Kenya is a land of intense beauty, epic landscapes, fascinating tribes and exuberant communities. Magnificent wildlife roam across vast Rift Valley plains, white sand beaches fringe the turquoise Indian Ocean and ancient tribal communities practise traditional customs little changed since the dawn of time. All these combine to provide a destination of unparalleled appeal and fascination.
Travel to this spectacular land and immerse yourself in a community and culture in which you will be made to feel incredibly welcome. The people are positively inspiring and the landscape, national parks, beaches and surrounding islands are stunningly beautiful.
Once you’ve learnt to do things the Kenyan way you’ll never want to leave this unique travel destination.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
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Discover this land of intense beauty
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Make lifelong friends
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Bring fun and affection to the children
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Location |
Kenya, Mombasa |
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Activities |
Caring for children
Feeding and food preparation
Arranging playtime & extracurricular activities
Arts & crafts, sports and reading
Cleaning |
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Teaching basic English, maths and other subjects of your choice |
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Transport |
Transport to & from the airport |
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Accommodation |
Homestay |
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Before you go |
Pre-departure support & documentation
Travel & medical advice & documentation
Advice on visas & equipment
Discounted medical kit
Free Frontier t-shirt |
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In-country |
2 meals a day
Accommodation
Airport pick-up & drop-off
Project orientation and training
In-country emergency support
24-hour international HQ back-up |
What Next? Apply Now!
WHAT DOES THE PROJECT DO?
In Kenya the term ‘orphanage’ spans a variety of institutions including children’s homes, care centres and rehabilitation centres. These organisations care for children who have been orphaned, abandoned or abused and have no other place to go. Having lived tragic lives without love and affection the main thing most of these children need is some care and attention.
Many orphanages and children’s centres open their doors to other impoverished children during the daytime by providing feeding programmes or a community school in order to benefit both the children living there and the wider community.
WHAT WILL I BE DOING?
Your work programme will be tiring and challenging but deeply fulfilling. You will help in the day-to-day care of the orphans and running of the orphanage, helping with feeding and food preparation, play time, arranging extra curricular activities, sports, arts and crafts, entertainments and generally bringing fun and affection to the lives of these vulnerable and deprived kids. You may also be asked to help teach a variety of essential subjects such as basic English, maths, reading, and indeed anything else in which you have experience.
Volunteers will work with young children and babies who either have no family or are from very deprived backgrounds. Some of the children are suffering from HIV or AIDS and have been abandoned or are too sick to go to school, others may have been subject to abuse. Most of the children are in need of love and affection and you will be utterly astounded to see how much your care and attention can change their lives.
What Next? Apply Now!
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I ARRIVE?
You will be picked up from Nairobi airport by a friendly local staff member. You will usually spend a night in the Kenyan capital to recover from your international flight before taking the comfortable coach ride to the coast and Mombasa. If you prefer you can fly directly to Mombasa and we will arrange airport pick up for you accordingly.
In Mombasa the local staff will meet you and introduce you to your host and the local area. Both your host and local coordinator will be more than happy to help you settle in and acclimatise and you'll feel at home in no time in this friendly and laid back community.
WHERE WILL I BE STAYING?
You will be staying with a friendly host in a homestay which will allow you to truly experience Kenyan culture. We choose our hosts carefully to ensure that they are able to provide the support and security needed to make your stay comfortable – and fun! The homestay will usually have a bathroom, living room with TV, kitchen with a fridge and will be close to transport and local shops. You will be made to feel part of the family from the moment you arrive and you will soon find yourself immersed in home and community life.
WHAT WILL I BE EATING?
You will eat with your host and will be provided with two meals a day, enabling you to get a true feel for the Kenyan lifestyle and sample some authentic African home cooking. For lunch volunteers usually eat out, with colleagues or at the projects themselves as they are away from the homestay.
Kenyan cuisine offers a variety of dishes based on meat and vegetable stews. Most dishes are served with either rice or ugali; the staple food for most of sub-Saharan Africa made from maize flour. You may also have the chance to sample such delicacies as "oysters Mombasa", fish or chicken in coconut, groundnut soup or beef and potato stew, and for dessert, bananas cooked in banana leaves.
What Next? Apply Now!
My life in Mombasa!
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2 Aug 2011
I volunteered for the Mombasa orphanage project in July 2011 for 2 weeks because ...
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Ken-ya Kick It Group Volunteering
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26 Jul 2010
The first update, courtesy of Anna, from a group of ten volunteers who headed to Nairobi for a fo...
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ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
It is often said that a visit to Kenya without a stop at Mombasa is no visit to Kenya. The city is awash with activities ranging from swimming and snorkelling to basking on the brilliant white beaches. Mombasa is surrounded by a number of wildlife parks including Tsavo National Park just three hours away and the Shimba hills game reserve where some of the biggest elephants in the world can be found just a couple of kilometres away. Mombasa has a good selection of bars, cafés and clubs for you to enjoy on your free evenings.
There is a diverse and beautiful array of wildlife and breathtaking scenery to marvel at. The lagoons of the southern coast provide an ideal location for snorkelling or try bird watching or crocodile spotting whilst canoeing in the mangrove swamps.
