Farming and capacity building program in Kisumu
Kisumu 3 projects of 3 wks from July to October
Volunteer project: The Resource Center is located in Kisumu County, about 25km east of Kisumu town and offers a variety of services to the local community. It was initiated in 2009 with an aim to build and strengthen the community’s capacity to be self-reliant and to improve their living standards. The Centre achieves this by demonstrating how to utilize the locally available resources, to develop the community and generate income. The Center has been collaborating with the local community in various development fields through diverse capacity-building programs support and services they offer. These programs include:
- Early Childhood Education Program: The center runs a kindergarten with about 90 children aged between 3-6 years who are either vulnerable to poverty, orphans, infected or affected with HIV/AIDS. The children get free education and meals at the school. In the evening they go back home where they stay with their caregivers or guardians.
- ICT and Business Training: The center provides a community hub for access to free training in computer skills especially to the youths. This enables them to have increased ICT knowledge and exposure in the evolving world of technology. Work preparedness training prepares them to be viable in the job market by improving their skills and competency for employment. The center has partnered with other stakeholders to provide Business training to the local people which is enabling them to start small business ventures to generate income.
- The Model Farm: This is an agricultural-based unit that offers space for practical-oriented training in the field of agriculture and Agri-Business. This provides the community with an opportunity to learn how to carry out various best farming operations and practices of various crops to maximize food production and improve food security and income generation. This project encompasses greenhouses, open farm, poultry unit, fish ponds, etc. The harvest is sold in the local markets and the proceeds used as a source of income that sustains the activities of the center.
- Water and Sanitation Program: This project is focused on the treatment of tap water to become clean and safe for all domestic use in the community. The water is therefore connected to homesteads and sold at an economy-friendly and affordable fee as part of the income-generating activity for the center. The centre is also equipped with comprehensive rainwater harvesting infrastructure to fully utilize the short and heavy rains experienced across the area.
- Feeding Program: Occasionally, the center runs a feeding program for a select group of needy children during school days by offering breakfast and lunch. This helps to improve the concentration of the children in class, to motivate them to attend school and also helps to improve their nutritional health. The efficiency of the program depends on the availability of food and support resources.
- Community microfinance program: The center operates a locally-managed community bank from which groups and individuals can save some money and access various financial-related services such as loans, etc. The center also offers contemporary finance management skills training to the participants.
- Community advocacy program: The center has a training and events hall which provides a space for holding community-based open forums on a regular basis. The program enables the community members to directly engage with their community or political leaders and raise the issues and concerns affecting them. In turn leaders directly respond and put approach measures to act upon the arising issues and concerns. This promotes active citizenship.
- Cassava Value Addition: A cassava processing and storage facility was set up, which also serves as a training section for agricultural value addition. Additionally, the project has installed a bakery facility where nutritious cassava cakes and bread are prepared to boost the children's feeding program and generate income for the project.
- Disability program: The project supports people with disabilities with few skills training like sign language, cloth making, agriculture, business training, ICT and work readiness, etc. as a way of promoting inclusivity in the community.
Volunteer activities:
• Working in the Model Farm of the center: tilling the land, planting crops, weeding, watering, harvesting and packaging
• Assisting in feeding the domestic animals: rabbits, chicken, geese, turkey
• Cleaning the sheds for the domestic animals
• Assisting the people with disabilities in designing and making customized backrests, pillowcases, window curtains, and doormats for sale to generate income and also help in the economic promotion of the goods through selling the products at the local market or through online marketing to generate income.
• Fundraising for the programs and promotion of the Center and its activities
• Maintenance activities at the center: collecting litter, landscaping, construction, repairs, cleaning the halls, slashing weeds, painting the walls, repairing connecting water pipes in the greenhouse, building a garbage disposal point
• Renovation of the centre
• Assisting in teaching the kindergarten pupils basic subjects
• Organizing games and extra-curricular activities for kindergarten children as well as playing with them.
The work may change from time to time depending on the availability of individual programs at a particular time for example school holidays etc.
Leisure activities: Volunteers will have a chance to go for evening nature walks, home visits, cultural meetings, and play games. During weekends, volunteers can visit Lake Victoria, the Kisumu Museum, the equator line, and have a general tour in Kisumu city. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to visit Kakamega Rainforest in early morning, hike the forest hill, and witness the sunrise from there.
Language: English
Orientation: There will be a one-day orientation for all participants the day before the project starts.
