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Location
  • Kenya
    • Nairobi
Project Types
Childcare Street Children Orphan Care Community Development Building Projects Sports Education Teaching

Program Details

Language
English
Housing
Host Family

Pricing

Price Details
You receive accommodation in a secure & safe homestay, all meals are provided, pre-departure training, local orientation, an in-depth welcome pack, clothing and 24/7 support
Jan 10, 2020
Jan 20, 2014
Wish List
16 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Agapé Adventures is an Irish organisation with a global heart! We have a wide range of projects in Ireland and around the world focusing on conservation, community development, sports coaching, education and more!

Here in Kenya we have an amazing project that will inspire you in so many ways. The school project, based in Kibera - Africa's largest urban slum - works hard to provide local orphaned children with support, education, fun and encouragement. The local volunteer team are dedicated to bringing joy and hope to these young lives, restoring that which has been lost through disease and poverty. Could you join this amazing team of gap year youth workers and use your skills to help bring laughter and learning to the children of Kibera?

Join us for 2 weeks, a month or more and see how amazing the community impact can be when people work together. Help support the teachers in lessons, run craft or sports activities and work with the teams as they support the local families.

Request Info

Consider your impact: Volunteering abroad can be a rewarding experience for both volunteers and local communities, and at Go Overseas, we believe all volunteers should have the resources to make informed decisions about the type of volunteer project they want to partake in. However, despite best intentions, some organizations offering placements in orphanages may unknowingly place children in danger. You can read about the potential dangers of orphanage volunteering here.

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Program Reviews

4.33 Rating
based on 3 reviews
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  • 5 rating 33.33%
  • 4 rating 66.67%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 4
  • Support 5
  • Fun 4.35
  • Value 4.35
  • Safety 5
Showing 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Default avatar
gemma
38
Female
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Kibera Teaching

Jan 20, 2014

I have been teaching in a primary school in Kibera for a month. The main thing is for volunteers to bring resources and fun things for the kids to do.
I have been staying with a host family and they have been most welcoming, even the teacher and staff at the school have taken me in as a member of staff, taking me to the markets and local sights.
The staff at Agape have been so good and organised right from the start where I made my initial inquiry. I have used another volunteer organisation for another trip and the comparison with Agape is so much more professional. I have had safety briefings and given many contacts here and back in the UK so have felt extremely supported.
When I had a problem it was delt with quickly and discreetly so as not to make me feel uncomfortable on the project and now everybody is happy.
Would definitely recommend Agape and this project as I felt I have actually made a difference and will continue to after my stay.

What would you improve about this program?
Just to make sure from day 1 there is something useful to do as felt a spare cog for a few days but this was because the school reopened.
52 people found this review helpful.
Helpful
Default avatar
Raymond
48
Male
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Liked it

Apr 15, 2013

I enjoyed the experienced of going to the school everyday, I loved being with the children. The difficulty I had was that certain (charities) do not do as much as they should for the schools. There was a lot a things at the school which I felt the (charities) could have helped with. A lot of promises are made but never forfilled. Its heart breaking when you fundraise a lot of money thinking it for the good of the people you will be volunteering for, but in reality very little of it actually reaches the ground but instead is spent on administration costs. That was my only difficulty, otherwise everything else in accordance to (my) experience was well set up. I have plenty of highlights, I got to travel other parts of Kenyan and met a wide range of volunteers from different countries. Through them I was able to volunteer at two other places, one in Butere rural Kenya and at Rare Gem Talent school, a school for children with learning disability outside Nairobi.

What would you improve about this program?
More money should be paid by the charity to the people that hosted me because to my knowledge they were not getting what they deserved. Also more should be done for the school by the charity. When I was there all they had done for the school was to put a sink. They were in the process of making uniforms for all the children. I never followed it up after I left to see if they went through with it. And there should be more social events for volunteers to do when they are not in the school because it can get boring sitting around the host family home. I was lucky that I was a black volunteer and therefore could move around Kibera and Nairobi easiar without raising eyebrow. A white volunteer most of the time has to stay in the home.
46 people found this review helpful.
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Read my full story
Default avatar
Diarmaid
38
Male
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Kibera - 2012

