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Volunteer with Children in Kenya

Work with disadvantaged children and support early childhood development in Nanyuki

Destination

Kenya

Age

16+ y/o

Minimum Stay

2 weeks

Start Date

Anytime

Accommodation

Homestay

What’s Included

24/7 Support

Round-the-clock support on the ground and 24/7 back up from our global teams.

Accommodation & Amenities

Clean, safe, and welcoming accommodation. A home away from home with comfortable amenities.

Activities, Training & Equipment

All programme activities and equipment, including training and workshops from experienced professionals.

Certification

Certified record of service hours, workshops, and activities for your CV.

Request Info

Starting at £1,725 for 2 weeks

Flexible 0% Interest payments

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Trip Overview

Learn from teaching experts

Assist experienced teachers and caregivers in providing a high-quality education for underprivileged children at daycares, nurseries, or schools.

Inspire the next generation

Help children develop essential skills like literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional learning through play and interactive activities.

Immerse in Kenyan culture

Live with a welcoming host family, experience buzzing local restaurants and markets, and build meaningful relationships with the Kenyan people.

Explore Kenya’s beauty

Embark on incredible safaris to spot elephants, giraffes, and lions, hike Mount Kenya, and discover the breathtaking landscapes of the country.

Leave as a new person

Contribute to a project that empowers children and strengthens the community, leaving a positive and lasting legacy while developing your own skills.

What you need to know

Overview

Childcare volunteering in Kenya is ideal for you if you enjoy working with children, and want to support early childhood education in disadvantaged areas. This is also a great way to add practical experience to your CV, all while giving back to those who need your help most.

It will help you stand out in applications and interviews if you’re pursuing a career in childcare or early childhood development.

You don’t need previous experience to join. You’ll support the work of local teachers and caregivers, and you’ll receive a thorough introduction when you start. We’ll teach you everything you need to know.

We also run regular workshops where you can exchange ideas and discuss challenges. In addition, you can reach out to Projects Abroad staff for guidance at any time.

This project runs all year round, and you can join at any time. We recommend staying longer so that you can make a bigger impact.

Please be aware that some placements close for long periods over Christmas and other national holidays. Chat with us directly about when the best time would be for you to come to Kenya.

A Day in the Life

A typical day will begin with you enjoying breakfast with your host family before you head off to your placement to begin work at around 9am. You’ll travel to your placement using public transport, or walking if it’s close enough. On your first day, Projects Abroad staff will accompany you to show you the way.

No one day will be the same when you work with children in Kenya! You might spend one day focusing on activities to teach the alphabet, or counting from 1 to 10. On another day, you could get creative and do arts and crafts with the children.

We also set aside community days, where you’ll work away from your regular placement and help with all kinds of different tasks in the community.

After your work day ends between 3pm and 4pm, you will be free to explore Nanyuki and relax until dinner time. You will then go back home for an evening meal with your host family.

Spend your free time exploring with your fellow volunteers and taking in your beautiful surroundings that are rich with wildlife.

Aims & Impact

The aim of this project is to support early childhood development and raise the literacy levels of disadvantaged children living in Nanyuki. Projects Abroad has elected not to work with children in orphanages in Kenya, but rather focus on community-based programmes that allow children to remain within their families.

In Kenya, many of the daycare centres, nurseries, and schools we work with in Nanyuki are over-crowded. While local staff are dedicated, the student-teacher ratio is too high, and they need extra support.

With your help, we can make sure that each child learns the skills they need to succeed at school. We do this by working toward four specific, long-term goals at our Childcare Project:

Promote early childhood development
Increase literacy
Improve English
Improve the level of stimulation of each child

Help us work towards these sustainable goals by doing volunteer work with children in Kenya.

Activities

We have a number of volunteer opportunities with children in Kenya for you to join. You will work at a daycare centre, nursery, school, or special needs school, and support the work of local teachers and caregivers. Here are a few of the tasks that you will do:

Help teachers and staff run activities and games to support early childhood development and literacy
Make educational resources, like flashcards and posters
Share ideas with other volunteers and staff members
Encourage children to practice good hygiene everyday
Help children and staff with their English

Your work will be divided into five main categories:

Help teachers and staff run activities and games

Many of the teachers and caregivers in Kenya are overwhelmed by the number of children present in the daycares and schools because they are understaffed. You can help by planning and running activities designed to teach skills, and improve literacy and numeracy. This could involve activities like:

Play a ball game to improve hand-eye coordination
Do arts and crafts to practice colouring in between the lines
Sing a song to learn the alphabet
Teach a chant to practice counting from 1-10

You will work with small groups of children to give them focused attention and improve their levels of stimulation.