Accommodation: Accommodation will be at the project in shared rooms, and it is important that you have your own sleeping bag and mat.
Location: Ahero town in Nyando District, Kisumu County
Terminal: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi or Kisumu Airport
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 300 Euros
The fee includes airport pick up and drop off, up to 3 nights’ accommodation before or after the project and introduction to Kenyan life through a Nairobi City Center tour before the project.
The extra fee is intended to support the local host of the project who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival.
All available dates for this project:
July 7 - July 27, 2023
August 5 - August 24, 2023
October 7 - October 26, 2023
Ecovillage living on Rusinga Island
Homa Bay 2 projects of 3 wks from July to December
Volunteer project: The Eco Village on Rusinga Island aims to bring change to the lives of local people who face challenges such as food insecurity, HIV/AIDS and lack of education, among other pressing issues. It also seeks to inspire change in the general paradigms of the local population towards a more holistic and responsible way of living. The Eco Village promotes permaculture farm design techniques and ethics: earth care, people care and sharing the surplus. It is a model farm, or epicenter, for both sustainable agriculture and holistic community development. The Eco Village successfully hosted a Permaculture Development Course and aims to become an International Permaculture Center. There is also a primary school within the project that was established with an overall objective of providing education to the children around the community.
This volunteer project aims to promote permaculture and environmental conservation.
The volunteer tasks include:
• Permaculture farm activities like weeding, slashing and clearing of bushes;
• Soil conservation and tree planting in the school compound;
• Teaching English, mathematics and creative arts in the school;
• Home visits to old and sick community members in the afternoon and assisting with general cleaning;
• Beach cleanup to improve sanitation and hygiene around the community.
Leisure activities: Sites of interest that volunteers can visit on the weekends are Rusinga hills, Mafangano Islands, and Tom Mboya Mausoleum. There will be also evening nature walks, home visits, cultural meetings, and games in the free time.
Language: English
Orientation: There will be a one-day orientation for all participants the day before the project starts.
Accommodation: Accommodation will be in shared houses, and it is important that you have your own sleeping bag and mat.
Location: Rusinga Island, Mbita, Homa Bay County
Terminal: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi or Kisumu Airport
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 300 Euros
The fee includes airport pick up and drop off, up to 3 nights’ accommodation before or after the project and introduction to Kenyan life through a Nairobi City Center tour before the project.
The extra fee is intended to support the local host of the project who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival.
All available dates for this project:
July 8 - July 27, 2023
November 26 - December 15, 2023
Promoting community health initiatives
Busia August 12 - August 31, 2023
Volunteer project: In this project, we support a Community Health Self-Help Group in Bumala, Busia County, which has been in existence since 2016. The group has built a community hospital which opened in November 2022 to begin offering health services to the local community. The hospital comprises of doctor’s consultation rooms, maternity wing, pharmacy, patients waiting bay and temporary wards. More facilities are still under construction.
The Self-Help Group is comprised of volunteers operating within Busia County, with the mission of spearheading the implementation of community health, environmental projects and development programs. The group focuses on Health and community development and other health-related issues. The group received training on HIV/AIDS prevention, VCT Counseling, Community mobilization, and home-based caregiving and education.
The population of Busia is affected by serious health and social problems. Apart from HIV/AIDS as the main problem, there are also other issues such as an increasing number of orphans and vulnerable children, and jiggers menace because of parents’ death from HIV/AIDS. Most orphans whose parents had died from HIV/AIDS are infected by jiggers, as a result of poor care. In general, these children lack health care, shelter, education and clothing among others.
The group of community health volunteers is engaging in activities like providing medical services, jiggers eradication program, creating tree nurseries and planting trees, health education in local schools and distribution of sanitary pads to schools. The profit generated from selling the trees is channeled to the hospital project.
Volunteer tasks:
• Volunteers with medical background will assist the medical and non-medical staff in the community hospital.
• Participating in community home visits.
• Engaging in other income generation activities like brick making
• Preparation of tree nurseries and planting.
• Cleaning of the project area
• Visiting nearby schools to offer health related talks
• Helping in maintenance activities like painting and a little bit of construction
Leisure activities: Volunteers will have a chance to do evening nature walks, home visits, cultural meetings, and games. During weekends, volunteers can visit Lake Victoria, Kisumu Museum, the Crying Stone, the equator line, and have a general tour in Kisumu city. Volunteers will also have the opportunity for an early morning visit to Kakamega Rainforest, hike the forest hill, and witness the sunrise.
