Do you want to be a real help?

 Kenya continues to be one of the world’s top tourist destinations with millions descending on its open plains every year. Unfortunately the revenue from a booming tourist trade has yet to find its way to the less fortunate of society and the number of children living on the street continues to be a major concern. By volunteering on this project, you will help to tackle the problem while enjoying a stunning location in the rift valley town of Nakuru. You could be working at one of three projects; a boys' home, where you’ll make use of your included TEFL certification by teaching English; a youth outreach center, where you can help disadvantaged children; and a shelter caring for over 500 youngsters whose families sadly can’t afford to take care of them.

What do the community projects do?

We work with three Nakuru based projects which are designed to provide support, basic education and social welfare to severely disadvantaged children and their families.

• One project, backed by the Scandinavian Pentecostal Affiliation, supports over 500 children whose families or relatives are unable to provide for them sufficiently. The shelter supplies food, clothing, education and accommodation (where necessary), to ensure that the children remain off the streets, but can retain regular contact with their relatives.
• The second project focuses on the assistance and rehabilitation of Nakuru's street children. A community-based project set up and co-ordinated by Nakuru residents, this centre is a safe-house for boys from toddlers to young adults, providing the shelter, healthcare and psychological support that the boys desperately need, as well as enrolling them in schools within the area.
• The third project works in the slums of Nakuru, working with young children who depend and live off the local town dump. The centre aims to provide children with informal information and practical skills they can use in everyday life, such as sewing and basket making, to build themselves a brighter future.

Why does the project need volunteers?

By 2001 an estimated 890,000 children in Kenya had been orphaned by the HIV/AIDS virus, and with 15% of the population between 15 and 49 believed to be carrying the virus, there is an increasing number of children caught up in the wake of the epidemic. The overall result has been a dramatic increase in the number of children, from toddlers to teens, who are living on the streets. Without the means to make any kind of living, they are subject to severe poverty, abuse, drugs and worse. While some children do have surviving relatives to take them in, often the families cannot fully support them, and are able to provide little more than a roof and the occasional meal.

The projects that we work with in Nakuru aim to bring the children in off the streets, or to protect them from becoming street children where their relatives cannot support them. Volunteers are desperately needed to support the staff running the centres, and to provide some basic skills and companionship. As English is a national language in Kenya, English teachers are a permanent necessity and by helping in these areas you can bring an invaluable skill to the children you work with.

Your role as a volunteer

Due to the nature of the centres, your time will be varied and full! Your role will almost certainly involve an element of teaching - usually English, but also Maths, Health Education, or any other areas that you can contribute to. In order to give the older children some more practical skills, there may well be the opportunity for vocational guidance, such as carpentry or arts and crafts for selling on. In the past volunteers have become involved with knitting projects and have even assisted in cooking meals, alongside the standard teaching roles. Volunteers will also find they become a role model for the kids, providing them with friendship, stability and confidence.

Some of the children are at the centre all the time while others go out to school during the day and return for lunch (from midday to 1.00pm). If you work over the weekends you will be able to get more involved in the extra-curricular activities. During the school holidays (April, August and December) the children will be at the centre all day.

The skills you need

You must have a love of children and a genuine commitment to the project, while some experience of working with young people is useful. You will need to be flexible, and have initiative and enthusiasm to face the many hurdles and challenges that you will inevitably encounter within your role. To ensure that you get the most out of and contribute fully to your project, a pro-active attitude is essential. Any skills that you, from sports, music, drama, art or fundraising will be more than welcome. Volunteers with experience in physical education and gymnastics will be welcomed to get involved with strenuous physical activities as part of detoxification and rehabilitation programmes for children coming off drugs.

Accommodation included

You'll stay in a home-stay with a local family, which will provide a warm environment and you may even make friends for life! A shared volunteer hostel is available on request.

Project resources and advice

Resources at the project are pretty basic, so you may want to bring your own games along which the kids will absolutely love!

