African Impact

Hello , My name is Kyoung ju KIM. From South Korea. I had a great time for 3 weeks through UCESCO. Doing volunteer with my daughter and son. We learned a lot from there. We did teaching and cooking for Peggy Lucas School which is located in Kibera slum. It's very safe. Ucesco staff managed everything well if we need something. It was really have a worth that doing volunteer there. Anyone who is afraid of apply, Don;t be afraid. Also, you will meet volunteers all of the world. it's amazing that I can do something for anyone else. It's possible to do volunteer work with teenagers, and it's possible for all volunteers to do what they can do. Three weeks was a really meaningful time in Kenya.

At 54, it was my first time volunteering and my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. With UCESCO, everything was well taken care of. I lived in a building with other volunteers, who were btw just amazing!!! Bonding among volunteers was facilitated by shared meals, prepared by a very special local lady, who also supported us in many other ways. This allowed me to focus 100% on the project (teaching in high school). Most UCESCO people I worked with, used to or still live in the slums, so their involvement is selfless and truly comes from the heart. I have now witnessed firsthand how a small NGO works and can highly recommend volunteering with UCESCO. Their work addresses a major problem in Africa, and seeing this work from the ground was an amazing experience.

Avoid the Maasai Mara African Impact program. I signed up for a 4 week conservation and research trip in the Maasai Mara in Kenya. The trip promised contributions to vital research with Big Cat and Elephant programs. When I arrived it was clear that there was no serious research going on, no one with research experience in charge of the project, dysfunctional administration and serious communication issues with staff who were leading the volunteers. The location where volunteers were housed and fed was located an hour or more on a rough road to the "research areas" where 1 km game drives (approx 20 minutes) collected data maybe four times a week. Lots of wasted fuel for little data. Additionally, longer drives made to a neighboring conservancy were basically 12 hour game drives with a little time out to pull weeds. It was never made clear to me how any data that was collected was used with the larger programs. I saw no definite communication between the Mara Elephant Project nor the Mara Predator Conservation project and left with a very small understanding of their mission and what they do. The research equipment consisted of one phone with Earth Ranger app installed, three camera traps with only one functioning unit. As a veteran of similar genuine research studies in the region it was clear to me that the program lacked a lead scientist to design a process that would provide infomation to serve Pardamat conservancies long range conservation plans. The weekly school visits and trips to nearby Aitong during market day were basically diversions. The school visits were disorganzied -and with no plan, they mostly served as a disruptive experience and a big missed opportunity. When all else failed we pulled invasive weeds. A strong warning if you are thinking of joining this program. The food is very basic -fried dough, cabbage, ugali, potatoes, rice, spaghetti without sauce -next to no fresh vegetables, and most vegetables were overcooked in the meat sauce. Rice crackers for gluten-free dieters. Fruit only if you asked for it. Not a healthy diet for volunteers. I decided to depart the program early, as more than a few previous volunteers have done, and was met only with "thank you for your suggestions on how to improve our program". This was a lot of money wasted and I left with a very negative opinion of African Impact. If you want a real volunteer conservation experience I recommend Biosphere Expeditions and Imire Rhino Conservation (Imire resells Imire but I recommend you book direct so more money goes to conservation and not marketing).