Language: English
Orientation: There will be a one-day orientation for all participants the day before the project starts.
Accommodation: Accommodation will be at a host home which is about 7 minutes’ walk to the main project site. It is important that you have your own sleeping bag and mat.
Location: Bumala, Busia County
Terminal: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi or Kisumu Airport
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 300 Euros
The fee includes airport pick up and drop off, up to 3 nights’ accommodation before or after the project and introduction to Kenyan life through a Nairobi City Center tour before the project.
The extra fee is intended to support the local host of the project who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival.
Care and support for disabled children
Vihiga September 6 - September 26, 2023
Volunteer project: The special needs school in Hamisi District was founded by missionaries in the year 1987 with an aim of empowering mentally and physically disabled people from the communities. The project also was to give them basic education and hope for future life as well as to make them be self-reliant and integrate them into society. Currently, the school hosts about 104 disabled people who are children and young adults whose ages range from 6 years to about 32 years and they are from different communities.
Most of the beneficiaries have autism, down syndrome, other mental challenges, multiple handicapped and epileptic, and therefore they are engaged in different classes according to their disabilities and their level of understanding. The school offers them different classes such as Autism class, Foundation class, intermediate class, prevocational and vocational class. The school is now a full boarding national school which is supported by the government of Kenya.
Volunteer activities:
• Helping in the preparation of meals, serving and feeding the children
• Engaging in farm work activities such as digging, planting of vegetables, crops, weeding within the school
• General cleaning of the dining hall, dormitories and the school compound
• Teaching children vocational skills such as agriculture, weaving, tailoring, carpentry, and beadwork
• Playing together with children in extracurricular activities such sports and dance
• Assisting with physiotherapy sessions
• Assisting the children's mobility when they want to get around
Leisure activities: Volunteers will have a chance to do evening nature walks, home visits, cultural meetings, and games. During weekends, volunteers can visit Lake Victoria, Kisumu Museum, the equator line, and have a general tour in Kisumu city. Volunteers will also have the opportunity for an early morning visit to Kakamega Rainforest, hike the forest hill, and witness the sunrise.
Language: English
Orientation: There will be a one-day orientation for all participants the day before the project starts.
Accommodation: Accommodation will be at the project site, and it is important that you have your own sleeping bag and mat.
Location: Hamisi, Vihiga County
Terminal: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi or Kisumu Airport
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 300 Euros
The fee includes airport pick up and drop off, up to 3 nights’ accommodation before or after the project and introduction to Kenyan life through a Nairobi City Center tour before the project.
The extra fee is intended to support the local host of the project who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival.
Support for orphans and vulnerable children
Kakamega November 4 - November 23, 2023
Volunteer project: The volunteers will work together with a community development group based in Mumias district in the Western Province of Kenya. The group was formed with the aim of improving the educational standards of the orphans and vulnerable children in the community, so that they would be able to take care of themselves. The group is running a local orphanage school, which is visited by 10 orphans and 16 widows. The orphans and widows are being supported through the sales of maize produced from the group's small farm. This caters for the orphans’ basic needs i.e. food, clothing and shelter. The main purpose of the group is to mobilize the community and self-help groups to participate in grassroots efforts in poverty eradication.
Volunteer activities:
• Farm work involving weeding, digging and planting maize, beans and vegetables
• Brick making for the construction of a school and a storage room for maize and other crops
• Exchange programs and debates in school
• Teaching Mathematics, English, Science, Social studies and Creative Arts
• Engaging in sports activities as well as playing with the children
• Home visits and assisting widows and elderly community members with their daily routine chores
Leisure activities: Volunteers will have a chance to do evening nature walks, home visits, cultural meetings, and games. During weekends, volunteers can visit Lake Victoria, and view the equator line sign. Volunteers will also have the opportunity for an early morning visit to Kakamega Rainforest, hike on the forest hill, and witness the sunrise from the forest hill.
Language: English
Orientation: There will be a one-day orientation for all participants the day before the project starts.
Accommodation: Accommodation will be in a shared house, and it is important that you have your own sleeping bag and mat.
Location: Mumias District, Kakamega County
Terminal: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi or Kisumu Airport
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 300 Euros
The fee includes airport pick up and drop off, up to 3 nights’ accommodation before or after the project and introduction to Kenyan life through a Nairobi City Center tour before the project.
The extra fee is intended to support the local host of the project who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival.