KENYA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
MOMBASA, KENYA

Volunteers on this project will work together with local Kenyans as part of an ongoing community development programme in a coastal primary school and surrounding village, with the aim of improving the lives of the local population by helping the community to become self-sufficient. Volunteers will be involved in improving existing facilities and helping to build new ones. Volunteers will spend days working on renovating classrooms and other facilities and building desks and will have the opportunity to learn skills such as bricklaying, carpentry, plastering and painting as well as gaining a fantastic insight into the local culture. There may also be opportunities for some sports coaching .  Volunteers joining this project may also spend days game viewing in the Shimba Hills National Reserve and Tsavo National Park and have opportunities to enjoy the beauty of the Kenyan coastline and the fantastic Indian Ocean. This project is for volunteers of 25 years of age and over.

	Location:	MOMBASA, KENYA	Dates:	Any date throughout the year
	Fees:	£765 - 1 week £995 - 2 weeks £1,375 - 3 weeks £1,705 - 4 weeks	Payment:	£180 deposit at time of booking – balance of project fee due 8 weeks before departure
	Reference:	AV004

General Information

This community development project is based at the Mukurumuji Camp near Mombasa and gives fantastic opportunities for volunteers to become really involved with the local Kenyan community. Mukurumuji – the Swahili word for “where people meet” - is named after the river that runs through the camp and is close to the small village of Majimboni situated at the edge of the Shimba Hills National Reserve, which  in turn is situated approximately 25 km south of Mombasa and 15 km inland from the Indian Ocean. The Reserve has one of the largest areas of coastal rainforest in East Africa which supports over 1000 plant species, many of which are endemic to the area, including some endangered species of cycad and orchids.  It is also an important site for reptiles, birds and butterflies as well as many mammals such as leopard, buffalo, giraffe and the endangered Angolan black and white colobus monkeys. There is also a natural wildlife corridor allowing free movement of Elephants between Shimba Hills National Reserve and the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary which together have one of the highest concentrations of Elephants in Africa.

4 Week Itinerary (30 nights/31 days)

3 Week Itinerary (20 nights/21 days)

2 Week Itinerary (13 nights/14 days)

1 Week Itinerary (6 nights/7 days)

Mukurumuji Community Development Project

Most of the work on this project is based at Steven Kanja Primary School in the Majimboni area. This day -school has over 600 pupils and its nine teachers work with the children whose ages range from 6–15 years.  Many of the pupils walk up to 20 km each day to attend their classes. The project aims to improve the educational facilities at the school by building new desks, providing clean water for the children and finding new educational materials as well as encouraging environmental conservation which is so important in many areas of Africa. Some work is also undertaken to improve the human/wildlife conflict in the area by repairing and maintaining fences surrounding the Shimba Hills National Reserve. This serves a two-fold purpose – it prevents crop raiding by the indigenous wildlife and illegal poaching and extraction of the endangered hardwood timber. Plans for the future include the building of a new school library, more desks for pupils, provision of new water tanks and toilets and increasing the numbers of text and exercise books available for the children.

Mwaluganje Wildlife Project

A new initiative, in partnership with the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary in the Shimba Hills, has recently been launched. This is a community-based programme in which local people have “leased” their property to a community based trust which manages the Sanctuary for the benefit and preservation of the now endangered Elephant population. Volunteers play an important part in certain daily activities and those who are interested in becoming involved with this project should check its availability when making their booking. Forthcoming plans include the building of a campsite and picnic area with necessary amenities to encourage visitors to visit the Sanctuary for short breaks; GPS mapping of roads and tracks to create a map to help visitors to the area; and the extensive reintroduction of indigenous trees to the Sanctuary.

