Fancy coaching the 'beautiful game' in a stunning African destination?

Sport has a habit of reaching the places other activities can’t reach, and the universal language of football can break down divisions, excite young minds and give people something positive to focus on. Sport is especially valuable in countries like Kenya, where the country is soccer mad and where it can offer a welcome escape for disadvantaged youngsters. If you're sporty at heart you could be a motivator, teacher and friend to teams around Nakuru and Mount Kenya. Enthusiastic volunteers can get involved with many aspects of coaching; from teaching on-pitch tactics to general fitness training. Green Peace and Environment (GPE) have been working with communities across Kenya to promote positive change using activities like soccer, and this is your chance to literally be a key player!

What does this community project do?

One of the main goals of soccer coaching is to use sport to target local youth to share information on good living, reduction of the AIDS virus, community wellbeing and prevention of falling into crime or substance abuse. You're needed to assist with the local youth teams which are already in place. One team is in Nakuru, where young men from the slum train and play five evenings a week. This provides a much needed community and social focus for them. The second team is based near Naro Moru, at Mount Kenya, and provides a focus for this more rural community with few resources. Both teams have enjoyed success in local leagues, and hope to continue to improve on this with your help!

Why does this project need volunteers?

Kenyans have a strong passion for soccer, but are hampered by the lack of resources that hinder further development. The volunteers are needed to bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm to keep the young people well occupied and bring them together with a passion for the sport they play. The opportunities to play and develop their skills are currently not available to many youngsters who love sports in Kenya. i-to-i volunteers help to provide young Kenyans with the same sports opportunities that we so often take for granted at home.

Your role as a volunteer

You will be working alongside young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and build friendships over common ground. It is from here that you will start to give enthusiastic, young players the chance to play the sport they love in an organized and fun environment. Coaching sessions, working on basic ball skills and informal games will be used with the aim of creating a fun environment of learning for the young people. Your role is to get the absolute maximum results from the players, whilst making it fun and arming the local talent with confidence and enthusiasm. They can then transfer these skills into other areas which will hopefully give them more positive opportunities in the future.

Bear in mind that soccer coaching can be limited to later afternoons and evenings. This is because both teams play very close to the Equator, and the full sun is just too hot during the day to allow for strenuous activities! Also, many of the young people may attend education or employment during the day. Therefore, volunteers usually spend the mornings at another project (community development or building in Nakuru, and the conservation project at Mount Kenya), and coach from approximately 4pm until sunset. This will give you the opportunity to work alongside the team members, getting to know them and their community, as well as coaching them.

The skills you need

It goes without saying that you should have a genuine love of soccer! While you don't need any formal qualifications, you should have experience of playing the game.

You'll need to be physically fit, have a strong sense of team spirit, enthusiasm, flexibility and patience. Although a love of soccer and desire to develop skills are essential, there may be other factors that stand in the way of the smooth running of the training sessions. As resources are limited at the project and you may be lacking in equipment, your ability to use initiative and improvise is essential!

Accommodation included

Nakuru: You will stay in a homestay with a local family, which will be located just a short distance from the town centre.

Mount Kenya: You will be staying at shared hostel accommodation in the foothills of Mount Kenya, which boasts a small bar. Electricity is provided from sundown till bedtime, and hot water is also available.

Project resources and advice

Project resources are adequate but basic, so any extra equipment such as footballs, etc, you can provide will be much appreciated!

Local facilities

Nakuru: Located about 160km from Kenya's lively capital of Nairobi, Nakuru is Kenya's fourth largest town, offering a fairly laid-back atmosphere among modern amenities. The town offers 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 go off, but in general they will be available.

Mount Kenya: At the more rural Mount Kenya project, you will find several small villages in the spectacular foothills of the mountain itself but the nearest is Naro Moru, which is 12 km away. This quiet village houses a handful of small hotels, a public telephone, small shops and a supermarket. For a wider range of facilities, including internet access, the bustling market town of Nanyuki is 30 minutes away and easily accessible by public transport.

Food included

You will be provided with two nutritious meals each day, consisting of breakfast (e.g. cereal, fruit and toast) and dinner prepared from locally sourced produce, 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 of GBP£22 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 USD$50 per night).

Things that you will need to organize yourself

• Flights to Kenya: i-to-i can secure preferential rates, please ask us
• Travel insurance: i-to-i can secure preferential rates, please ask us
• Visa
• In-country transport (except your airport pickup on arrival date)
• Tours, trips and add-ons: i-to-i can secure preferential rates, please ask us
• Extra equipment
• Extra food

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 50 USD per night).

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