Village Volunteers

I have had three trips to Kenya via Village Volunteers and will be doing a fourth next summer. Shana Greene and her organization are doing more to help the world be a better place than any group I have ever worked with. They work incredibly hard, are very professional and are always willing to take on the tough tasks that make living in this world so difficult for so many people. VV has connected me up with four different communities in Kenya and they always have me well prepared for my visits. I have run a variety of programs thru VV, including a High School Scholarship Program that now supports 11 students, and none of this could have been done without the support of Village Volunteers. Please support and help Village Volunteers in any way you can. Your resources could not be put to better use!!

After applying to Village Volunteers for a 3 week stint at Sister Freda's I was contacted by Shana shortly after ward to talk about my interests and to see if I would consider splitting my time between 2 different organizations to get a more rounded experience. My first impression does this normal happen in volunteer organizations? I don't think so. Needless to say, I took her up on her suggestion and have no regrets.

My first 2 weeks at Sister Freda's was full of new experiences such as watching a C-section, holding a kerosene lantern during a birth due to a power outage, preparing and helping out at a community health clinic, and giving one of their new wards a make over with a few cans of paint and plumbing repairs to the bathroom. On top of all these experiences I was also learning all about the organization, it's ups and downs and made a bunch of new friends that I think about a lot and have contact with to this day.

My week at the Sirua Aulo Academy was an equally rewarding experience where I was able to participate and get involved on daily with all the children attending the academy in and out of the classroom. And manage to help in a small way with the dining room construction.

In both locations I immediately felt connected and able to involve myself within hours of arriving. I think the key to this that both Sister Freda and Emmanuel welcome you with open arms, ensure you are comfortable and really do treat you as part of their family.

My experience in Kenya will forever remain in my heart and mind and I have full intentions of volunteering again at Village Volunteers(VV). My dilemma will be returning to Kenya or experience one of the may other organizations VV is affiliated with around the world.

My month with Emmanuel after my freshmen year of college changed my life. Visiting community development programs, schools, clinics, and watching his parliamentary campaign ingrained lessons from international development text books and lectures that I was receiving in college. Emmanuel was like a professor. I am now completing a masters in international relations after three years of working with small NGOs abroad. I still look back on the lessons learned from my experience in Kenya and the efficiency of Village Volunteers overall. Shana, the executive director, and I exchange long emails and phone calls 3-4 times a year. Even more than 7 years later Emmanuel and I still exchange emails as well. If you want a real, raw experience to see the world as it is and not as some organization or business wants to package it with cookie cutter itineraries, GO WITH VILLAGE VOLUNTEERS. It's worth every penny. The development world and voluntourism world can learn valuable lessons from the Village Volunteer's model.

In August of 2008, Shana Greene, the director of Village Volunteers, connected me to someone who was thinking of volunteering. He asked me some questions and this was my response, copied and pasted from the email with some bits only deleted for brevity.
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Around May 2007, I ended up with an unexpected [two-week] break in my work schedule in June. I told a friend I wanted to go overseas somewhere, anywhere, and she randomly suggested Africa. I thought, 'why not?' So I Googled "volunteer Africa" and came up with a ton of organizations. I had no idea what I was doing, but knew I didn't want a program with band-aid solutions that 'white people' came up with. I also avoided the websites that seemed to focus too much on marketing and promotions, because that's inevitably where peoples' donations were going, instead of the villagers. On a gut feeling, I applied to Village Volunteers and it has changed my life.

It was absolutely crazy because I had given myself only two weeks from the day my application was accepted to the day my flight left for Kenya. During those two weeks, I was on the phone with Shana every day, who stepped me through EVERYTHING clearly, thoroughly, and most importantly, sincerely. That confirmed right away I chose a good program. The fear of contracting some disease or any other travel fears never had a chance to sink in, so I can't give you any insights as to how someone new should prepare mentally for Africa. On the other hand, now that I've already gone twice and am planning a third trip in October, I can tell you with absolute certainty there's nothing to be afraid of if you are prepared.

Both my trips to Kenya have been flawless, with people constantly taking care of me, offering me more chai than I can handle and ensuring I've got plenty of clean water, food, etc. My last trip was for 3 weeks from June 19 to July 10, and I was the first Village Volunteer Shana had allowed back into Kenya after the post-election violence earlier this year. Shana took extra steps to ensure I was escorted every step of the way, and the villagers themselves were ecstatic that a mzungu (i.e., "white person" or "foreigner" in Swahili) has returned.

I didn't plan much on how I was actually going to HELP when I got to Kenya prior to my 2007 visit; I was too busy packing and getting my arms pricked with vaccinations. I view my first trip as an eye-opener, desensitizer, and brainstormer. This year, I went with clear culture-sensitive goals and knowledge as to how my specific skills could benefit the people. As a speech-language pathologist, I decided to focus on language and literacy development for school-age children while screening children with disabilities.

When I returned to the states last year, I decided to go to Seattle for my next job assignment (I do short-term contract work around the US) so that I can meet Shana and volunteer directly with her. So for over a month, I actually sat in her office and saw how she does things primarily by herself (!!!) maybe 80 hours a week (!!!). I'm fiercely loyal now to Shana because I've worked side-by-side with her and know that she sends donations directly to the villages, and then I've been to the villages and seen that money go where it's intended and I'm the lucky one to witness the sheer joy they exude. I find it hard to trust other organizations that charge unreasonable amounts for volunteer fees, or -- and I hate these the most -- the volunteer programs that address the symptoms by sending in their own idea of solutions. Village Volunteers supports programs that the villagers themselves have created and have already proven to work and intend to be self-sustaining, and sends volunteers to help them. This I consider to be VV's primary strength, that the villagers are enabled to do what they feel is necessary in their own country, their own way that has proven successful.

I traveled to Kenya in 2010 through Village Volunteers. I stayed in a host house in Nairobi and then went on to the Maasai community near Kilgoris. I stayed 21 days in Kenya and while there worked at the school - Sirua Aulo Academy. I spent time with the children and staff teaching them about Canada, introducing an anti-bullying program and kept a blog on my stay. I attended a Maasai funeral and was asked to pray for the family- it was a life changing experience overall. My host was Emmanuel Tasur and his wife Lily. I stayed in a hut and lived the Maasai life. I went on a safari during my last days in Kenya. This trip changed my worldview and left me with new friends across the globe. Village Volunteers ensured my safety through out my trip - this is a great agency that is doing marvelous work across the world and supporting many worthwhile projects through volunteerism. I could not recommend a better program.