Description

* Child Care Assistance
Volunteer in a rural orphanage or children's center which provides meals and basic education for abandoned children ages 3yrs-15yrs. Orphanage projects are located in Ngong, Kiserian, Nakuru and throughout the Ol Kajiado district. Some of the children are orphans, some have been abandoned, but most are local children that need assistance since their parents are unable to provide for them. Volunteer tasks include assisting with daily care of the kids; including meal preparation. Volunteers play games, arrange activities, create arts & crafts projects and share their time and caring with these wonderful children. Prior experience not necessary, volunteers should have a lot of patience, an open mind and a sense of compassion.

* Teaching / Education Program
Volunteer in a local neighborhood school, the children are ages 5yrs-13yrs and provided free education. Currently some classes are given outside, under the shade of trees. These rural schools serve hundreds of local children from the surrounding village communities. Quality education for both boys and girls is crucial in reducing poverty and promoting gender equality. Volunteers support the local teachers with English and math classes; encourage students to learn and play and instill pride in their schooling. Volunteers can assist with the physical upkeep of the school; painting, decorating, mending desks etc. Prior teaching experience is not required; volunteer simply need an open mind, caring spirit and a compassionate nature. Most classes have 30-40 students; classes typically begin 8am and finish by 3pm. *Learning a few words of Swahili will be appreciated by the children.

Schools are closed during school holidays which run during April, August and December/early January. For volunteer's in-country at that time, you can teach informal classes at the local orphanage.

* HIV / Aids Prevention Program
Volunteers work with a local grassroots organization that is providing HIV/AIDS education and support programs to rural communities. This project focuses on providing culturally sensitive methods of awareness and education with the goal of preventing transmission of the disease and seeks to offer assistance and encouragement to those infected with the virus. Some of the activities for volunteers include: Promoting safer sex through education, assisting with home-based care for victims with HIV/Aids, providing free blood testing for the disease, woman empowerment projects for surviving widows of the community, and most especially outreach programs to those in need with food distribution, assistance with activities of daily living and providing words of encouragement. Experience in this field is not required (but a background in healthcare, disease, pre-medical students most welcome)

* Health Care Program
Malaria, typhoid, pneumonia and tetanus are treatable diseases yet many still die in Kenya as a result of not receiving proper medical care. Government-run hospitals and community medical clinics are ill equipped to handle the volume of people in need of care. This role is suitable for self-directed, caring people who are medically qualified. Volunteers with medical training; doctors, nurses, paramedics, lab technicians participate in direct patient care such as diagnosing, injections, IV starts and lab work. Nursing and medical students are welcome and assist with tasks like dressing wounds, record and immunization chart keeping, helping dispense medications, helping to screen and organize patients and assisting with administrative needs or seminars. *Medical volunteers must submit a copy of their credentials or nursing certificate.

* Indigenous Maasai Program
The Maasai are an indigenous African ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. It is estimated that 350, 000 Maasai people live in Kenya.
Although the Maasai have managed to preserve most of their traditions and culture throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, they are currently faced with great challenges, such as droughts and health problems. As with other rural communities in Africa the Maasai people are not spared from common disease and illnesses such as, malnutrition among children, respiratory infections, malaria, typhoid fever and serious diseases including HIV/Aids and TB.

* Medical Program:
Medically qualified volunteers are needed to work in a community clinic to increase access to basic healthcare and promote health education in the local community. Considering the remoteness and lack of medical facilities in the area, it is difficult to provide accurate data on health problems in these communities. However, what is clear is that there are common illnesses such as:

- Malnutrition in children
- Eye, skin and scalp infections
- Anemia in women (possibly due to malnutrition)
- Upper respiratory infections
- Malaria
- Typhoid fever
- Complications and death in women from childbirth, (possibly due to lack of adequate obstetric services)
- Remote cases of TB, brucellosis and HIV/AIDS.

Help save mothers and their children from common and preventable diseases and illnesses and Improve health care needs for the entire community. Disease such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB and childbirth are commonly seen at the clinics. Supplies are limited and staff is under resourced. *Medical volunteers must submit a copy of their credentials or nursing/medical school university letter.

* Teaching Program:

It is estimated that less than half of all Maasai children attend schools, teaching volunteers are immediately needed to help quash this trend. Volunteers can help educate children at primary school level. Subjects taught include English, math, science and social studies. Volunteers are also encouraged to initiate extra-curricular activities such as sports, arts and crafts, beautifying the school etc.

Program Includes:

Airport pick up and drop off in Nairobi. 2 day project orientation with on-site project director. Meals and accommodations with a local host family. Our local Project Coordinator will provide project briefing, transport to the project site, an introduction to the host family, and 24/7 hr support while the volunteer is in Kenya.

Highlights

The Rift Valley Province is one of Kenya's seven provinces outside Nairobi. Dominated by the Rift Valley, which passes through the province, it's the largest and most rurally populated. The people of the Rift Valley are a mesh work of different tribal identities.
The towns and villages are comprised of farmers, herders, laborers and unskilled workers. The Kalenjin and the Maasai are only a couple of the communities that call Rift Valley home.

