Group Placements
It enhances a youth exchange between the ages of 16 and 35, who come together to learn more about each other’s cultures and discuss a topic of mutual interest.
The objective is to facilitate the mobility of young people towards an intercultural understanding. Participants live in the project for a period of 7 to 21 days (not counting travel days). The group will comprise of 10 to 30 participants (not including leaders). During the exchanges, the participants jointly carry out a program (a combination of workshops, activities, debates, role plays, simulations …) to exchange experiences and knowledge around a specific topic. There are several subjects: culture, sports, youth, leisure, gender inequality, sustainability, environment, free time, etc. The main purpose is to increase the participants´ skills and strengthen values such as solidarity, friendship and respect.
The program allows the organization of exchanges among the different countries throughout the year. VACK will provide you with the information and requirements needed to participate.
If you are a group and are interested and motivated in joining us please contact us on info@vakjitolee.org so that we can plan your placement together.
International Volunteering
VACK discovers where and how you can volunteer to make this world a better place.
VACK helps you to find a volunteering project that best suits your needs. Volunteering activities last a minimum of one week and a maximum of 6 months. We will select the project that best fits your requirements.International volunteering offers an opportunity for informal education in an international context. It is a highly rewarding experience: by volunteering, you always receive more than you give.
Solidarity projects must bring benefits both for the community and for you. School projects, teaching languages, designing community saving programs, developing the creative skills of children … you will leave your mark. You will gain skills that will help you during all your life and value by recruiters. They will appreciate your dedication, generosity, talent and energy.
Volunteering is a great opportunity!
Are you looking for volunteers?
If you are a non-profit organization, association or social enterprise and would like to receive the support of one or several young people for your daily activities, VACK can help you. We will find the most suitable volunteer for your project. In return, you must provide a calendar of activities that are useful for the local well-being, as well as, contribute to his or her well-being and socialization during his or her stay
Program Cost
Our program fee is affordable to enable you participate in developing the projects. The program participation fee varies with specific project, but is usually 100 Euros per week. However, it varies with the partner organization through which the volunteer is applying. The participation fee will be utilized for the following expense line; Administrative Costs, Accommodation in Nairobi (during Orientation and Evaluation) and meals while in the project. Please contact us or our partners to know the exact required program fee.
NB: The participation fee includes Airport transfer on arrival and Fares to the project during placement.
MINIMUM STAY: 2 Months
SHOT DESCRIPTION: Volunteer Action for Change Kenya is a non-governmental, non-political and non-sectarian organization founded in April 2013 with the aim of offering equal opportunities to the youth, women and the vulnerable members of the society a chance to be actively involved in the development process through volunteerism. Since its inception VACK has continuously given opportunities to both skilled and unskilled volunteers in community groups within Kenya.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: Monitoring project progress; communication; website and social media management; developing promotional materials; marketing; representing the organization in local forums; resource mobilization to support the development of the community centres
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated in a host family within a walking distance to the office.
FOCUS: Agriculture/Bussiness/Empowerment/Education
MINIMUM STAY: 2 Months
SHORT DESCRIPTION: The women group comprise of 50 members. It is located in Jora village next to Kasigau hill which is one of the Taita hills that are part of the Eastern are mountains covering 1000kmsq from Kenya to Tanzania. The main economic activities of the area around are agriculture and mining of precious stones. However, the area receives minimal rainfall which makes it hard for sustainable agriculture to take place. Therefore the women group’s main focus is food security; most men engage themselves in mining precious stones. The women use local materials to weave baskets which they sell locally.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: Renovation of the groups building, marketing of the baskets, construction of the rabbit hutch, conservation and monitoring of Taita white eye and Taita apalis birds, teaching in primary school, home visits, sharing ideas with the community and group members on eco-tourism ventures, assisting in organization and management of the group’s activities
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated in a host family within a walking distance to the work station.
MINIMUM STAY: 2 Months
SHORT DESCRIPTION: Njiru Progressive Focus Centre is a children´s home and a primary school located in the east of Nairobi, in central Kenya. Started in 2000 and registered with the Kenyan Ministry of Gender and Social Services in 2007 as a Community Based Organisation (CBO), the centre is primarily an educational and residential facility for the vulnerable and orphaned children of the local area. The centre also provides support for the adult communities who are either infected or have been affected by HIV/AIDS.
Right now we have around 100 children who are in the nursery and primary school or going to grade one to grade seven, almost half of the children are living there. But the children who are still living with their families can rarely afford half of the school fees what means that there is never enough money to pay the salary of teachers, provide well balanced and enough food or good medical care.