Local facilities

Nakuru is Kenya's fourth biggest town and is about 160km from Nairobi. It's fairly laid-back and modern with relatively good transport, and is well linked to the rest of the country. Facilities are good, with several banks, internet cafes, tour operators and small hotels. Water and electricity may occasionally cut out, but in general they will be available.

Food included

You will be provided with two simple but nutritious meals each day, which are vegetarian-friendly.

Airport pick-up included

If you time your arrival to one of the designated arrival dates then airport pick-up is completely free. Please book your flight to arrive into Nairobi (airport code NBO). Should you require a different pick-up time, a charge will be required to cover fuel and staff time to come and get you. Any additional nights needed at the orientation accommodation, for example if you arrive a day or two early, should then be made in-country directly to the accommodation (roughly 56$USD per night).

Things that you will need to organize yourself

What exactly do i-to-i provide?

It may seem like a strange concept to pay for your volunteer experience. You'd be right if you think you shouldn't and the truth is you actually don't! Your placement is free; it's the benefits around it that you pay for. It's important to note that i-to-i is a travel company and not a charity. We provide a professional travel service. We are responsible for finding and assessing worthwhile projects across the world, preparing you for the volunteering experience and supporting you whilst you're there.

Here’s some more information about what your placement fee covers….

Project sourcing and assessment

We work with hundreds of locally run partner projects around the world and are constantly sourcing new opportunities. We visit all projects to check that they are worthwhile and legitimate and we also conduct a thorough safety assessment before we'll send volunteers there. More

Expert help-desk

Almost everyone who works for i-to-i has traveled extensively or worked overseas. This means we're a goldmine of information; we're always available to offer support and guidance before, during and after your trip.

Thorough project briefing materials

Once you book on to a project you'll receive a Welcome Pack that contains loads of general information about volunteering, about your chosen country and project, and a DVD about how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.

TEFL training

If you are volunteering on a Teaching or Community Development project then a 40-hour Online TEFL course is included in your placement fee. This is an internationally recognised and accredited certificate that will help you to make the most of your time overseas. More

Airport pickup

It can be pretty daunting arriving in a different country for the first time… especially after a long flight! If you arrive on your project start date, there'll be a welcoming face at the airport to pick you up and take you to your accommodation.

Arrival orientation

Soon after you arrive you will attend a thorough orientation with our in-country team. This is to cover important safety and security information. You'll also get some tips about sight-seeing options for your time off and maybe even learn some of the local lingo!

Accommodation and meals

Accommodation is included with all projects and meals are even included with some. We only use locally-owned and operated accommodation so that part of your placement fee is filtering back into the local economy. Most projects offer homestay, guesthouse or shared volunteer houses as standard accommodation, but some offer the chance to upgrade to a more comfortable living standard. More

Local in-country coordinators

Your in-country coordinator (ICC) will pick you up from the airport and conduct your orientation upon arrival. All ICC's are English speaking and are locals of your destination country. They won't be at your project every day, but will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need them. More

24/7 emergency support

Aside from the local support from your in-country coordinators you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by i-to-i staff in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals Docleaf to be on hand in case of a situation that requires additional expert support. More

Ongoing training

The safety and security of our volunteers is paramount. For this reason we provide ongoing crisis management and emergency response training to our local teams around the world. At the end of 2006 we flew all our in-country coordinators to the UK for thorough training to help them offer the best safety to the thousands of volunteers they support each year. More

Supporting our projects

We don't fund our projects directly, but once a year they are all invited to apply for funding for special projects or resources from our registered charity arm, the i-to-i Foundation. i-to-i funds the operation of the i-to-i Foundation and is the largest single donor. Along with the generous support of our volunteers, we have distributed over US$200,000 in funding in the last two years alone! More  

Recruiting people like you

We make no secrets of the fact that part of your placement fee is reinvested in to recruiting volunteers just like you! The volunteers recruited in one week will typically deliver over 2000 man-days of service. The difference this makes to projects overseas is immeasurable. Many of our overseas projects rely on assistance from international volunteers, so it's necessary for us to put together brochures and websites to find the people who can support them. This recruitment process is vital to ensure programs have a constant stream of reliable volunteers.

