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P.O. BOX 469 – 00502 KAREN, NAIROBI.

Email:ubuntuvolunteerskenya@gmail.com

ORGANIZATION INFORMATION SHEET

THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND UBUNTU VOLUNTEERS PROGRAM

UBUNTU is a term roughly translated to mean “Human kindness” or humanity towards others

and belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity into one fabric of people

complementing each other to becoming fully human. Ubuntu is the way to go in bettering our

world with the many challenges facing humanity. “A person with Ubuntu is open and available to

others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a

proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is

diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed... To forgive

is not just to be altruistic. It is the best form of self-interest. What dehumanizes you inexorably

dehumanizes me. [Forgiveness] gives people resilience, enabling them to survive and emerge still human

despite all efforts to dehumanize them”. – {Desmond Tutu}

The UBUNTU volunteers program always endeavors to develop and create new world view of

volunteerism with a deeper humanitarian spirit that has no boundaries of culture. religion, race,

sex or other but a humanity united by the UBUNTU spirit.

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VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

UBUNTU Volunteers Program takes great pleasure to welcome you to the program as a

volunteer. We appreciate the time and money you have chosen to invest with the program and

the project that you have earmarked to engage yourself in the spirit of UBUNTU. We hope it

will be as rewarding and satisfying for you, as it is for the people you will be sharing your

skills, time and money. While you are volunteering with us remember that your core value is

the friendship, the sharing the learning and the bridging the divide gap between yourself and

the people you will interact with an open mind and heart towards enriching each other. In the

spirit of UBUNTU be open-minded and embrace the other cultures and ways of living. This

will allow you to experience the real UBUNTU spirit. The UBUNTU volunteerism will be an

experience that will open your soul to new heights of human interconnectivity and on

overcoming our manmade barriers between one community and another. The rewards are

immense and life fulfilling.

PROGRAMS OF UBUNTU VOLUNTEERS - KENYA

The UBUNTU Program places volunteers in a variety of projects including Schools,

Orphanages, Performing and Creative Arts Centres, Music making projects, Sporting centres,

Programs for children with special needs, HIV/AIDs Outreach, Women empowerment projects

and Medical placements in urban and rural areas of Kenya. It also places great emphasis in

empowering local communities in remote areas in helping them develop new social economic

projects such as fish farming, horticultural farming, developing hand crafts and linking local

producers with international fair trade organizations among many other creative ideas. Before

arriving in Kenya volunteers should understand that resources are extremely limited in the

institutions they will be working. Therefore, any supplies volunteers can bring along that are

appropriate to their particular program will always be appreciated by the local people and staff.

We provide more information and ideas of good supplies and donations to bring relevant to

your particular program.

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LOCATION OF VOLUNTEER PLACEMENTS

UBUNTU has wide and assorted areas of volunteer placements in Nairobi the capital city

including other cosmopolitan cities like Mombasa and Kisumu. Placements outside Nairobi

include towns like Kiambu, Limuru, Kikuyu, Nakuru, Naivasha, Gilgil, Nanyuki, Machakos,

Kitale, Meru, Nyeri, Marsabit, Malindi, Nyahururu and for those willing to work with rural

Kenyan communities in the villages. While we would like an indication of your location

preference when applying this will be finalized with UBUNTU Placement and Liaison officer

on arrival in Kenya.

START AND DURATION OF PROGRAMS

Volunteers can choose to volunteer for any duration from one week to six months. Upon

arrival into the country all volunteers will be given briefings and induction into their program

of choice and other necessary information.

REQUIREMENTS

Volunteers must be over 18 years of age at the beginning of the program and have at least a

high school education. Volunteers participating in the medical program must have appropriate

training and certification (to be presented to UBUNTU Office on arrival in Kenya).

PLACEMENT DESCRIPTIONS

TEACHING

The Teaching program is available in both urban and rural areas, working with a number of

school types in which the presence of volunteers is beneficial in opening the minds and horizons

of the children, along with exposing them to spoken English as spoken by a native, or very

fluent English-speaker.

Volunteers are placed in Community schools, private schools or Orphanage schools. Volunteers

will be assisting local staff with daily classes in Math, English, Science, Social Studies

(Geography and History), Art and Physical Education classes. The majority of the schools are

primary schools, educating between 200 and 800 children aged from 3 to 15. Class sizes range

from 30 to 100 students. Volunteers therefore assist the teaching staff with daily classes, by

teaching a class on their own or with another volunteer, or providing one on one attention to

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the children, and sometimes relieving the teacher of a class or two per day. Volunteers DO

NOT need to be qualified teachers or have previous experience for this program. In Kenya

there are three terms per school year and there are breaks between these terms for the whole

months of April, August and December, during which time volunteers can help with holiday

programs, participate in another placement, take a break, travel or engage in tourist activities

such as safari around Kenyan touristic attractions.

