Free (or Cheap) Volunteer Work in Kenya
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Along with South Africa and Uganda, Kenya offers the continent’s greatest number of low cost and grassroots volunteering initiatives. Kenya also has a fair number of work exchanges, particularly through Workaway.
Grassroots Volunteering in Kenya
The organisations listed below have either got in touch with us to add their details to this or another of our websites, or we otherwise have reason to believe they are actively looking for international volunteers and charge reasonable or no fees to join in, live and work with them:
Ugunja Community Resource Centre
www.ugunja.org
A small NGO in western Kenya promoting sustainable development that strives to meet the many needs of the local community. Originally set up to offer agriculture information to the community, UCRC has branched out to include a library, a community high school, a technical training institute for youth at risk, computer training, a savings and credit society, a health centre and it coordinates youth programmes. International placements, from a few days to two years, are available revolving around issues such as sustainable agriculture, preserving indigenous knowledge and youth empowerment.
Where: Ugunja, western Kenya.
Accommodation & Costs: Volunteers can choose either to live with a local family, or to rent their own accommodation in Ugunja town. Expect to pay around $40 per week for food and accommodation plus a suggested $70 weekly donation.
CHASE Africa
www.chaseafrica.org
CHASE Africa believes in the power of volunteering – and the difference that volunteers can make when they are placed in the right projects. At each project there is a real need for volunteers to help out – each of their projects are unfunded projects, and depend heavily upon local and international volunteers to achieve their goals, of alleviating poverty in their local community. Projects range from teaching, manual labour, medical and dentistry placements, environmental work, human rights and childcare. No qualifications necessary except for medical and dentistry placements. For these they require volunteers are at least medical/ dentistry students or fully trained medical professionals.
Where: Projects are all around Kenya, some in rural locations, and others are located in cities.
Accommodation & Costs: Volunteers will be accommodated by local homestays at each location – or at a local guest house. But all hosts have been approved by CHASE staff, and all offer three meals a day for the volunteers, plus laundry service. The last information we had rural projects cost £35/week and urban projects £75/week – this fee goes directly to your homestay. There was also a coordination fee of £250 – this includes registration with Chase, all admin and coordination fees, airport pick up and 24 hr support both in UK and in Kenya. These fees could have changed a little since they last submitted their details to us.
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Cara Projects
www.caraprojects.com
Accepts female volunteers that can provide help to their rescue centre, a home to girls that have been victims of neglect, abuse, female mutilation, early marriages or incest. The aim of Cara Projects is to provide vital services for the Rescue Centre and the children by providing a safe home where the children can sleep, be fed and be loved, get access to education, water and sanitation, healthcare and counselling.
Where: Kibiko, Nairobi.
Accommodation & Costs: Accommodation and food is available for €19 per night.
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Boundless Loves
www.boundlessloves.com
Since 2010, Boundless Loves have run volunteering programmes and internships in four countries across Africa (Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania are the other countries). These include supporting staff in hospitals, teaching in primary school , wildlife and cultural conservation, sports coaching, and women and youth empowerment. They also offer orphanage placements which we do not support.
Where: Nairobi, Maasi land and rural locations.
Accommodation & Costs: Volunteer fees begin at $100 per week to cover three meals a day and accommodation, staying with a host family.
Help Exchange Networks in Kenya
Workaway – https://www.workaway.info/hostlist-KE.html
Other Ways to Travel or Stay for Free in Kenya
Stay free in return for caring for local residents’ homes or pets. Join Trusted Housesitters to live rent free as a house sitter.
Volunteer Experiences*
Voluntourism in Kenya: Celebrating My Birthday with Strangers – 50 Kenyan kids give Sara the bumps.
My Experiences Volunteering in Kenya for Animals – Lauren highly recommends Animal Experience International, a certified B Corporation that aims to unite volunteers with appropriate animal aid projects all over the world. They work with animal sanctuaries, conservancies, hospitals, and research projects. The volunteer programmes are personally visited and tested by AEI before they are set up for travellers. The volunteer programmes help animals in a hands-on and meaningful way.
A Tale of Three Schools – Alexia Nestora presents a tale of good intentions gone wrong.
The Kids of Ngong Hills, Kenya – Despite finding that volunteering abroad wasn’t as easy as she thought, Angie Orth finally had the opportunity when she visited Kenya.
My Regret at Volunteering in an Orphanage – Orphanage volunteers may have the best of intentions but they may unwittingly be doing more harm than good. This former volunteer remembers feeling awkward and useless when she worked in one as a 17 year old.
* not all these volunteer experiences are with grassroots NGOs or low cost organisations
Images copyright Ugunja Community Resource Centre
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