The Wandering Aardvarks

Playing soccer with the kids was one of the most memorable moments of my life. Before joining I was a little shy having never volunteered in Kenya before but from the moment I was received at the airport, I could feel the love and they had the best orientation the following day before introducing me to the community. I will surly be going back.

If you're looking for an impactful, affordable way to volunteer internationally, this program and organization is for you. Wandering Aardvarks is a great bridge to get you connected with volunteer opportunities and projects in the local communities. They are a smaller organization that makes you feel like part of a family and allows you to have an authentic Kenyan experience. The immersion I experienced during my time with them was like no other. I gained a whole new understanding of Kenyan culture and was able to make lifelong friendships while I was there. Wandering Aardvarks gave me a lot of independence to learn things on my own and decide what I wanted to do with my time while always being there to help and support me when/if I needed it. The staff were all very kind and made me feel at home. The sports program was a neat thing to be involved with. My best advice is to come ready to take the initiative and share whatever knowledge you have with the kids. It's often thought that volunteering is all about giving but honestly, I found it to be the other way around. These kids and the local community taught me so much and I gained more than I felt I gave. The kids were all kind and welcoming of my presence. The kids come from very hard home lives so just showing up each day gave them hope and let them know they were cared about. There's a lot of opportunity to lead and incorporate your ideas where you see fit but know that sometimes there's little structure and you have to be willing to go with the flow and make the best of it. As described in the program details, I had a lot of freedom to do what I wanted on the weekends. I spent most of my weekends tagging along with whatever the staff had planned which included watching the local football game, going clubbing (if that's your jam ;), and other random errands. However, if I wanted to do my own thing or plan an excursion, I could have. Wandering Aardvarks provides excellent sightseeing services. They are super flexible and open to taking you to see just about any part of Kenya whether you want to go on a safari, hike, or visit any other attractions. I did a four-day, extended weekend excursion with them while I was there and got to visit Masai Mara and a few different national parks. They made it a fun and memorable experience. Overall, I had a positive experience and would recommend this organization to anyone wanting to experience Kenya on a deeper level! And if the sports program isn't quite what you are looking for, I would definitely recommend still contacting them or visiting their website to learn about their other volunteer opportunities...