For those interested in Health and Hygiene education, there are some schools which offer

afterschool classes for the older children. These classes were initiated by volunteers and rely on

volunteers to continue. They focus on health and hygiene, and can also cover reproductive

education and awareness of puberty and hormone growth for teenage girls and boys (age 11 to

16). The lessons are a mixture of myth-busting and education and require volunteers to use

their initiative and plan their lessons according to ages of the children and what is acceptable

for Kenyan culture and customs (there will be staff members at the school who can assist you

with this.) If you are interested in these classes, please let our placement and liaison officer

know before your arrival and be able to plan with the school before hand. Please note that these

classes are in addition to the school curriculum, and volunteers will therefore be teaching

standard classes during the day before teaching these classes after-school.

ORPHANAGE WORK

Due to the high incidences of poverty and illness, orphanages in Kenya can host 50-200

children at any one time and there is always a high demand for more volunteer assistance. In

Kenya we have a few different types of orphanages, some which house and foster abandoned

babies (Babies Home), orphanages for orphaned children, some have schools attached, and some

have opportunities for the volunteers to live at the orphanage full time. Each orphanage

accommodates children of differing ages, but generally volunteers work with children from 0 to

16 years of age. The majority of children in orphanages are required to go to school from the

age of 3 to 15, and school usually starts from 8am until 1pm or 5pm depending on the child’s

age. Volunteers can therefore opt to arrive very early in the morning to assist with the morning

routine and getting ready for school. Alternatively they can arrive after the morning rush, to

assist with the daily tasks of the orphanage and care for the younger children who are not of

school age.

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Volunteers can also assist after school, with changing diapers, playing, helping the children

with homework and helping the staff with the dinner routine. Orphanages are always busy,

whether the children are at home or at school, and volunteers can help with all areas of daily

activity including cooking, cleaning, washing, caring, feeding, playing, kitchen gardening,

landscaping, rabbit and poultry keeping projects, music and dancing.

SPECIAL NEEDS PROGRAM

In Kenya, the majority of the nation’s culture stems from family values and beliefs, and the

expectation for each child is to be able to contribute while at home and then ultimately fend for

themselves once they are adults. However, there are increasing numbers of children born with

either mental or physical disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy and Downs Syndrome. There are

also many children and adults who become disabled through the course of their lives. Disability

awareness is not common or widely recognized and as a result many children and adults are

hidden from public view by their families due to a lack of knowledge or support. UBUNTU

volunteers interested in this field will receive extra support in this area from our office to be

able to link them up with clinics, day centres and sometimes schools.

The main task for volunteers is to assist their clients with daily living tasks, education and

awareness among families and communities, and also provide care, physiotherapy and

rehabilitation for the child or adult, including training for the family and community support.

Volunteers on this program do not need to have previous experience or training as they are

working closely with local staff. Please note however that some placements take place only two

or three times per week, and volunteers will therefore participate in another placement (such as

Teaching or Orphanage Work) for the two or three remaining days. This will be discussed and

arranged in more detail directly with the local staff once you have arrived in Kenya.

SPORTS EDUCATION

The Sports Education program is designed for people who wish to work with children and

youth in schools but not necessarily spending all their time teaching in a classroom. The Sports

Education program consists of volunteers working in local schools to broaden children’s

knowledge of sports, teach “foreign” sports and games to the children, and educate children on

general fitness, health and wellbeing in addition to taking general lessons at the school.

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It is up to the volunteer to plan lessons and design the teaching of their sports program.

Children are extremely enthusiastic and willing to learn, however past volunteers have found it

important to be prepared if they are to teach the children foreign concepts and ideas (such as a

new sport). While football/soccer is extremely popular In Kenya and in Africa, many

volunteers have found it rewarding to teach the children other sports from the volunteer’s

home country, such as baseball, lacrosse, basketball, cricket and rugby. If a volunteer wishes to

do this, they must plan ahead and often bring the required materials and equipment themselves

as it is highly likely this will not be available in local stores and shopping centres.

MUSIC PROGRAM

Music is a universal language and spans all corners of the globe. In Kenya, music is best

described as a pure and true representation of cultural richness by means of worship and

devotion, celebration and mourning, and overall communal strengthening and enjoyment.