The intangible benefits

Volunteering through a company like i-to-i has a lot of intangible benefits to developing overseas communities and the individual projects that we work with. To find out more about our placements. click here

What we will do after you've booked:

• Once booked on you will instantly receive a welcome email confirming your booking with access to your online account
• We will send a Welcome Pack in the post containing further information and a t-shirt, the information in this pack should answer most things you need to know
• Community Development and Teaching customers will receive an email introducing them to their Online TEFL course
• Community Development and Teaching customers will be requested to complete a police check (where relevant) or send through a reference
• We will contact you if we require anything else e.g. CV/resume for some projects, doctors note for medical conditions etc.
• We will hound you to complete your forms and pay your final balance when they are due
• We are available for any questions you may have on 800 352 1794 or operations@i-to-i.com
• We will prepare for your trip and send you an email with final project and accommodation confirmation 21 days before you go

What you need to do after booking your place with us:

• Book your flights
• Arrange suitable travel insurance
• Fill out some extra details through our online interface:
  • application from
  • travel details
  • insurance details
  • medical information
  • emergency contacts
• Complete your police check or request your reference (where relevant)
• Do your Online TEFL Course (where relevant)
• Make final payment at least 60 days before you go
• Make sure you have a visa for your trip if its needed
• Visit a nurse or travel clinic for advice on inoculations and malaria prevention
• Read all details and prepare as much as you can for your trip
• Take contact details of the in country team and where you're going in your hand luggage - just in case!
• Get on the plane!

Orientation Information

You will arrive on the Arrival Date - Saturday and will be met at the airport on that day (whether it is 12 in the morning or 11:59 at night). You will be taken to the Sandton Palace Hotel (see contact details below) where you will have the first day/night to recover from your flight. The hotel has a bar that also serves food and an internet terminal so that you can write home if you need to. It is located within walking distance of the main shops if you wish to have a wander - just ask at reception for directions.

Note: If you're arriving early we can arrange a meet and greet for you. If you require this please contact us to arrange this service. If you wish to make your own way please arrange to be at the address below on the arrival date:

Your orientation will take place the next morning and will introduce you to life in Nairobi as well as important information about staying healthy and safe. You'll also learn a bit of Swahili along the way! You will then transfer to your permanent accommodation on Sunday afternoon. The transfer will be arranged for you by the team; transfers in and around Nairobi will take about 1 hour and if you're going to Nakuru or Mount Kenya the transfer will be around 4 hours. Monday will be the first day that you meet your project and start working as a volunteer. From here on in you will spend your time with the project but the in-country team are there if you need them.

Insurance

It's important that you get adequate travel insurance for your i-to-i experience and as many of you will be working this often means standard policies won’t work. The good news is that no matter where your coming from we have already found a policy to suit you.

The best time to get your insurance is when you book your project as this means you can get a fully tailored policy exclusive to i-to-i, just ask your consultant for further details at the time of booking.

If you have already booked but still need insurance then you may still be able to take our tailored policy. If, however it was more than a few days ago then try the links below:

Australian customers - find out more here >>

All other customers - find out more here >>

Flights

As with insurance we advise you get these booked as early as possible to avoid high prices and to make sure you arrive on the right day. The i-to-i team is right up to date with the best deals no matter where you’re flying from; their insider knowledge could save you some time and money.

Early Airport Pick-up

If you are arriving before your designated arrival date, we can arrange for an extra meet and greet service for you. For an extra supplement we will be there to meet you at the airport and take you to the orientation accommodation. Accommodation payment for any extra nights will then be made in country directly to the accommodation (approx 56 USD per night).

The cost of this Early Pick-up service is US$ 35.00