If you are interested in volunteering please read all of the following information carefully. It should answer most of your questions.

Should you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact me

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with us at Play Kenya..

We take volunteers from all walks of life!

Playful young at heart people who will enrich the lives of the community, including Therapists, Teachers, Gardeners, Carpenters, Doctors, Nurses, Admin staff, Dentists, Accountants, IT folk, Students, you name it and we welcome the right people to Play Kenya – people with love in their hearts to share with the community in many areas.

You must be 18 years old to volunteer with us unless accompanied by a guardian.  We have a max stay of 2 months for all volunteers (unless stated otherwise). All our volunteers must provide the equivelent of a current DBS or police check and two references. One of these must be from your current employer.

Our volunteers live with us at Rafiki Mwema – we are sorry but we are not able to accommodate volunteers who stay off site.

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. There can be very long queues for this and it is a slow process.

2. Or you can organise the visa before you leave by contacting the Kenyan Embassy. This is recommended.

The benefit of having your visa before you arrive is no waiting in line to get one which can sometimes take up to 2 hours!?  Once you arrive in Kenya you will need to advise what the reason is for your visit. Please advise that you are on vacation as we do not employ from overseas. The address of our home for you to note down when you are applying for the visa is:  Rafiki Mwema. Free Area. Lanet. Nakuru

Flight

The airport you need to fly into is ‘Nairobi Kenyatta International Airport’ – NBO

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/e-mail the airline and say that you are going to the home 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 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.

Play Kenya can arrange your transport from the airport and this cost is NOT included in your accommodation. The charge is KS10,000 (approx. £80) – the journey is around 2 and a half hours

If you would like to stay in Nairobi the night please email therapy @abt.871.myftpupload.com or [email protected] and make sure you let him know that PLAY KENYA sent you! If you want to go on an amazing safari while you are in Kenya please contact Jimmy – or we can arrange this for you once you are with us.

We can also arrange day trips and outing to all areas – there are some wonderful sights and experiences to be had.

Accommodation and Fees

We have two volunteer sites. One is a flat overlooking Rafiki Mwema with security guards and the second is a purpose built house in the grounds of Rafiki Mwema.

The rooms are shared with bunk beds and there is a hot shower and flushing toilet.

There is electricity in the house and the Kenyan plugs are the same as the UK

There is a small kitchen area with facilities to make light meals.

The cost is KS18,000 PER WEEK which is around £135/$200 a week. ONE WEEK MUST BE PAID AT THE TIME OF BOOKING CONFORMATION AND IS NON-RETURNABLE IF YOU CHOSE TO CANCEL . All fees must be paid in advance of your stay.

This cost includes bed and breakfast and lunchtime meal if eaten with the children. Your evening meal is NOT provided and you will need to provide this for yourself. There is a small kitchen area with facilities to make light meals and a supermarket just down the road.

If you need to go into town this can be arranged at a minimal cost with us (cheaper than taxis!!!!)

Rafiki Mwema Timetable

The girls have a clear structure to their days as this helps them to understand their new lives and helps create a feeling of safety

7am                         Worship

7.30 am                  Breakfast with staff and volunteers

8.30                          School

1pm                           Lunch

2pm                           Return to school

3.30                           Playtime

5pm                           Bath

6pm                           Supper

7pm                           Worship

7.30                           Younger girls bed time

8.30                           Older girls bed time

 

Play Kenya Timetable

We have a timetable for the work we do in the community but this can alter to attend to the needs. An outline of what we do is

Monday         Attachment Play Training in orphanages & Massage in Schools training

Tuesday         Working in the prison with staff, prisoners and their children

Wednesday         Supporting organizations that work with vulnerable and sexually abused young people

Thursday         Working in the community to rehabilitate our girls with their families

Friday         Training and support at Rafiki Mwema

This timetable is changed as and when it is needed and is a guide to the work we do.

Rafiki Familia

This is the latest string to our project and is a therapeutic house for boys who have survived on the streets. They will access education; medical care; therapy and our football project. We are very happy for you to spend time with the boys and experience their daily life.

 

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 or your own currency as you will not be able to cash them. The only money you can may be able 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 Kenyan Shillings for when you first arrive 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 trainers 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 trousers, 3 quarter trousers… that kind of stuff.  Long shorts are ok, short shorts are not advisable. Short tops that expose your midriff are not advisable. Warm jumper for mornings and evenings are recommended.

We also recommend you to bring a casual/dressy outfits. i.e. skirt (knee high length is ok) and top, or dress incase you wish to go to church or some other function.

You should pack a torch as power often goes off in Kenya!!  You do NOT need to bring mosquito nets, towels or bedding. All will be supplied.

How can I be contacted?

Once in Kenya, do not worry… you can be contacted!  There are cyber cafes in Nakuru town that are affordable. 
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 buy 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. We currently have 3G (and I think 4G!) within Nakuru town and are expanding to other major towns within the country. If you have a 3G modem you will be able to connect using Safari com 3G network with a Safari com SIM.

We have Internet at Rafiki Mwema and there will be a small charge to access the Internet at the house.

If you have read through the above info and you are wanting to volunteer with us in Kenya please fill out our Volunteer Interest Form and we will get back to you!