Through music, people are able to see through the shroud of suffering and sorrow to a life

worth living. Music is their passage to a better life, even if this better life lasts for only a few

minutes of song. The music education program is designed to give children a chance to let their

voices and songs be heard. Volunteers on this program will provide students with a basic

understanding of musical theory (note reading, etc.) as well as instrument and vocal training. It

is recommended that UBUNTU volunteers plan and do this as an extra-curricular activity after

school in addition to the current school curriculum. Current classes include guitar, flute,

maracas, piano, organ and introduction to music. Singing is also popular among the children,

and if volunteers have experience in singing or choir-directing this can also be beneficial. In

addition to the above, there are traditional music lessons where students can share and learn

cultural and tribal songs from each other. Please note that a background in music, a basic

knowledge of musical theory and practical ability are imperative if you are to be a successful

participant on this program. It is also important to note volunteers may be required to teach

other classes during the day.

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HIV/AIDS PROGRAM

HIV and AIDs continues to be a major issue within Kenya, however, over the past two decades

there has been a lot of development regarding the response to HIV/AIDs, with many projects

initiated to provide free ARVs (Antiretroviral Drugs or Therapies) to those living with HIV

and AIDs. This has seen a shift in the mentality of Kenyans, where the emphasis has developed

from providing emergency care and relief, to focusing more on empowerment and “living

positively”. The majority of placements on this program involve Outreach campaigns aimed at

the poorer slums and rural communities. Volunteers work alongside a clinic/centre staff

member, and while each outreach may have its specific purpose, the general aim is to highlight

the importance of education and awareness among all ages, including classes on hygiene and

how to prevent transmission. These have proven to be very successful among many

communities and on some outreaches, volunteers can also do home-visits to follow up with

those who live further away, or in less developed areas, bringing food and helping around the

house during the visit.

WOMEN EDUCATION & EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM

Due to ongoing initiatives to support those affected by HIV/AIDs, many women living with

HIV/AIDs are still able to continue and function on a day-to-day basis, but need the support to

be able to do so. UBUNTU and our local partners work closely with centres which support

these women, and their families, providing counseling, guidance and sometimes childcare. The

primary aim of these centres is to empower the women through income-generating projects,

education and skill-training. At many of the centres, women are able to learn sewing, tailoring,

candle-making and jewelry-making through subsidized courses, and the women also have

access to finance and small business management courses, enabling them to start their own

craft-making or tailoring business to generate an income and provide for their children and

families. In these centres, volunteers can assist in any area including counseling, skill-training

and campaign/education development. Volunteers on this program do not need previous

experience or training in HIV/AIDs or Women’s Empowerment, however we do strongly

recommend volunteers gain some understanding of the subject prior to their arrival.

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MEDICAL PLACEMENT

Healthcare is neither easily accessible nor affordable for many Kenyans, whether in urban or

rural parts of the country. Poverty creates a large barrier to the acquisition of healthcare in

general, but in rural areas in particular. The Kenyan Government has authorized our program

partner to place healthcare students and professionals in their clinics and hospitals to assist the

doctors and nurses with their daily rounds. Due to strict policies in Kenya, volunteers work

closely with local doctors and nurses in clinics and hospitals of varying sizes. Volunteers are

always placed according to their current scope of practice, medical/nursing training and

previous experience. Many of the hospitals and clinics have pharmacies, laboratories and

maternity/family planning departments in which volunteers with specialized training can

assist. Other areas also include Dental, Optometry, Radiology, Ultrasound, HIV testing,

Paramedic/Ambulance Services and Physio and occupational Therapy. These dispensaries,

clinics and hospitals have very basic equipment and facilities and volunteers are therefore

required to have completed at least 2 years’ training in a relevant medical or nursing course, or

be registered practitioners. If you have a particular skill, or area of interest, please make sure

you let the placement and liaison officer know so s/he can inform the local staff. All volunteers

are required to present a copy of their qualifications and certificates, along with a letter of

recommendation from a relevant medical professional (tutor, supervisor or employer), to our

program partner on arrival in Kenya. We also recommend volunteering on this program for at

least two weeks in order to settle into the differences between African Medicine practices and

your usual practices at home.

NB. All medical placements require a one off placement fee of US$70 regardless of your

placement duration. This fee goes directly to the Medical Centre with which you work and is

payable in Kenya directly to the local office.

