Orientation
Once you have been met and picked up from the airport, you will be taken to the project to settle in. Then, your co-ordinators will guide you through the project and help to answer any questions you may have in your orientation.
We advise that you spend the first few days or week visiting the various villages and programme areas, to work out exactly where you would like to work and dedicate your time on this rewarding experience.
Accommodation and Meals
During your stay, you will be accommodated in houses that you will share with the other volunteers on the programme. The houses are comfortable, but very basic and are enclosed in a walled and gated compound. The volunteer accommodation is therefore safe and there are night watchmen on the site. There are communal showers and the toilets are traditional long drops, which are clean but do not expect the usual flush toilets that you may be used to. There is electricity, but power cuts are fairly frequent. Water shortages may also be experienced.
You will receive three meals each day on the project. Breakfast will consist of toast, juices, ndazi's and chapati's. Lunches will comprise of sandwiches and juice or soda, whilst dinners will be prepared for you by a designated house cook, though we ask you to offer as much assistance as possible. This meal will use traditional African ingredients, using meats, rice and breads and some vegetables. Please budget for a few snacks etc during the day, which you will be able to purchase locally.
Free Time
The rural area where the programme is situated is very beautiful and there are many natural landmarks such as waterfalls and caves to visit.
You will be living in quite a rural area of Kenya and therefore many volunteers enjoy just relaxing and soaking up the culture at the weekends, by interacting with the locals or reading a good book and doing their laundry, for example. There are a few places to visit in the local area and some natural landmarks, such as waterfalls and caves. The programme is also 60km from Kitale where there is a local game reserve and orphanage that you can visit.
Being in Kenya means that you are close to Nairobi, which is a major transport hub for overland tours as the gateway to Eastern and Southern Africa. We have a number of different tours to choose from which could take you down into Tanzania and the famous Zanzibar Spice Island. You could choose to visit Victoria Falls or even travel the whole distance into Cape Town or Johannesburg in South Africa, via Botswana or Namibia.
We have tours that last from 3 days to 56. Please contact us to enquire about these options and we will be happy to send you further details and help you explore Africa in a safe and adventurous way.
Support
Your programme coordinators will be on hand to help you with any queries and with your projects. However, with over 2,000 people to care for, they are often very busy, and so you will need to be self-motivated and show a good deal of initiative and independence to undertake this project.
Project Age Limit
Minimum 18 years, maximum decided on potential participants health.
