GETTING ABROAD AND BEING ABLE TO VOLUNTEER. After reading a negative review about ELI I am completely upset because it seems the reviewer expected ELI to hold their hand as they volunteered. ELI PLACES you in organizations. They PLACE you. Once you get there there will be support but you are an adult and you have to make of the situation what you want! So many volunteers come in and out of Africa that these institutions can\'t stop and kiss the ground you walk on the day you show up. No, you have to be an adult, be pro-active, and put yourself out there. ELI will do everything for you (pick you up from the airport, help you with pre-departure info, make sure you\'re safe, etc etc etc). But when you get there, you will then have to navigate your way through the orphanage/hospital on your own and find your \"nitch.\" It\'s fun! My host mother in Nakuru was incredible! My meals were terrific! The friends I made at the orphanage/in the city/on my safari were amazing! Like everything in life, your experience is what you make of it. ELI will help you tremendously. But please do remember that you need to be pro-active and initiate once you get there. It\'s not hard...you can do it! I was so scared at first but have gained so much confidence in what I was able to accomplish there. ELI is awesome! Also, most of the friends I met in Kenya were volunteers from the much bigger i-to-i program, and I am not kidding when I say all of them felt ripped off! They paid three times as much as I did and really felt like they were cheated. I, on the other hand, went with ELI and felt like the phone calls pre-departure were PERSONAL, people called me back when they said they would, and even once I got to Africa they kept in touch with me as much as I wanted them to. I was homesick and a little scared at first, but honestly I felt like people were watching out for me and listening to my concerns. ELI is great :)

Volunteering with GVI was definitely one of the most incredible experiences of my life! I spent 10 weeks doing the Wildlife and Community Expedition in Kenya, and loved every bit of it! Before I left, the staff were very helpful over the phone and by email, and were quick to reply to any questions or concerns I had. Once I arrived in Kenya, the staff there were also super friendly and knowledgable, and really played a big part in making this whole experience wonderful. We got great training and I always felt confident going into the field. It didn't take long before the small village of Shimoni felt like home, with the kids greeting you with "Jambo!" and high-fives every time you went by. From teaching english at the primary schools and singing songs with fifty kindergarteners to teaching chicken farming to ex-poachers in Tsavo, every bit of the work we did was rewarding. Snorkelling the beautiful reefs of the Kisite-Mpunguti marine park was absolutely incredible and seeing a pod of bottle nose dolphins was always exciting. Days in the forest could be tough, but no day was ever boring, and you could always feel like you accomplished a lot at the end of the day. I really feel that GVI is making a difference in Shimoni and Mkwiro, and would do the expedition again without hesitation. I definitely recommend this project for anyone looking for an adventure and an amazing experience!

I had a great experience with ELI. Rosemary (the in-country coordinator) was great, and she was responsive to all of my needs and concerns. Also, I really enjoyed my time at the hospital, and I learned a lot. The only thing I would say is that, at the hospital, you need to be proactive. The doctors are very busy, so they might not go out of their way to make sure you have something to do. But they are also very nice and knowledgeable, so if you make an effort to get to know them, it will pay off. I really feel that I benefitted for participating in this internship, and I would definitely do it again with ELI! Additionally, the living conditions were great. My host family was very welcoming, they had a nice room for me, and they took care of me and all my needs very well throughout my stay in Nakuru. If you're looking for an internship or volunteer experience in Kenya, I'd highly recommend ELI.