KENYA MEDICAL AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
LIMURU, KENYA

This immensely worthwhile project offers volunteers an opportunity to experience "real" Africa in ways that will never be forgotten. Volunteers with a medical inclination can help in the Kikuyu Hospital, a busy place treating more than 350 patients each day where there will be opportunities to observe eye surgery or to help in the maternity unit or on orthopaedic wards. HIV and AIDS has created more than one million orphans in Kenya and the orphanages and homes in Limuru welcome volunteers who can offer much needed one-to-one attention for the youngsters - aged between 4 and 10 years of age - many of whom are suffering from developmental problems and who need a little love and care to come into their young lives. Or decide to make a real difference to the lives of the people who live in the slums of Nairobi where mortality is high as is unemployment and disease. Here volunteers can help in the local clinic or accompany the medical staff on visits to rural communities. The list is endless - and volunteers are desperately needed to help with all these projects.

	Location:	LIMURU, KENYA	Dates:	Any date throughout the year.
	Fees:	£875 - 2 weeks £1,295 - 4 weeks	Payment:	£180 deposit at time of booking – balance of project fee due 8 weeks before departure
	Reference:	AV024

General Information

Highlights

• Gain medical experience under the supervision of qualified doctors and nurses - please note that this is only applicable to those studying or qualified in medical feilds suited to the Hospitals needs and requirments.
• Volunteers will help to improve facilities in the many orphanages in Limuru as well as play a role in teaching and looking after the children there
• Take a look at life in the slums of Nairobi and then use your time to make a real difference to this poor and desperate community
• Learn some Swahili and get a taste of the culture of Kenya
• Experience some of the greatest safari lands in Africa
• Make lifelong friends of your fellow volunteers

Kenya's population is hugely affected by the struggles of HIV/AIDS, poverty and unemployment. It is known to be one of the poorest countries in Africa. There are countless possibilities to impact the lives of those that are affected by these problems, such as in the Nairobi slums, surrounding orphanages, schools, and hospitals.

Public services in Kenya - including health and social care - are poor. Although the infrastructure for an effective service is in place, staff and resources are scarce - and the help provided by volunteers is much appreciated by doctors and nurses alike. All volunteers will play an active part in the community support programme in the slums of Nairobi for two days a week. The remainder of the time will be spent either in the Kikuya Hospital or the orphanage/day care centre in Limuru, a beautiful area just outside Nairobi where the volunteers will be based.

Kikuyu Hospital

Kikuyu is a large general hospital offering medical care to this community regardless of their ability to pay for treatment. The hospital is therefore extremely busy and doctors may treat around 350 patients each day. Volunteers are needed to organize the patients - forming queues to see the doctor but also by developing systems to improve the service that can be offered rather than just maintaining good order. One of the major specialties at Kikuyu is the eye unit where volunteers can observe eye surgery performed by the local medical staff. Other areas in which volunteers can help are the maternity unit - where they may help to weigh the babies, or record their progress. There is a lot of work waiting to be done and volunteers are always very welcome.

The medical professionals at Kikuyu hospital also provide an outreach programme to the rural areas where health care is not so accessible. Volunteers are able to accompany the medics on these visits and gain a valuable insight into the life of these people and learn about some of the diseases that trouble them. The medical professionals appreciate any help that the volunteers can give in decreasing their unbearable workload.

Orphanages in Limuru

AIDS is responsible for creating more than a million orphans in Kenya, of which only 5% receive any form of support. Volunteers play an invaluable role in helping these children - with ages ranging between 4 and 10 - in the orphanages and homes. In addition to HIV and AIDS the children have often been affected by abuse, poverty or sickness and are in need of love and attention. Some particularly suffer from developmental problems and need individual attention to stimulate them. Within the orphanages there are opportunities to:

• Help to teach and care for the children, perhaps cooking their meals, or organizing sports activities and games, all of which help towards their well being.
• Helping to make the orphanages more like home for the children - perhaps painting murals on the walls to brighten up the rooms or there may even be the opportunity to help with small building works. Whatever skills the volunteers have will be put to good use.
• Just spending time with the children - which will have an enormous impact on their learning and development.

Mukuru Slums Clinic and Community Support, Nairobi

More than 85% of the mortality in Kenya occurs in the slum areas where there is high unemployment, poor housing and drainage, and where many people die of HIV/AIDS related or water-borne diseases. The shanty houses in the area are made from torn up cardboard, recycled wood or old iron sheeting. Each house has one room of about 2 sq metres in which the whole family live. One single latrine (pit) is used by up to 20 families and there is high unemployment amongst these people. The challenges for the local health care providers revolve around increasing child mortality, a decline in maternal health and a huge increase in HIV/AIDS related complications. Thus a local clinic has been created with a view to providing some health care solutions for this enormous slum population - for example maternal and child health care, primary health care, counseling and testing and HIV/AIDS awareness training. Volunteers are needed to help in this local clinic - set on the outskirts of the slum area - by undertaking some of the administrative workload - as well as supporting the nursing and visiting medical staff - and making home visits to those patients unable to get to the clinic. Other volunteers will help out at local schools.

And for any volunteers wishing to make a huge impact on the quality of life and well being of this community - there is the huge task of helping to clear the drains which are one of the main sources of water-borne diseases and malaria. However this is not a job for the faint-hearted. Mukuru is not an easy placement - but will give volunteers a taste of "real" Africa in an area desperate for help. It is a place never to be forgotten.

Please note:  Both qualified and non-qualified volunteers can join this project.  Your medical background will determine your placement at the hospital.  If you have not medical background you will be placed at one of the orphanages on the morning dedicated to hospital work; other than this, the volunteer duties will be the same.