Because of the absence of governmental support the centre is primarily funded by voluntary donations from individuals and businesses both in the local community and internationally, without which the centre would no longer be able to be maintained.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: Working in the home’s kitchen and vegetable garden; Helping children study and play after class; Training the kids in creativity through games and doing handicraft work, helping in physical exercises.
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated either in a host family or at the centre depending on the need.
FOCUS: Social Work/Education
MINIMUM STAY: 1 Month
SHORT DESCRIPTION: Cannan Orphanage was started in the year 2010 but was registered in 2011, when “Mama” was dealing with the widows, she realized that the children were the most suffering and with time her passion towards them grew so strong and strong. According to Risper, the idea to start an orphanage carne as a form of a dream something she believes is the will of the Lord. The widows at the slum developed trust of her and had no worries with their children staying at her home. These widows thought she had money but to Risper, it was a matter of having heart and begging from those who were willing to help. These Kids would follow me to my place and go back to their places after having food. Initially, the kids staying at my house were 5, they latter added up to 9. All were from Kisumu Ndogo slums. Mission: To strengthen the capacity of local communities in Africa to fight poverty by promoting innovative interventions and networking for mutual learning and building the capacities of communities for sustainable development.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: Administrative work, capacity building; Teaching; Parental care; Creativity activities with the children; Washing clothes, utensil; Bathing little babies; Empowering minors to be self-reliant i.e. life skills lessons; Elementary child care; Taking care of the children as well as playing with them; Ensuring the compound is clean; Motivational speaking; Food preparation and serving.
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated within the centre where you will have a safe lockable room.
MINIMUM STAY: 1 Month
SHORT DESCRIPTION: Fortune Community Centre was started by 10 peers from the Kayole-Soweto Community who were working in various schools as untrained teachers, watching their bosses sending away vulnerable children from school due to lack of school fee, they thought how they could better the lives of this bright poor children whom some resorted to begging in the streets, the females ones resorted to child prostitution. After the close of schools in term three in 2013, the untrained teachers agreed to start a community centre to provide education, economic empowerment and HIV and AIDS education including psychosocial support to the vulnerable children and their care givers.
Vision: Creating the future for orphans and vulnerable children and their care givers
Mission: to be a leader in improving the welfare of child in especially difficult circumstance, youth in crisis and care-givers of the vulnerable children by enhancing opportunities for the development of their full potential.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: you will be involved in the following activities while in the project: serve at the Reception & Office, Serve as assistant teacher in classes, They will take children out to play, swim and other outdoor activities, help with marking and recording examination results for pupils, provide life skill education to the pupils at the centre and those in the community including the youth and develop a mentorship programme, Visit homes of our orphans at least twice a week, help out with homework supervision on a daily basis and organize club activities including debate within the centre and those with other education centres in the community
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated in a host family located in Buruburu where you will be commuting to the project and back.
FOCUS: Public Health and Sanitation/Community awareness
MINIMUM STAY: 1 Month
SHORT DESCRIPTION: Clan of Hope Initiative is an organization that was established to enhance public health and sanitation among the elderly in the community as well as address the plight of the orphaned and vulnerable children in the society.
Vision: Existence of an economically empowered nation free from poverty and jiggers.
Mission: Empowering the Community through education and Agriculture. Treatment of jigger infested person and fumigation of houses.
Activities:
Treatment of persons with Jiggers
Fumigation of houses
Construction of decent houses.
Provision of Education to children.
Targeted group: children, old persons. Person affected with jiggers
VOLUNTEER ACTIVIUTIES: Treatment of persons with jiggers, house fumigation, Construction of simple decent house/ houses, coming up with concrete floor, community awareness and sensitization
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated in a host family within the local community.
FOCUS: Education
MINIMUM STAY: 2 Month
SHORT DESCRIPTION: Bright Star Junior School offers academic development to children in the poorest areas of Diani, who are unable to join the available schools in the area due to a number of social challenges. Bright Star has been in the forefront of trying to get more children to go to school by convincing their parents, who at times are ignorant on the importance of education, by charging a very low monthly school fee or sometimes no contribution at all. Some of the children join school very late and struggle to catch up with the curriculum. By maintaining high quality education, given by qualified and experienced teachers, the school has been able to achieve very good results, especially when taking the background of the children into account.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY: Teaching i.e. Mathematics, English and Social Work; Helping with the preparation and serving of meals during the feeding program; Engagement in co-curricular activities i.e. Sports, drama and music
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated in a host family within a walking distance to the school.