More than half of the country's 31.3 million people are poor, and 7.5 million of the poor live in extreme poverty, in rural areas. About 80 per cent of the population, including three out of four poor people, lives in rural zones like the Rift Valley.

Kenya's population has tripled over the past 30 years, leading to increasing pressure on natural resources, a widening income gap and rising poverty levels that erode gains in education, health, food security, employment and incomes. The causes of rural poverty include:

- low agricultural productivity, exacerbated by land degradation and insecure land * tenure
- unemployment and low wages
- difficulty in accessing financing for self-employment
- poor governance
- bad roads
- high costs of health and education
- HIV/AIDS

Our volunteer placements give support to programs helping orphans, education, HIV/Aids prevention and education, and outreach healthcare projects in towns of the Rift Valley province including Ngong, Kiserian, Nakuru and Ol Kajiado district. These towns are located 1-2 hour drive from Nairobi. With our volunteer program we allow you to discover the wonders of East Africa, while doing meaningful and rewarding community work.

Volunteering in Kenya provides a great opportunity to explore life in rural Africa, live and work amongst the locals and realize one person can make a difference.

We offer the following programs throughout the southern Rift Valley Province:

- Program Length: From 1 to 24 weeks
- Program Date: Flexible Start and End Date
- Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8 hour per day
- Accommodations: Host family Meals: Yes, 3 meals a day
- Requirements: 17 years +, open-mindedness to new adventures.

Note: You must bring your own mosquito net or buy it at the local store.
* To be successful volunteering with a local NGO you need to be able to motivate yourself. Regardless of the country and program, to get the most out of your time abroad you need to quickly get to know the placement.

Find out where you can be of the most help and jump right in. Sometimes you might be the only person working on your particular project. You will have to decide what to do and how to do it. While our ABV Directors and local staff are a great resource for getting ideas and talking about your plans, you shouldn't be surprised when they leave the big decisions up to you. Successful ABV Volunteers all have one thing in common: they take advantage of this freedom to design really excellent projects or manage existing ones and are capable of working hard without a great deal of supervision.

Qualifications

- Proactive: Jump in and maintain a positive attitude.
- Patient: Life in your host country moves slower than one might be used to. Relax and enjoy the slow pace. Remember, not everything is as organized and predictable as life in the US or UK.
- Flexible: Plans change, roads get flooded, and electricity goes out. Realize that not everything goes as planned, but good intention is always there.
- Considerate: Respect those around you and be a reliable worker at the program site. Tell your host family if you will be late. Advise the Project Coordinator if you are sick and can not work.
- Respectful: Remember that the local people you are working with, side by side, do so with little or no salary. They do this work because they believe in it. There are times when you may not agree with or understand the organizations decisions or direction. Although your suggestions are always welcome, your faith, respect and consideration for their long term work and commitment is appreciated.
- Friendly: In order to truly help someone you must get to know them. Do not be afraid to make friends with the local people. Smile, wave and see how fast you are welcomed into the community.
- Tolerant: The food, the culture, the smells and the sounds will be unfamiliar to you at first. We recommend that you dive in and experience life head-on. You will be surprised at how quickly you will adapt.

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

795 - Check Our Website for updates

Cost Includes:

• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Registration fees
• Written materials abroad
• Written materials pre-departure

Program Fees Include:

- Pre-departure Orientation Guide. Includes detailed travel, safety and cultural information and many tips that will make your trip planning easier.
- Detailed Fundraising Guide that will help you raise the funds needed to travel, as well as provide donations to the project. Ask us about a Widget
- Accommodations: Home stay, shared volunteer residence, guesthouses. Safe, clean, comfortable local housing, inspected by our local coordinators.
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Special meals at request.
- Airport meet and greet by our ABV project coordinator (At any time, any day!)
- First night hotel accommodation *some programs
- Guidance and support of a local project coordinator, 24/7 in case of emergency
- Orientation/city briefing on arrival by our ABV project coordinator.
- Placement in a quality project, allowing you to maximize your time and efforts in a good cause.
- Transportation to project site with our ABV project coordinator. Includes introduction to local staff and community members with whom you will be working with.
- Volunteer Program: Half day (4 hours only) Spanish refresher Lesson. Part of volunteer orientation on arrival. (*Some countries)
- Departure transfer by our ABV project coordinator.
- A Feedback page on our ABV website with pictures of your trip.
- The Presidents Volunteer Service Award lapel pin (Bronze, Silver or Gold)
- Personalized Presidents Volunteer Service Award certificate of achievement.
- Letter of completion from A Broader View Volunteers Corp
- By request, A Letter of Recommendation provided by the local organization detailing the activities developed by the volunteer during his or her stay.

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Age Range

18 to 65

This Program is open to

American, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi and Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Dormitory
• Group living
• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Resume
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

24-48 hours

A Broader View Volunteers Corp's Mission Statement

Decided to create an affordable, safe and worthy program so that anyone who wished to travel and volunteer - could easily afford to do so.

Year Founded

2007