4 Week Itinerary (30 nights/31 days)

Day 1	Mombasa – Mukurumuji Camp. On arrival at Mombasa airport volunteers will be met by a member of the local project staff and transferred to the  Mukurumuji Tented Camp in the Sable Valley in time for lunch.  The journey will take about two hours. After settling into the tented accommodation volunteers will receive a full briefing and orientation before dinner.
Day 2	Mukurumuji Camp – After breakfast, and a wildlife safety briefing, volunteers will enjoy a real African bush walk along the Mukurumuji River where they may see Elephant, antelope or buffalo as well as some of the many different birds who inhabit the tropical coastal forests. Having passed through several villages volunteers will visit the local school where the project is based. After dinner volunteers will receive a lesson in basic Swahili.
Days 3 - 7	Volunteer Programme – volunteers will spend five rewarding days in the local community working on the projects in operation at the time of their visit.
Day 8	Ocean Day – when volunteers can relax by the beach, do some shopping or try out one of the optional adventure activities available at the Aqualand Adventure Centre.
Day 9	Cultural Day – volunteers will visit a traditional local homestead and experience “hands-on” the culture of the local coastal community. This could include basket weaving, roof thatching or the harvesting, preparation and cooking of local foods.
Days 10 - 14	Volunteer Programme – volunteers will continue their work in the community development programme at Mukurumuji.
Days 15 - 17	Mwaluganje Elephant Safari in the Shimba Hills National Reserve – a unique and botanically rich coastal rainforest famous for sable antelope and the endangered Angolan black and white colobus monkeys. Volunteers will take part in a Game Drive before transferring to the Elephant Sanctuary which has one of the highest densities of Elephants in Africa and where they will learn about Elephant behaviour and the threats facing this wonderful animal. Overnight is spent at the Traveller’s Camp, situated in the centre of the Sanctuary overlooking a water hole where lots of wild life comes to drink.
Days 18 – 22	Volunteer Programme – volunteers will continue their work in the community development programme at Mukurumuji.
Day 23	Ocean Day – Another day for rest and relaxation with optional adventure activities available at the Aqualand Adventure Centre.
Days 24 – 26	Volunteer Programme – Three final days for volunteers to continue their valuable contribution to the community development programme at Mukurumuji.
Day 27	Safari, Tsavo National Park – There will be afternoon and night game drives which will give opportunities to see Elephant, cheetah, lion, leopard, impala, warthog etc as well as the many nocturnal creatures indigenous to the region.
Day 28	Safari, Tsavo National Park.  The tents are built in a circle ensuring everyone gets a front view of the watering hole.  After breakfast volunteers will go for an early evening game drive. On return, volunteers often enjoy a “bush shower” in their tents or relax at the bar, swapping stories of the day’s adventures.
Day 29	Safari, Tsavo National Park – after an early morning game drive, volunteers return for breakfast at about 8.30 am.  After a “Full English”, “Continental” or local breakfast, volunteers will depart for transfer back to Mukurumji – volunteers will have another opportunity to rest and relax or undertake optional activities at Aqualand Adventure Centre.
Day 30	Farewell – an opportunity for volunteers to say goodbye to all the people with whom they have been working in the previous weeks.
Day 31  31	Transfer back to Mombasa and depart.

3 Week Itinerary (20 nights/21 days)

Day 1	Mombasa – Mukurumuji Camp. On arrival at Mombasa airport volunteers will be met by a member of the local project staff and transferred to the Mukurumuji Tented Camp in the Sable Valley in time for lunch.  The journey will take about two hours. After settling into the tented accommodation volunteers will receive a full briefing and orientation before dinner.
Day 2	Mukurumuji Camp – After breakfast, and a wildlife safety briefing, volunteers will enjoy a real African bush walk along the Mukurumuji River where they may see Elephant, antelope or buffalo as well as some of the many different birds who inhabit the tropical coastal forests. Having passed through several villages volunteers will visit the local school where the project is based. After dinner volunteers will receive a lesson in basic Swahili.
Days 3 - 7	Volunteer Programme – volunteers will spend five rewarding days in the local community working on the projects in operation at the time of their visit.
Day 8	Ocean Day – when volunteers can relax by the beach, do some shopping or try out one of the optional adventure activities available at the Aqualand Adventure Centre.
Day 9	Cultural Day – volunteers will visit a traditional local homestead and experience “hands-on” the culture of the local coastal community. This could include basket weaving, roof thatching or the harvesting, preparation and cooking of local foods.
Days 10 – 13	Volunteer Programme – volunteers will continue their work in the community development programme at Mukurumuji.
Day 14	Mwaluganje Elephant Safari in the Shimba Hills National Reserve – a unique and botanically rich coastal rainforest famous for sable antelope and the endangered Angolan black and white colobus monkeys. Volunteers will take part in a Game Drive before transferring to the Elephant Sanctuary which has one of the highest densities of Elephants in Africa and where they will learn about Elephant behaviour and the threats facing this wonderful animal. Overnight is spent at the Traveller’s Camp, situated in the centre of the Sanctuary overlooking a water hole where lots of wild life come to drink.
Day 15	Safari, Tsavo National Park – There will be afternoon and night game drives which will give opportunities to see Elephant, cheetah, lion, leopard, impala, warthog etc as well as the many nocturnal creatures indigenous to the region.
Day 16	Safari, Tsavo National Park – take an early morning game drive with further opportunities to see much of the wildlife in the area. Transfer back to Mukurumuji Camp.
Day 17	Ocean Day – volunteers will have another opportunity to rest and relax or undertake optional activities at Aqualand Adventure Centre.
Days 18 – 19	Volunteer Programme – Two final days to continue the valuable work in the community development programme at Mukurumuji.
Day 20	Farewell – an opportunity for volunteers to say goodbye to all the people with whom they have been working for the past three weeks.
Day 21  21	Transfer back to Mombasa and depart.

