Sports & Recreation Coaching Assistant | UCESCO Africa

After the first second when I get picked up at the airport the feeling of the unknown flew away. I was impressed about the care and the way how I was guided though the familiarization process with all the things that must be considered to manage the stay. A good balance between self-responsibility and care, fast responses in case of questions but most important: There is lot of room to support and get things done. As a volunteer I could bring in ideas and useful things from my experience in various occasions. It’s about bridging worlds and cultures to create value. I feel still deeply connected with the people and the organization.

My 15 year old and I took part in the sport coaching programme. It was well organised, with excellent support from staff. We were given a lot of autonomy on how to plan our programme but the staff was there to help us manage sessions. We taught rugby to a group of around 20 children who were really enthusiastic and fun to work with - with some very accomplished athletes. We stayed in the programme organiser’s apartment with his family which was lovely. There is also a second apartment for volunteers. The accommodation was of good standard and the meals were good - we bought our own food for breakfast because it suited our tastes better but there was plenty on offer. Working in Kibera felt very safe as we always had accompanying staff with us. Our main person was Bryson, the coolest guy in earth and we had a great time with him. Because we were doing sport with children and it was quite intense, we chose to buy them simple snacks and drinks to share at the end of each session as they didn’t always have water or food for breaks. We had the impression that many of the volunteers chose to make those small gestures although there is no pressure to do so. At the end of our stay, we and another set of volunteers bought a big lunch for everybody involved (around 40 people including children and staff) and it was a great way of thanking everyone for all their efforts and to mark the end of our stay. Again, it was purely voluntary but it was a special moment. We volunteered in August which was still the summer holiday so children were not at school. This means we had daily 3 hour sessions with the kids (10am-1pm). Timings would be different when they are at school. Because it was the summer holiday, there were limited volunteering options in the afternoon so we were generally free by 2pm and went out for a shopping trip in one of the numerous shopping malls, a museum visit, a forest walk or a big lunch. We could have done a bit more volunteering but at that point it wasn’t possible. The staff was very attentive which was good. There were opportunities to do things with other volunteers or to be more independent. We only stayed a week but for volunteers who stay longer, there are opportunities to visit other locations around the country and to stay there for a few days, to find out more about other projects Ucesco is involved with and to do some sightseeing. It was a good experience and I would wholeheartedly recommend Ucesco Africa

A wonderful program with lots of opportunities to improve the lives of kids and communities in Kenya. Hard-working and kind staff who are always open to suggestions and feedback. Definitely coming back ASAP to continue working on some of these projects closest to me. The country and the people are simply wonderful. Thanks, UCESCO for giving me this opportunity, and thanks to all the amazing volunteers I've met and become friends with. Many of my future holidays will consist of visiting Kenya and UCESCO.