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Volunteer vacation in Kenya

Experience the best that Kenya has to offer with volunteer projects spread between African bush Safari in the Tsavo Eco system and the famous Indian Ocean at Diani Beach. Work on sustainable conservation and community projects in each area; help to care for orphaned elephants, work as a wildlife ranger, teach kids and assist with vital building projects in local villages. Grasp the chance to witness Africa’s great game in its world-renowned National Parks, its spectacular reefs and perhaps most importantly Kenya’s diverse tribes, each with their own interesting traditions and cultures.

Through this exciting and diverse mix of conservation and community projects in two contrasting locations you will experience the many different faces of Kenya. The

placement will definitely broaden your horizons and surpass your expectations.

Placement outline - The placement provides the opportunity for volunteers to experience the different faces and life-lines of Kenya. It provides a combination programme with projects in conservation and community through which the volunteers rotate. This gives 2 contrasting working and indeed life experiences which in itself creates a thorough and rewarding experience for all involved.

Helping who? The children at Kogelo Village and school, Elephant sanctuary, Rukinga Ranch, Kiambiu community.

A day in the life of a volunteer Beach camp - You will stay in an exclusive camp a few kilometres from the white sands and turquoise waters of Diani Beach on the south coast of Kenya. You will teach English and sport to the local children at Makongeni School and help them with the construction and improvement of fresh water systems, educate kids about malaria and help to eradicate this preventable, but life threatening disease amongst local African villagers. Yo will assist with data collection for the local clinic, spraying houses and giving out nets to families with young children. You will also get stuck into worthwhile environmental conservation projects, from landscaping to planting trees, emphasising the importance of forest conservation.

Then the team moves on for two weeks at Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary to help preserve Kenya’s most iconic animal. The sanctuary has the densest population of elephants per square mile for anywhere worldwide. You can carry out elephant research and develop wildlife programmes to reduce human/elephant conflict.

Bush camp - Now it’s time to experience life on safari, helping local villagers and game rangers with vital community and conservation development projects. Perfect the art of Bush-craft and head out on game drives within the ranch to monitor and record the wildlife population and help to identify known elephant populations (up to 10,000 in the reserve) and monitor age/sex classes. You will also have the chance to live with a rural African family and experience the reality of their lives. Make a real impact by building classrooms for the primary schools around camp Tsavo where children are generally either taught outside or underneath the shade of a tree, set up micro enterprises, work with local artisans making traditional African crafts.

Adventure - Volunteers will get weekends off in order to travel and explore independently: snorkelling, scuba-diving, kite surfing. game walks and safaris, climb Mount Kenya, white water rafting. Volunteer travel - what's it all about?Are you looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all

over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.

How this vacation makes a difference

Environmental policy Volunteers are based at the coast and up-country in the bush. Most of the projects are in walking distance of the accommodation. Project work includes a mix of rewarding community and conservation projects – building classrooms, teaching, helping disadvantaged kids, monitoring elephants etc. Hands on projects working alongside committed communities are a powerful way to educate the next generation of travelers.

In addition we have well briefed and professional project leaders working alongside village elders who ensure the message is got across. Our teams are normally no bigger than 10 -12 per departure and most foodstuffs are bought locally and resources such as heating in camps where possible is done in an environmentally friendly fashion e.g. solar panels. In addition rain water is collected for drinking water. Clothes washing is done where possible with bio-degradable soap. Litter is collected and burnt.

Social responsibility  We ensure that all of our programmes work with the full agreement of local elders and that volunteer’s work side by side amongst the community. More often living in the community. We pay the communities for looking after volunteers and every volunteer has a donation to the community included in the cost – currently £80 (US $130) per person. This is used to buy materials to build classrooms, pay for education fees and so on. We also work alongside local charities as often as we can supporting their aims. All volunteers and Project Leaders are fully briefed on the destination, host community, local culture, religions, customs and particularly ways of behaving.

Economic sustainability  We ensure that approximately 60% of the cost of each volunteers scheme is paid to the project leader in-country to cover all their in-country costs. This includes paying local communities for food and accommodation where appropriate. For instance in Costa Rica volunteers live with a family who are paid for all meals and every night’s accommodation.

In addition we pay communities a donation as described above and source all food, drink, equipment, fuel locally thereby enhancing the local economy. We employ in-country as many staff as we can – in Kenya for instance we employ 2 local mangers, a project leader a cook, 2 security guards and a cleaner, thereby doing as much as we can to provide local people with jobs, cutting down on unemployment and providing families with an income. Sometimes this income supports numerous relations. We also recognize that volunteers spend their own money on drinks, transport, souvenirs, services (taxis), medical care, park fees, activities e.g. rafting, diving, climbing etc which are major contributors to local suppliers incomes & the overall economy.

Kenya Volunteer Program is open to:We invite individuals, couples, families, students, researchers, and groups (churches, colleges, and student associations).

Our programs are flexible and volunteers can arrive and depart on any day all year round.The volunteer in Kenya program fee covers in-country orientation, training, meals and accommodation, and supervision.

The volunteer in Kenya costs you need to meet are: Your flight to and from the country, visa fees, work permits, vaccinations, and travel insurance, return trip to the airport and airport taxes.

You will also need a weekly budget to cover your expenses like bottled water, personal costs, public transport, beverages and entertainment.

Typical Living Arrangements: Advance Africa Volunteers’ house and home-stays.

Programs, Events, Materials, Organizations, Affinity Groups, Volunteer Opportunities in Nairobi Kenya that were posted to the site in English concerning Children and Youth, Community Development, Community Service and Volunteering, Disaster Relief, Foundations, Fundraising, and Philanthropy, Sports, Recreation, and Leisure, Travel and Transportation.

Orphanage in Kenya, Orphans in Kenya, HIV and Aids orphans in Kenya ,Charity Work in Kenya, Kenya Community Development Projects, Help us Bring Clean, Safe Drinking Water To Millions.

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