A day in the life of a volunteer

Monday, Wednesday & Friday

7:00	Get up and start getting ready for your project
7:30	Breakfast at Brackenhurst (your volunteer base in Limuru)
8:00	Head off on the short drive to your project
8:30	Start work at your allocated placement - Kikuyu hospital or Limuru orphanage.
12:30	Lunch break. You will be picked up from your project, and taken to your volunteer house, where lunch is waiting for you. Alternatively, you may spend your lunch time at your placement (e.g. Kikuyu Hospital).
14.00	Return to your placement or your allocated ward
17.00	Home Time You will be collected by your coordinator/driver and taken back to the volunteer cottage at Brackenhurst. Here you will be able to check your emails, watch TV, socialise or just relax and unwind in the beautiful gardens of Brackenhurst

Evenings are very sociable affairs. Generally, volunteers discuss their days amongst each other whilst having supper together, prepare for your project the next day. Enjoy sundowners overlooking the Rift Valley - amazing viewpoints are only 20 minutes drive away...

Tuesday & Thursday

7.30	Have a sleep in as you prepare for Nairobi's traffic! Get up and start getting ready for your project
8.00	Breakfast
8.30	Leave for the slums - this is quite a long drive (1-1.30hr), but Nairobi traffic is an experience of a lifetime!
8.30	Help in the local clinic, schools or orphanages and become involved in the home-based care
13.30	Break for a local lunch
14.30	Pick up
Afternoons	Stop off at a shopping centre on the way home, where you can do your banking and shopping etc

Project Location

Kenya offers beautiful landscapes, amazing wildlife, with an ethnic diversity that has produced a vibrant culture.

Nairobi, Kenya's capital, is the country's principal economic, administrative, and cultural centre and is one of the largest and fastest growing cities in Africa. Just 30km north of bustling Nairobi, amidst the beautiful tea plantations of the Kenyan highlands, you will find Limuru, a community operating at a much slower pace of life than the nearby capital. You will be spending your time as a volunteer in both

Optional Excursions

These are not included in your volunteering fee, but our coordinators are able to assist you with making the necessary booking arrangements.

Safari

Kenya offers a variety of safari options, not far from its bustling capital, Nairobi, perfect for a weekend 'get-away'. Our office in Kenya is able to put together a number of different 3-4 day safaris into the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Amboseli National Park and Aberdare National Park, as well as trips to the Kenyan Coast, Nairobi's Elephant and Giraffe Sanctuaries, and much more! Alternatively we can organise your safari experience before you travel as part of your travel itinerary.

Safari Example: The Masai Mara

Most visitors to Kenya make time to experience the Masai Mara National Reserve, the northern extension of the Serengeti. Well known for the renowned migration of 1.4 million wildebeest (usually between July and November), the Masai Mara is famous for its prolific game-viewing and abundance of predators all-year round, and boasts the country's highest wildlife density. Spend your days exploring the beautiful surroundings and searching for those unforgettable wildlife encounters. The Mara experience is a must and will never disappoint.

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 our volunteers upon booking their trip and further advice and information will be provided via telephone and email before departure. A full orientation will be provided when you arrive at the project by your project co-ordinator including information on the current status of the projects and familiarising you with the local surroundings.

You will receive relevant information about common diseases and illnesses that you will probably come into contact with (eg HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria etc).

Accommodation and Meals

You will be staying at the Brackenhurst Baptist International Centre, where 2 x 2-bedroomed cottages are kept for our volunteers. Brackenhurst provides secure accommodation with everything that you will need. Internet and phone services are readily available.

You will be sharing a room with other volunteers (maximum of four in one room). Your room is fully furnished. A cook will be provided to cook for you in the kitchen of one of the cottages. Included are laundry and house keeping services on a regular basis. One of the cottages also provides a great lounge area with a fireplace and satellite TV, which will be a wonderful social area for all volunteers.

Brackenhurst has beautiful grounds that are perfect for having an afternoon nap in the sun, playing sports, such as ultimate Frisbee or soccer, or going for a jog. On a clear day, you will be able to see Mount Kilimanjaro in the one direction, and Mount Kenya in the other from the Brackenhurst grounds.

Brackenhurst is a Christian conference centre that forms part of the greater Limuru community. In this culture, drinking alcohol is seen as 'taboo' by the local Christian community. There is therefore no alcohol allowed on the premises of Brackenhurst. However, 20 minutes drive away is a lovely restaurant where you can have some drinks in the evenings.

You will be provided with three meals a day. Breakfast is on a help-yourself basis and usually consists of cereals/porridge, toast, tea and coffee. Lunch and dinner are full meals, and will be provided for you. Lunches may also be packed or may be local lunches at your placement.

Getting There

Fly into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya where you will be met on arrival and transferred to your accommodation.

(There may be a number of ways to reach your destination airport - for further information or advice please contact Amanzi Travel)
Let Amanzi Travel arrange you flights for you

Project Fees

What is included

• A contribution to the project eg building materials, equipment, supplies, foodstuffs, etc
• Transfer from Nairobi airport to the volunteer accommodation and daily transport to and from the projects
• Orientation and introduction to the project
• "On-the-job" educational activities and support from project staff
• Accommodation 
• Three meals a day
• Unlimited tea, coffee and water
• Laundry and domestic service

What is excluded

• Travel insurance (to include cover for repatriation)
• Return flights to Nairobi International Airport
• Personal items eg clothes, travel goods
• Use of internet (email) and telephone
• Wines, beers and spirits
• Visas and any trips/activities undertaken other than in the planned expedition