FOCUS: Education/ Empowerment/Agriculture
MINIMUM STAY: 1 Month
SHORT DESCRIPTION: The Cranes of Dago Thim self-help group was established to make an impact on the growing problem of vulnerable children, widows and orphans rights to sustainable development. This group is dedicated to promoting and protecting the rights of the children and supporting the vulnerable, widows and orphans. Cranes of Dago Thim organizes routine trainings on farming for the widows and youths for sustainability projects.
Vision: A Self Sustainable Community
Mission: To promote human values through advocacy and community out-reach programs, provide care and support to the vulnerable members of the community, Education/ financial support to the less fortunate members of the society, training widows and youths on IGA and development issues to enhance their opportunities to realize their full potential and capabilities.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: Sport activities with the local schools and youth, Home visit within the community, Cranes of Dago Thim have leased a farm from a member at affordable cost. It is a small farm within the member’s homestead where the group rears local poultry for meat and eggs, cattle for resale, meat and milk and a small portion for planting cash crop i.e. bananas, vegetables, tomatoes and fodders, the farm produce is sold to the locals and in the local markets and some are distributed to the supported individuals. The money realized is used in supporting the group programmes, the farm is managed by group executive office and members take turn in ensuring that the day to day activities are carried out.
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated in a host family within a walking distance to the work station
FOCUS: Persons with mental disability
MINIMUM STAY: 2 Months
SHORT DESCRIPTION: People with a mental disability in Kenya (approximately 2.9 million) face extra challenges in their lives. Many Kenyans still associate people who have a mental disability with black magic and witchcraft, and little has been done to combat this stigmatization. Most people with a mental disability have a mild to moderate mental retardation. However, they can learn and are capable of developing skills throughout their lives. They have a wide range of talents that can be discovered at any moment in their childhood. The major shortcomings of the current educational system for (young) adults with a mental disability is that they are too old to be enrolled in a primary school, but mentally not capable to attend a normal secondary school. Because of this, Marianne center was therefore established in the year 2010, in order to focus on people with a mild to moderate mental disability from the age of 16 till 50 years. This training center for this group has given them and their parents hope for a better future. Currently, the center has 38 students. The classes are divided according to the student’s abilities varying from Down syndrome to Autism. The (young) adults are trained in basic skills of life and vocational and income generating activities. At the end of the training their capabilities will be assessed and they will be attached to an employer were they get the possibility to perform basic tasks.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: Teaching activities in various subjects (mathematics, language, writing, drawing, gardening, sewing, bead work, computer skills and cleaning); Follow up and home visitations; Organizing extra-curricular activities; Provision of guiding and counseling services to the students; Farm work; Swahili lessons
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated in the centre.
FOCUS: Community Development/Social work
MINIMUM STAY: 1 Month
SHORT DESCRIPTION: Voice Of Hope Children Centre is a charitable children’s institution based in Kayole estate, Nairobi County. The is a charitable children’s institution, whose aim is to offer support and help to the orphan children and the needy in the society by ensuring they are learning, having a good meal, medication, shelter and clothing. The center supports orphans and the vulnerable children in the society.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: Nurture the children’s talents; Equipping kids with skills; Spiritual nourishment; Enlightening kids future; Teaching the kids responsible behavior; Helping kids choose the best for themselves.
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated in a host family in Buruburu, where you will be commuting to the project on a daily basis.
FOCUS: Youth program/Phography/ICT/Education
MINIMUM STAY: 1 Month
SHORT DESCRIPTION; Great Potential African Youths (G-PAY) was formed on May 2009 and was registered by the Government of Kenya under the ministry of Gender Children and social Development as a community based organization in Nairobi’s Dandora slum. The main aim was to bring youths together to share ideas, explore and promote one another’s performing arts talents as well as addressing issues that affect our community negatively such us unemployment, prostitution, HIV/AIDS, drug abuse among others.
Close to 70% of the entire country’s population are youths aged between 15 – 35 years. Our organization constitutes 90% of youths in this age bracket. The membership of the organization is cross-cultural, incorporates disabled persons, gender sensitive and people from diverse government recognized religions. Composition of membership with regard to gender stands at 40% male and 60% female. This majority is drawn from within Dandora slums and its environs.
Objectives
- To nurture and promote talents and skills of our members by giving them opportunities to express them and support them with the resources at our disposal through film and theatre.
- To enlighten the community on the dangers posed to their health by the presence of the dumping site right at the core of their habitation.
- To conserve our environment through community clean up and tree planting exercises.
- To economically empower vulnerable youths, women and children to find themselves eking a living.
