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Thank you for your interest in volunteering with us at Mission in Action I have listed below some information that we though might be helpful for you if you are interested in coming to Kenya and having hands on experience with us.
You must be 18 years old to volunteer with us unless accompanied by a guardian. |
Click on subject below to go directly to information
Visa | Flight | Extra Baggage | Immunizations | Fees | Duties | What should I bring? | How can I be contacted? | Weather
Visa
You will need a Kenyan visitors visa before you arrive in Kenya.
You have 2 options on how you can get this visa.
1.
You can buy this at the airport when you arrive in Nairobi (this is the airport you would need to fly into) for $50 American Dollars.
2. Or you can organise the visa before you leave by contacting the Kenyan Embassy. You can also have your travel agent arrange this for you at a fee.
The benefit of having your visa before you arrive is no waiting in line to get one which can sometimes take up to 1 hour!
Once you arrive in Kenya you will need to advise what the reason is for your visit. DO NOT make note that you are working but just advise that you are on holiday 'visiting' as you require a work visa if you are working... and you are only volunteering and visiting!
The address of our home for you to note down when you are applying for the visa is: Kokoto Njoro, Nakuru.
Flight
We can suggest the below travel agent to help you with flights if you are in Australia.
Simon Crethar from Byron Bay Travelscene . Ph: +61 2 6685 6733 or email simon@travelscenebyronbay.com.au
Please avoid arriving into Nairobi on a Friday or Saturday as it is absolute CHAOS on those days and arranging a pick up will be close to impossible..
Extra Baggage (to bring supplies over for children)
Sometimes volunteers can get permission to take extra luggage by contacting the airline that you have booked with. All you have to do is phone the airline and say that you are going to the Orphanage to do volunteer work and that you need extra luggage to donate children's clothing, etc and then get written permission from them. (not all airlines co-operate)
Make sure you keep it with your passport and airline ticket so you have proof of permission.
Please check out the wish list to see what we are most in need of at the moment
Immunizations
immunization is entirely up to the individual, if they prefer to have them then that is fine. Most doctors will recommend Malaria, Yellow Fever and a few other things but you would be best to contact your GP or Travel Agent regarding this.
Vaccinations:
Hepatitis A - Recommended for all travelers
Typhoid - Recommended for all travelers
Yellow fever - Recommended for all travelers greater than nine months of age
Polio - One-time booster recommended for any adult traveler who completed the childhood series but never had polio vaccine as an adult
Hepatitis B - For travelers who may have intimate contact with local residents, especially if visiting for more than 6 months
Rabies - For travelers who may have direct contact with animals and may not have access to medical care
Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) - Two doses recommended for all travelers born after 1956, if not previously given
Tetanus-diphtheria - Revaccination recommended every 10 years
You can download a form on Kenya from the world health organization here
WE HERE AT MISSION IN ACTION AIM TO OFFER YOU A FRIENDLY FAMILY ENVIRONMENT, AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN A CHILD'S LIFE. WE ARE A CHRISTIAN FAMILY DEDICATED TO THIS MINISTRY OF SERVICE TO THOSE LESS FORTUNATE AROUND US.
RULES AND GUIDELINES :
NO- SMOKING , ALCOHOL , DRUGS AND NO ABUSIVE LANGUAGE WILL BE ALLOWED WHILE IN THE PRESENCE
OF CHILDREN OR STAFF ON OR OFF THE PREMISES.
NO- FORM OF ABUSE WILL BE TOLERATED. PLEASE NOTE - MANAGEMENT HAS THE RIGHT TO ASK ANY
VOLUNTEER TO LEAVE IF THE RULES ARE NOT ABIDED BY.
12,000/= Kenyan Shillings Per Week (see your conversion rate here)
$30.00 Per day (Australian Dollars)
this includes all accommodation and food. (volunteers are able to do their own laundry using our washing machine)
Upon your dates being approved a $200 AUD non refundable deposit for 1 weeks board is due and payable via credit card or direct deposit. Please note that we are unable to write tax receipts for volunteer deposits.