ACCOMMODATION

Considering the fact that hotels and guesthouses can be expensive for volunteers, especially

those wanting to stay for longer periods, we accommodate our volunteers in a home stay where

they live with a local family. We give that family money from your project fees for your support

on food and boarding. It is exciting to stay with a family; that way you will learn the Kenyan

way of life, meet local people, eat local food and engage in local customs and traditions.

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Living is basic but the large majority of home stays have electricity and running water (some

rural home stays may not have running water during times of drought, and electricity can be

cut out for periods of the day). Volunteers can expect to share a room with one or two other

volunteers of the same gender as themselves. The majority of accommodation is located within

a 30 minute walk of the volunteer placement, but in some cases volunteers will need to use

public transport, or “matatus” to get to and from their placement. Volunteers will generally

travel to and from their placements with other volunteers. While all bedding, such as pillows

and blankets, are provided at the volunteer accommodation, it is recommended that volunteers

bring their own sleeping bag or a hammock if you have one. Mosquito nets are a must for any

trips in the tropics and these can also be bought in Kenya if you do not have much room in your

bag.

FOOD

Kenya is comprised of a wide range of ethnicity and cultures and as such the food is usually

very diverse. Kenyans eat three meals in a day and regardless of their culture and any host

family will be sure to give you a good Kenyan treat. Your host family would also be excited to

taste some of your national food too! Bottled water is readily available in Kenya and volunteers

should budget approximately $5 per week for this (2 liters per day). Breakfasts may generally

consist of chai (tea), toast, fruit and sometimes “mandazi” (deep fried doughnut) or porridge.

A typical lunch at your home stay can include meat and vegetables with rice, sandwiches and

fruit. If you are not returning home from your placement for lunch then you will need to pack

you own lunch in the morning. Dinner is served between 7:30 – 9:00 pm and consists of

traditional foods such as Ugali (stiff porridge), Chapati (similar to the Indian “Roti”) that is

served with “mboga” (vegetables) or “Mokimo” (mashed beans/soft maize and potatoes plus

some green vegetables). This accompanied sometimes by meat and salads. If you have special

eating needs, please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you.

However, we need to stress the point that you should not expect to eat as you normally do at

home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, but as a volunteer there is also

a need to be flexible and adapt where necessary.

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WHAT ARE THE SPECIFICS OF MY PLACEMENT?

Placing a volunteer into an accurate project or placement, requires our program staff to

consider a number of factor such as

The program you have applied for.

Your skills, interests and qualifications.

The projects and work that are currently are available.

The projects and institutions most in need of volunteers.

Demographics distribution of the volunteers.

Your satisfaction with the placement.

Therefore the actual institution or place where a volunteer will work is finalized when the

volunteer arrives in the country and meets with UBUNTU program staff.

Before the volunteer arrives in Kenya, the project staff will draw up a potential placement for

you. Once you arrive, program staff will discuss this placement and introduce you to it (after

meeting you in person they or you may change mind and decide you are more suitably placed

somewhere else) something that we have seen happen. If at any stage you are unhappy with the

placement please contact the UBUNTU office to let them know this, so they can find out what

the problem is and if necessary, place you in a different institution or project.

UBUNTU will make recommendations on the best specific project you will be working on as

we understand the local issues and we would be the best position to see where the most need

for volunteers is and where you wil most efficiently and creatively use your time and talents.

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PROGRAM FEES IN US DOLLARS

WHAT DO I PAY MY FEES FOR?

Registration fees: UBUNTU charges 40% of the total cost of your stay as registration fees

and to pay for your airport pick up and drop off, orientation, supervision and office maintenance

and travel to monitor your progress and challenges. This is a non-refundable amount if you

choose to turn down the offer. The other balance of 60% is your own money that will be used

for your meals, accommodation and to supporting the project of your interest during the

placement.

WHAT OTHER ADDITIONAL COSTS WILL I HAVE

There are NO other additional costs from UBUNTU apart from your own personal costs of

visa, flight, and travel insurance/ mandatory criminal background check, vaccinations,

souvenirs, in country trips/tours and leisure expenses.

WHAT OTHER OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE AT UBUNTU?

UBUNTU volunteers Kenya has other programs that focus on creating a personality

transformation:

A. Outdoor Youth Animation Mentorship programs.

B. The 30 days Wilderness Experience Program.

C. The 30 days International wilderness expedition.

D. 90 days drug and other addictions wilderness project.

For any further clarifications and questions kindly contact our office on:

Email address: ubuntuvolunteerskenya@gmail.com

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