- To assist and link disabled members in the society to relevant organizations where they can get assistance
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: Volunteers will be engaged in the following activities: film production, photography, theater & Stage acting, entrepreneurship development, Recycling, solid waste management and the teen mum project.
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated in a host family located in Buruburu where you will be commuting to the project and back.
FOCUS: Education/Computer Skills/Agriculture
MINIMUM STAY: 2 Months
SHORT DESCRIPTION: Its establishment was met by fervent enthusiasm by all as it gave the community a new dimension upon which to base their view. Having been built in order to serve the community, the institution is flocked with farmers from a wide range of knowledge ranging from compost making, bee keeping and marketing farm produce. It even gave young children a chance to learn with the hope to pursue their dreams in future.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: Teaching, computer skills development, cleaning and sensitization, research centre, organic farming, income generating activities and water filtration.
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated either at the project or in a host family within a walking distance to the workstation.
FOCUS: Social work
MINIMUM STAY: 1 Month
SHORT DESCRIPTION: Hope for children is an orphanage like no other, a home which provide shelter to 30 orphans and vulnerable children whom because of dark past in their life, lost hope. The orphanage practice family value of brothers and sisters not caring which tribe, region, dark past one experienced. All are raised under the umbrella of a family, where the home matron and the founder act as the mother of all children.
Our strategy is unique as all children are allowed to mix with other children in public schools and local churches to share positive life stories, religious attribute and academic, with the view of erasing the dark past the children experienced. Our children attend public schools and local churches, where they are able to play together with children from other normal families, make friends and share dreams together. We aim to give each and every child an opportunity to dream again and create new life stories which will transform their lives to have positive worldview and dreams. Our exit strategy is to ensure that every child is given an opportunity to be self-reliant in life through education. We ensure that every child achieves his/her dreams through education and those who don’t succeed are enrolled in different colleges where they acquire skills in entrepreneurship, and other areas which will enable them to be self-reliant.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: Elementary child care; Taking care of the children as well as playing with them; Ensuring the compound is clean; Resource mobilization to enhance the development of the centre; Motivational speaking especially to the girls in the centre; Capacity building and administrative work; Educational development need of the children i.e. Teaching; Food preparation and serving.
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated in a host family in Buruburu, where you will be commuting to the project on a daily basis.
FOCUS: Agriculture/Social work/Education
MINIMUM STAY: 1 Month
SHORT DESCRIPTION: The CBO has activities running on daily basis and mainly farm work which has committed and well skilled members. The CBO has 31 members of which 24 female 7 male. The project aims at striving for healthy living. The project was initiated due to high poverty within our community and increased deaths due to Aids and Malaria. The project has a centre where local children are able to access quality education. Through the donation from one of the previous volunteer, the project has set up a center to develop the local computer skills.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: Computer skills development, life skills development among local youths, Community awareness and advocacy, Sensitization of the community on HIV/AIDS and Malaria; Education on Early Child Development within the C.B.O.; Organic Farming on {horticultural farming}; They plant soya and produce soya product added value; poultry keeping; growing of tissue culture bananas; Business development.
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated in a host family within a walking distance to the work station.
FOCUS: Social work
MINIMUM STAY: 1 Month
SHORT DESCRIPTION: The project aims at addressing the challenges/plight of Orphans and Vulnerable children (OVC), grandmothers and their caretakers through empowerment for improved livelihoods.
Aim and Objectives : To provide due care and support to the needy, neglected and lonely elderly persons in rural communities in a dignified and nurturing environment; To improve OVC and grandmothers households with food security, improve nutrition and health status, reduce hunger and malnutrition incidents; Reduce dependency by the target group on local well-wishers for food aid thus new opportunity for others households to explore their potentials on productive activities.
Activities being offered by the project: Housing improvements for OVC and grandmothers’ households; Provision of weekly food rations to OVC and grandmothers’ households; Construction of Hand dug wells for easy access to safe and clean water; OVC education support; Treatment session, 3 times a year for skin diseases under GrG Primary Health care system through National Dermatology Organization our local partner; Promotion of Kitchen Gardening with support from the Group’s seedling development unit cum model farm
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: Shelter improvement – Volunteers will be engaged in house repairs ; Farming activities – weeding of Bananas, Cassavas, Sweet potatoes and working in tree nursery. Provision of Kitchen households gardening with support from the group’s seedling development unit. Harvesting fresh farm produce for weekly food distribution to targeted households; Teaching at Little Angels ECD centre where most of grandchildren under 5 years learns in order to improve knowledge and level of awareness in child rights to ensure that children rights are upheld; During institutional visits i.e. 2 primary schools, 1 secondary school and a vocational training centre around the area Provision of health /motivational talks and provision or re-usable sanitary towels; To assist in capacity development of youth and community organizations; setting up structures and systems for effective and efficient service delivery; Home visit within the community; Women empowerment programs, and improvement of community structures
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated in a volunteer house within the community.