We ask that you pay the remainder of your board once in Nakuru in Kenyan Shillings.
The ATM's here will work for you and do give you Kenyan Shillings.
Airport pick up is extra and must be arranged prior to arrival with the Australian office if you wish us to arrange for your pick up.
Please note we suggest you fly into Nairobi in DAYLIGHT or you will need to stay overnight in Nairobi and pay for hotel as it is not safe to travel at night.
Click here to see more details on pick up and over night stays in Nairobi.
For more info on Safaris please check out our Action Safaris Web site.
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Duties
People are always writing to me asking what you can expect a day to be like and it is hard to say as it always varies so much.
We have a schedule that we use for our volunteers. There are 5 different 4 hour shifts that you do daily.
Morning Shift: Which includes, Dressing Kids, Feeding Babies, Help w brekky and Washing Up
Laundry Shift: Which includes exactly that. Lots of Laundry!
Lunch Shift: Help Prepare Lunch
Arvo Shift: Clean up after lunch and help bathe kids
Night Shift: Help with Dinner, Help kids brush teeth, nappy change and bed time!
Once you have done your shift we also welcome you to continue helping and playing with the children!
Check out my online diary i kept while in Kenya to give you an idea of what goes on...
Whether in the kitchen helping with lunch or helping with the kids... it just really depends on what is going on.
We are more than happy to arrange for you to go and spend some time at other places also if you wish.
What should I bring?
We recommend you bring your 'debit card' with you as you will be able to withdraw money from ATM's in the area. Do not bring travelers cheque's as you will not be able to cash them. The only money you can convert easily is US dollars so don't bring any other money hoping the banks will convert as they may but they will probably say no.
We suggest you bring just a small amount of US dollars for when you first arrive (perhaps $60 in $20 notes) just in case you get in a situation and the ATM's are not working.
Personal toiletries. You can buy items here but not all the brands.
We suggest you bring a pair of runners incase you like walking, running or aerobics. Flip Flops/Crocs, you will spend most of your time in them. Maybe a pair of sandals/comfy shoes for town etc.
No need to pack too much clothes as you end up wearing the same thing most of the time anyway!
Jeans/Cargo pants, 3 quarter pants... that kind of stuff.
Long shorts are ok, short shorts are not advisable.
Tank tops are fine as long as they are not low cut/revealing (mostly to be worn at home, avoid wearing into town)
Short tops that expose your midriff are not advisable. Please keep in mind that we have Kenyan male staff that work on the premise. Warm jumper for mornings and evenings.
We also recommend you to bring 2 casual/dressy outfits. i.e. skirt (knee high length is ok) and top, or dress incase you wish to come to church or some other function.
Flashlight You do NOT need to bring mosquito nets, towels or bedding. All will be supplied. Check out our current wish list
How can I be contacted?
Once in Kenya, do not worry... you can be contacted!
We have a computer at the orphanage building but we prefer this to only be used in an emergency.
There is cyber cafes in Nakuru town that is VERY cheap.
If you have a tri band phone that will work in Europe/UK then it will work here in Kenya (as long as it is not locked to a provider) you can bring your phone and but an African sim card once here. These are approx $2 to purchase. You can text and receive texts very cheaply and i find this is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family. They can call you and you can call them but this is usually very expensive.
If you have 3G on your phone you will be able to connect to internet if you get a safari com SIM card. Please see info below from Safari com:
We currently have 3G within Nakuru town and are expanding to other major towns within the country. If you have a 3G modem (2100MHz band) you will be able to connect using Safari com 3G network with a Safari com SIM.
Month
Temperature o C
Daily Min - Daily Max
If you are worried about traveling to Kenya and unsure if it is safe or not please take a look at the below links to your government web site (depending on where you are from). They keep these up to date and have plenty of other information you maybe after for your trip to Kenya.
Australian Citizen
Canadian CitizenUK CitizenUSA Citizen
Please contact me with dates of when you are interested in visiting us and for any questions you may have...
Thank you for your support.
