Volunteering in Kenya: The African Volunteer Travel Opportunity

If you had to choose a country to volunteer in Africa, which destination would you choose? Kenya? You are not alone. Kenya is situated in East Africa and shares its borders with Somalia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda and Sudan. Kenya has one of the greatest or biggest wildlife habitats in the world and it is called the Masai Mara, which sees the annual migration of Wildebeast. Some of the other big animals found in Kenya include buffalo, lion, leopard, rhinoceros and elephants.

Although Kenya has some natural resources and wildlife, there is still a lot more that Kenyan people need in terms of stabilizing the economy. There is poverty, lack of healthcare facilities, lack of education and poaching and amidst all this the Kenyan and the Masai tribal people are trying hard to carve an existence.

If you are interested in overseas volunteer work and want to add to a cause then volunteering in Kenya is a great opportunity! There are many organizations, which have specific programs that can help you get volunteer work in the form of teaching English overseas or lend a helping hand in development of a community. Volunteering in Kenya, Africa can vary depending on the programs but opportunities offered are in the following field:

• Academic reinforcement
• Adult education
• AIDS
• Childcare/children
• Community centers
• Handicapped
• Health care
• Homelessness
• Nature Conservation
• Pastoral work
• Primary education
• Relief
• Street kids
• Teaching
• Wildlife Conservation
• Women
• Youth development

Volunteering in Kenya means that you will get to amass a lot of experience through working on several programs for a longer duration. Attending these programs and working for a cause will be a value addition on your resume and also provide the necessary exposure. You will get to work with existing staff and depending upon the program, you will attend to the issue at hand. As a foreign volunteer in Kenya, you can get the following facilities but this will largely vary from organization to organization. They are:

• The program price can vary from $200 to $600 for 2 weeks
• You can choose from a variety of volunteer work in Africa
• The programs are mostly flexible
• You will get 24/7 support from existing staff
• You will get an airport pickup and/or drop
• Local transportation
• Food and lodging will be taken care of
• You will get introduced to the local people, existing staff, banks, restaurants, government officials etc.
• You will get to learn the local language through a crash course

Volunteering in Kenya also offers a range of opportunities for those who love to be close to nature and wildlife. A part of overseas volunteer work, wildlife and environment conservation programs in Kenya offer opportunities in animal welfare, biological research & conservation, wood cutting, fixing fences, ground patrol, protecting natural resources, reforestation, wildlife surveying and many more.

A typical volunteer for working in Kenya doesn’t need to have any kind of special education. You just need to be inspired and ready to work for a cause with passion and dedication. One of the key qualities required is the ability to adapt to the environment. There are times when volunteers from US or Europe are unable to eat the food prepared in Africa by a local Masai woman and it is not just about food, it is about complete adjustment and you have to become one with the project. The recommended age is 18 or more for any of the programs. Nationality or religion doesn’t matter for volunteering in Kenya.

Volunteering in Kenya teaching programs involves teaching in elementary and high schools and the subjects can vary from mathematics to English, science, social science, geography, history, painting, cooking and music. It doesn’t matter whether you have any prior teaching experience or not. It all comes down to one thing: Are you ready to volunteer for a cause?