UCESCO Africa

They say home is where your heart belongs to. Ucesco-Africa is a beautiful family, with amazing personalities that made sure i enjoyed my stay in Kenya. I want to thank, Kingsley: I would really love to thank fate whom made me pass across your phone number, it was an honor an a privilege meeting you, stay humble as you are. Ethan: He will grow into a handsome intelligent young man Anita: oooo Anita speechless, you are my 5th sister i will miss our night laughs and your enthusiasm, i loved every single second with, you made the trip so much more. Elissia: I am happy to have found another edition of me, it makes it much easier we will see each other soon. Akram: I knew you for a few days but you were the last puzzle piece to complete this trip into the perfect picture, you were the smell of home, thank you. Felestas: My mama i will surely never forget the Nike and i will miss you. Nancy 1: Stay as you are sweet and childlike, great things are on your way. Nancy 2: I will for sure send you job applications to come and be my colleague. Job: hmmm i really don't know what to say about you, you are a brother that i know and can rely on. Zhanne: Without you Kingsley will be lost stay strong as you are. Neema: The Queen of beauty, i will miss your smile every morning. Carol: The next spokesperson for Kenya, will be seeing your reports. Jane: Keep Job alive don't kill him yet we need him. Edna: I did not have the chance to spend time with you as i really wanted but these few days we were together meant so much. Maureen: Keep the high spirits, check social media and post funny things This is my family away from home. Thankyou for the wonderful experience. I will miss you. See you soon.

Just finished 1 week of volunteering in UCESCO´s medical program. We spent the days in 2 different clinics: 1 private and 1 communal clinic, both located in the Kibera slum. The communal clinic is a container with very limited resources. It's free for the patients to come there, and therefore most patients were very poor. The private one is a bit more equipped, but still lacks a lot of the medical technology and treatments we have in Europe. The doctors let us participate a lot in their work. We talked to the patients about their problems, took part in basic surgery and discussed the different cases with the doctors. I would definitely recommend the medical program for those who wants to better their practical skills and learn how a clinic in Africa´s biggest slum work. You decide yourself how long you want to stay in the clinic every day, the doctors are usually there ""all day"". When we were not in the clinic we stayed in an apartment about 40 mins from Kibera. The apartment is relatively modern and we were 4 people staying there. We were served dinner and (a simple) breakfast here every day, and were offered cooking classes. Joy did an amazing job preparing the meals and making sure that the volunteers were alright. On 3 occasions I also got to visit a rescue center in Kibera. There are around 50 children living here in very basic conditions. Everyone I met in the rescue center were very welcoming and warm, and we spent our time playing, dancing and having rewarding conversations. You are always accompanied by UCESCO´s security staff, Bryson and Joseph, when walking in the slums, and I never felt scared while being there Before starting my week of volunteering I also spent a weekend visiting Maasai Mara, something I would 100% recommend. Seeing lions, leopards, elephants, cheetah, giraffes etc. in their natural habitat is something extraordinary that should be included in everyone´s Kenya-itinerary Some things to be aware of - The drive from your apartment to the slums takes about 40 mins. The volunteers need to pay for the transport themselves (about 5$ per car) - The breakfast offered in the apartment were a bit simple, so all volunteers ended up buying food themselves to have a big breakfast before a long day of working - UCESCO has a project in Mombasa that gives you the possibility to also volunteer here while in Kenya. - I will encourage everyone to donate to the rescue center when doing the program. When we were here the kids didn´t have food for some days, and all volunteers therefore donated food (rice, veggies, beans, candy) directly to the center. In conclusion, I would recommend this program to those who want to volunteer in Kenya in several different kinds of ways. I wish all volunteers coming to UCESCO will have a similar fantastic experience like I had this week!

Very Meaningful time serving at Masayo Visionary & Empowerment Training Institute (MVETI). I have some formal Counseling Training, but not a Licensed Counselor or Psychologist. Passed on Biblical Principles / Promises and Examples of Women who overcame adversity throughout the Bible to encourage the young ladies who were in the Hairdressing Training. This dovetailed in with some other volunteers providing Management and Marketing skills to start their own businesses. Also visited the New Horizon Primary School where students had a fair amount of questions about the United States and great interaction with the teachers after their lunch break. Appreciate all I learned from the experience and would highly recommend since the students just appreciate someone taking an interest in them. Two weeks is recommended to give you a chance to see some what Kenya has to offer on the weekends. I traveled to Masi Mara National Reserve Friday - Sunday (volunteers can take a Friday - Sunday or Saturday - Monday trip to experience the country) and thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of this country and close up visits with animals which I have only seen in a zoo previously. I also enjoyed the One Day Safari at the Nairobi National Park (50 square miles of open area for the animals to roam), the Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Center (separate venue) before leaving for my departing flight. A great mix of getting to know fellow volunteers and encouraging the students who live in difficult situations.