Apr 7, 2013

From the moment I arrived I knew I wasn't in Kansas let alone Ireland anymore :-) Still though the culture shock wasn't overwhelming. I did have a very real sense that I was "different", especially when I picked out amongst the crowd to be officially welcomed at church on the first day. But any trepidation quickly disappeared over the coming days, with everyone I met being so friendly: from my host family, the school staffs, and of course the kids; the stars of the whole experience :-) Of course things are basic in Kibera but you soon get used to things like using a bucket instead of a tap; no doors on the buses (mutatus); and no rice krispies. Nairobi city centre is always there if you really need some semblance of "normality" like traffic lights and restaurants with a formal layout. They still have Sky sports out in the slum though :-) Saying that the school is not in slum-slum, that's where the real culture shock is, so be warned. The school is rightly the focus of the trip and the teachers are doing a wonderful job there. The kids are great and there are some little geniuses out there. I just hope I did them justice and my stay left some small mark to improve things for them.

What would you improve about this program?
It may be more beneficial if the program sought experts from certain fields to sent as volunteers. The teachers are more than capable of taking care of the kids. It is more the resources/equipment available to them and the school building itself which need to be worked upon. People such as teacher, a builder, or a computer expert might be more beneficial to them than a random volunteer.
44 people found this review helpful.
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Questions & Answers

Is this a paid position?
Answer this question
What kind of teaching qualification do I need?

It looks like that will be enough!

By Go Overseas on March 22, 2018

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Raymond Muwaniri

Program
Agape Adventures: Teaching & Community Development
Raymond Muwaniri is originally from Mutare, Zimbabwe but has been living in Ireland for the past 12 years. He volunteered at Havilla Children´s Center from Aug. 20th-Oct. 21st, 2012 and has a BA in Sustainable Development and MA in International Politics. He is now 33 and currently a Programme Officer at Silveira House, an NGO in Harare. He enjoys the simple things in life like cow herding at his grandmother's, interacting with village locals, and local beers. In today's global world, Raymond refers to himself as an "Afro European."
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Why did you decide to volunteer with Agape Adventures in Kenya?

I wanted to go alone and not with a team like they do with other NGO´s. Agape have an interesting package and after speaking with Rachel Murphy I was convinced.

Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.

I volunteered at a Preschool that was only 10 minutes up the road from where I was living. The school had 70 children in 4 classes, 2 baby classes, 1 middle class and 1 pre-unit class. Each day I would arrive at the school and help out where I felt I was needed most. The work ranged from teaching the classes and helping with the preparation of food for the children to playing games. I also helped the teachers further their computer literacy skills.

What made this experience unique and special?

It was made unique and special because of the fact that it was at a preschool. Children are innocent, playful and have no malice, working with them was bundles of joy. They put a smile on my face every time I walked into the school. The ages of the children ranged from 2 to 7 years old, so you can imagine the different characters I came across and the amount of fun that I had with carefree kids.

I was the first ever black volunteer they had at the school, and being of African origin, relating to them was not difficult at all. The toddlers could not speak much English but spoke Swahili. My own mother tongue Shona from Zimbabwe is similar to Swahili, so the funny thing was I always knew when they were talking about me.

How has this experience impacted your future?

Volunteering at Havilla Children´s Centre will go down as one of the best highlights of my life. It opened my eyes to the fact that though people may be poor and living in undesirable conditions they still Live and Love Life. Children bring joy to one´s heart, I definitely appreciate life more. When I was teaching the children, I found some of them to be very intelligent. If that intelligence was nurtured through the correct channels in a constructive environment then those kids could grow up to be whatever they wanted to be.

I asked some children what they wanted to be when they grew up, and most said, “I want to drive an Eloplane.” Given the opportunity, I know some of them can make it depending on if they do not fall prey to slum life. After my experience I have decided to work in developing countries, to raise awareness of development issues, and to help children and other disadvantaged people especially in the slums and rural areas. I am currently volunteering at Silveira House, an NGO in Harare, Zimbabwe doing rural development.

About Agape Adventures

Agapé Adventures is a respected not for profit organisation with it’s roots in Ireland and arms around the world! We are a team of people who have many years experience of the volunteer, charity and expedition sectors and a passion to see both individuals & communities changing, growing & caring for each other as we work together. We believe that...
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