Make educational resources

Most of the centres we work with have limited resources, so you will need to get creative and come up with practical solutions where you can. You can make a lot of the educational resources that you need, such as flashcards and posters. Projects Abroad provides materials for this at the office. This is important work, as teachers and future volunteers can continue to use them long after you’ve left.

There is also a need for new creative and educational games and activities for the children, so you can brainstorm new ideas for you and the local staff to implement.

Share ideas with other volunteers and staff members

Open communication is very important in this project in terms of activity creation and skill sharing. We encourage you to share your ideas and bounce concepts off other volunteers and staff members throughout your stay. You will learn from the local staff, and they can also learn from you.

It is important that you share any ideas or advice that you may have for teachers and carers from your experiences in your home country. Due to past volunteers sharing their ideas, some of the teachers have been able to improve their skills and caregivers have learnt more effective ways of dealing with children.

Encourage children to practice good personal hygiene

Practicing good hygiene everyday is vital for keeping yourself healthy. Part of your role will involve encouraging the children to practice good hygiene everyday. This could be something like making sure each child washes their hands before a meal, and brushes their teeth properly at least once.

Help children and staff with their English

English is one of Kenya’s official languages. Speaking it can greatly increase a person’s employment opportunities. During your stay, you will teach the children new words and teach them songs to help with their pronounciation. Your main focus will be on encouraging them to speak so that they gain confidence.

You can also use this opportunity to teach local caregivers and teachers if they’re interested in learning from you.

Map & Location

Welcome to the “Cradle of Humanity” and a land of contrasts. Here, snow-capped mountains meet rolling savannahs, where lions roam and elephants graze. While famous for safari experiences, there’s much more to life in Kenya.

Home to the Maasai Mara National Park and the second-tallest mountain in Africa, Mount Kenya, this East African gem is a bucket list item for nature lovers worldwide. Witness the Great Migration, taste delicious coffee, and be welcomed into a traditional way of life.

Nanyuki

In central Kenya, three hours north of Nairobi, lies the charming town of Nanyuki, the gateway to Mount Kenya. Home to about 70,000 residents, Nanyuki enjoys a cool climate and serves as a base for eager mountain climbers.

Nanyuki has a mix of modern amenities and natural beauty. The town is surrounded by wildlife conservancies, offering popular game drives and safaris, but is also steeped in history. It is famous for its markets, British colonial heritage, and sitting exactly on the equator.

Food & Accommodation

Feel like a local with a caring host family. Our host families in Nanyuki are all carefully vetted and will provide you with everything you need for the experience of a lifetime. This includes a comfortable bed, three meals a day, and fresh drinking water.

We guarantee that your host family’s home will be safe, secure, and clean. They will share Kenyan culture with you and will be eager to learn about yours through conversations or games over home-cooked meals.

Our team will organise your daily transport to and from your placement and will also take you to some of the best restaurants in town. We will try to place you with other Projects Abroad participants of the same gender and similar age, the perfect opportunity to build lasting bonds with people from around the world.

Free Time and Leisure

Volunteering or interning in Kenya is the perfect opportunity to explore this extraordinary country. With a vast array of activities, you’re sure to find plenty of ways to fill your evenings and weekends.

Of course, no trip to Kenya is complete without a safari. Explore the savannah by jeep and spot incredible creatures like elephants, lions, and even the endangered Nubian giraffe in the wild. This is an experience you will never forget.

Our projects are based in Nanyuki, which is known as the gateway to Mount Kenya. With this majestic mountain on your doorstep, it’s definitely worth taking a day to hike around the base.

You can spend evenings at buzzing restaurants, listening to live music and trying local dishes. Kenya also has must-see markets, with bright textiles and hand-carved sculptures.

You can spend your free time exploring independently or travelling with a group. With so many volunteers and interns joining us throughout the year, you’re sure to make new friends and travel buddies during your trip.

Your Arrival Made Easy

When you arrive at your respective airport, a member of Projects Abroad staff will be there to meet you. You can find more detailed information on arrival airports, orientation, and visas on our Kenya Arrival Procedures page.