2 Week Itinerary (13 nights/14 days)

Day 1	Mombasa – Mukurumuji Camp. On arrival at Mombasa airport volunteers will be met by a member of the local project staff and transferred to the  Mukurumuji Tented Camp in the Sable Valley in time for lunch. The journey will take about two hours. After settling into the tented accommodation volunteers will receive a full briefing and orientation before dinner.
Day 2	Mukurumuji Camp – After breakfast, and a wildlife safety briefing, volunteers will enjoy a real African bush walk along the Mukurumuji River where they may see Elephant, antelope or buffalo as well as some of the many different birds who inhabit the tropical coastal forests. Having passed through several villages volunteers will visit the local school where the project is based. After dinner volunteers will receive a lesson in basic Swahili.
Days 3 – 6	Volunteer Programme – volunteers will spend four rewarding days in the local community working on the projects in operation at the time of their visit.
Day 7	Cultural Day – volunteers will visit a traditional local homestead and experience “hands-on” the culture of the local coastal community. This could include basket weaving, roof thatching or the harvesting, preparation and cooking of local foods.
Day 8	Mwaluganje Elephant Safari in the Shimba Hills National Reserve – a unique and botanically rich coastal rainforest famous for sable antelope and the endangered Angolan black and white colobus monkeys. Volunteers will take part in a Game Drive before transferring to the Elephant Sanctuary which has one of the highest densities of Elephants in Africa and where they will learn about Elephant behaviour and the threats facing this wonderful animal.
Day 9	Ocean Day – when volunteers can relax by the beach, do some shopping or try out one of the optional adventure activities available at the Aqualand Adventure Centre.
Days 10 – 12	Volunteer Programme – three final days working on the community project – perhaps putting the final touches to the projects with which the volunteers have already been involved.
Day 13	Farewell to the Community – a chance to say goodbye to the new friends made in the community over the previous weeks
Day 14 14	Departure and transfer back to Mombasa airport for the journey home.

1 Week Itinerary (6 nights/7 days)

Day 1	Mombasa – Mukurumuji Camp. On arrival at Mombasa airport volunteers will be met by a member of the local project staff and will be driven through Mombasa Town to the South Coast, through rural Kenyan villages and finally a scenic climb up to the Mukurumuji Tented Camp in time for lunch. The journey will take approximately two hours.
Day 2	Mukurumuji Camp – After breakfast volunteers will enjoy a real African bush walk (accompanied by armed rangers) along the Mukurumuji River where they may see Elephant, antelope or buffalo as well as some of the many different birds who inhabit the tropical coastal forests. Having passed through several villages volunteers will visit the local school where the project is based.
Days 3 - 4	Volunteer Programme – volunteers will join the local community to work on the projects in operation at the time of their visit.
Day 5	Visit to the Ocean – an opportunity to relax at the beach, do some shopping or join one of the many optional adventure activities available at the Acqualand Adventure Centre, such as scuba diving, snorkelling, dolphin spotting or kite surfing.
Day 6	Volunteer Programme – last day working on the community project – perhaps putting the final touches to the projects with which the volunteers have been involved.
Day 7        7	Departure and transfer back to Mombasa airport for the journey home.

Please note that the above itineraries may occasionally vary due to changes in priority or feasibility.

Support

Support and advice is available from your Project Managers whilst on the project and from the UK Amanzi Travel Team.

Find out more about Amanzi Travel support

Orientation

A comprehensive information pack will be sent to all volunteers upon booking their volunteer placement and further advice and information will be provided via telephone and email before departure. A full orientation will be provided on arrival at the project by the project coordinator including information on the current status of the project and familiarization with the local surroundings.

Accommodation and Meals

Camp Mukurumuji is a permanent “luxury” tented camp which acts as the base camp for all “Life” volunteers. The camp, which is in the foothills of the Shimba Hills National Reserve, is totally surrounded by an ancient and impressive equatorial rain forest and can accommodate 21 people. The accommodation, in classic safari style tents with Swahili furniture, is ample and comfortable. The dining room and kitchen are traditionally thatched and constructed from mud bricks. Food is excellent and varied and all tastes are catered for including vegetarian and vegan. Drinking water is free and plentiful. The Camp is equipped with satellite telephone for essential and emergency use but normal cell phones work very well on certain parts of the site. There are special safari-prepared mini buses as well as 4 x 4 vehicles to support camp and volunteer requirements.

Getting There

Volunteers should fly into Mombasa Airport where they will be met on arrival and transferred to the project accommodation. Transfer time is approximately two hours.

Project Fees

What is included

• Transfers to and from the airport on arrival and at the end of the project
• Full orientation by local staff on arrival
• Full support by the Project Leader and local guides used within the National Parks and Reserves.  Construction work will be supervised by local builders and carpenters
• Transport as indicated in fully equipped safari vehicle, minivan or bus
• Accommodation in safari style tented units/Single sex twin (shared) accommodation
• Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner as per itinerary
• A contribution to project funds, project materials and project co-ordination

What is excluded

• International and domestic flights including arrival and departure fees if applicable
• Travel insurance to cover your project (to include cover for repatriation)
• Exclusive accommodation available with a 40% supplementary charge
• Vaccinations
• Drinks
• Tourist Visas (typically $50 US)
• Personal items, clothes, travel goods etc
• Spending money – for drinks etc
• Tips if appropriate