FOCUS: Empowering communal children
MINIMUM STAY: 1Month
SHORT DESCRIPTION: Set up to bridge educational disparities among the endowed and less fortunate in the society. The vulnerable school goers include amongst others, orphans, children from single parent households, impoverished homesteads and destitute.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: School feeding programme, learning, sports, home visitation; empowering local youths and sponsorship.
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated in a host family within a walking distance to the work station.
FOCUS: Health
MINIMUM STAY: 2 Month
SHORT DESCRIPTION: Living in total Health (LITHI) initiative is an organization that assists the underprivileged community members has access to health services. It is also registered under the Health services providing category targeting all Kenyans especially the less advantaged in our communities. We purpose to place a lot of emphasis on emergency support services, the health of the youth, women and children and the elderly in our society emphasizing on disease prevention through Health Education and Public Health Interventions.
Focus will always be on the Communities as a whole with the understanding that Health forms a key Factor in the pursuit of Development. With this in mind a health facility has been established at Kiambiu slums in Kamukunji District Nairobi County. Kiambiu and city carton are slum areas in Nairobi County of Kenya, and home to approximately 250,000 city dwellers. Like in all other slums, the residents are of low socio economic status.
Main objective: The main objective of this organization is to improve access to quality health and emergency services.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: The management of the project is open to allow you to offer your services in any of the field mentioned above. Some of the areas that you will be involved in while in the project include: Preventive and curative medical care; Laboratory services; Awareness creation in the local community; Campaigns on emerging issues especially with focus on the youths and women; Environmental awareness and clean-up activities; Health talks. Remember always to be open-minded, flexible and open to new ideas while in the project.
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated in a host family within Buruburu a walking distance to the project.
Focus: Conservation/Education
Minimum Stay: 1 Month
Short Description:
The Shimba Hills Forest Guides Association (SHIFOGA) was established in August 2004 by a group of local youths, all of whom had been involved in earlier community initiatives. Initially, the main purpose of the group was to provide reliable and well trained tour guides; who could offer their services to visitors to the Shimba Hills Ecosystem as well as researchers interested in the rich biodiversity of the area. This would thus benefit the local youths and the community in general.
The group has since evolved into other areas, for example, it has initiated its own nature trail through the forest at the outskirts of the Shimba Hills National Reserve to create awareness of the conservation issues important within the community. Since it was established, the group has received support from various stakeholders, including the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Kenya Forest Service (KFS), The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and also the group’s supporters committee.
Volunteer Activities:
School education program
Human wildlife conflict mitigation
Community Awareness & sensitization on environmental conservation
Research & primates monitoring within the Shimba Hills National Reserve and more in our Nature Trail
Ecotourism
Butterfly farming
Sanitation project
FOCUS: Special Needs/Social work/Education
MINIMUM STAY: 1 Month
SHORT DESCRIPTION: Compassionate Hands for the Disabled Foundation (CHDF) is a non-governmental organization that was started in 2008 as an outreach Centre in Korogocho slum, in Kenya for children with disabilities. These were orphans and other vulnerable children from extremely poor families abandoned or orphaned through HIV/AIDS .The non-governmental organization is now serving 86 children with special needs that range from mental to physical disabilities. Currently operates in Ruai, Nairobi, Kenya, near St. Joseph Catholic Church. The children are thus divided into four groups i.e Physically challenged, Cerebral Palsy, Autism and the Mentally ill where they are taught on life skills, concentration, coordination, basic writing, leather work, bead work and computer classes. All the 86 children live in the home.
Our Vision “An inclusive society where persons with different abilities enjoy equal rights and have access to affordable quality rehabilitation services”
Mission Statement: To enable persons with disability to overcome their physical limitations and empower them economically and socially to become self-reliant and fully integrated members of their communities.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: Volunteers joining this project will be involved in any of the following activities that are done with the organization.
Unskilled Volunteers: Feeding the children, Sports Activities, Helping in the Kitchen, Gardening in the homes small Garden, Washing clothes and utensils at the home, Playing and entertaining the children
Skilled Volunteers: Teaching on the basic writing and reading skills, Counseling, Training on computer skills, Occupational therapy, Proposal writing to fundraise for the home
ACCOMMODATION: You will be accommodated in a host family where you will be commuting to the project.