Kisumu (Kenya)
Kisumu Formal and Non-Formal Education Project
Introduction
Situated
on the equator, Kenya is a country of diversities; from the beaches
of Malindi to the plains of the Maasai Mara, from the modern hustle
and bustle of Nairobi to the slow paced, more traditional life of
the shamba and, sadly, from the wealth of the upper
classes to the poverty of the street children. This diversity
is also evident in the great variety of tribes, cultures and
languages within the country, due partly to the vast numbers who
have migrated here over the years. The Kenya Project is also full
of diversity which makes it especially exciting. Feedback from past
Kenya volunteers has meant that the Project has increased the
number of live-in Placements, which give volunteers a unique
experience of Kenyan life.
2010 Project Dates (provisional): volunteers are expected to arrive at Sooper Guest House by 10am on Sunday 10th July (many volunteers arrange to arrive a day early) to Friday 10th September 2010.
Project Aim
To work in partnership with
local people to support the education and awareness of youth issues
amongst children and young people in the Kisumu area.
Project Objectives
- Exchange skills,
ideas and experiences concerning teaching and caring methods
- Facilitate an improvement of English within placements
- Raise awareness about Youth Issues within the organisations and
communities we are working with where this is appropriate and
applicable
- Pilot the Shiriki programme pairing UK and Kenyan volunteers in
local placements
- Build relations with Shiriki counterparts, staff and the
community through integration, sensitivity and flexibility
- Build up a stock of knowledge for Tenteleni and the community
through annual research, good communications and the Tenteleni
Resource Centre
Volunteer Role
The volunteer role as
Education and Youth Support Volunteers is very varied and often
loosely interpreted. It covers the following areas:
- Supporting English learning through acting as a teaching
assistant in English lessons and providing small group support
where appropriate
- Taking classes and activities independently (especially in the
children’s homes)
- Supporting youth issues in lessons and youth groups/
activities
- Providing care and extra-curricular activities
- Facilitating relations between NGOs and placements (e.g. HIV and
AIDS peer education NGOs who can do talks in placements)
- Assisting in other subject lessons as (e.g. maths or social
sciences)
Volunteer Numbers
In 2010 there will be
approximately 12 UK volunteers and 2 Project Co-ordinators,
plus a team of Kenyan volunteers.
History of the Kisumu Project
Tenteleni
was first established in Kenya in 2003. Since then it has steadily
grown from a pilot project with two PCs and eight volunteers to the
Project it is today with 14 volunteers and two PCs (eight of the
volunteers will take part in the Shiriki Programme and one PC will
be Kenyan!). The 2008 project was an exciting year with the
piloting of the Shiriki programme (the pairing of British and
Kenyan volunteers together to assist in placements) - for more
information on this please scroll down. What’s more, since
2009, ALL of the placements are live-in, meaning that volunteers
will have the opportunity to really experience the local culture
and integrate into their communities.
Kisumu
Kisumu, the third largest city in
Kenya, lies on the shores of Lake Victoria in Nyanza province in
the west of Kenya. Kisumu was traditionally important for
regional trade within East Africa and was hard hit following the
breakdown of the East African Community in 1977. However, the
recent revival of co-operation within the region promises to return
some of the former glory to its shores. Kisumu is a
predominately Christian town with a strong Evangelical base as well
as a significant Muslim minority.
The poverty rate in Nyanza province, according to government
statistics, currently lies at 63% and is the highest in the country
followed by Nairobi at 50%.
The centre of the city is relatively small and surrounded
predominately with numerous and large informal settlements
including Nyalenda, Obunga and Kondele. Milimani lies on the
outskirts of the city and is a relatively wealthy area.
However, the countryside is never far away and Placements are in
both urban and rural areas known as shamba.
Placements
Most placements consist of two
paired organisations so volunteers experience both formal and
non-formal education centres in a wide variety of organisations,
including: primary schools, children’s homes and youth centres.
This requires being prepared for meeting a real range of challenges
and needs and adapting to these as necessary. Given the financial
constraints of most placements volunteers mainly assist in
organisations with few or no resources.
Mama Ngina Children’s Home and Kisumu Union Primary
School
This Placement is based in the centre
of Kisumu town. Volunteers work in Kisumu Union during the
mornings and Mama Ngina’s in the afternoons. At Kisumu Union there
is a great deal of opportunity to work on HIV and AIDS awareness
and link with local NGOs. Although Mama Ngina’s is not
an education centre as such volunteers are expected to initiate
education based work. As the majority of children are a lot younger
in the home there will be a substantial caring aspect to this
placement as well.
Migosi Orphanage and Non-Formal Education Centre and
Ogango Primary School
This Placement is
based in Kondele, an informal settlement in the suburbs of Kisumu.
Migosi houses 30 children ranging from 3-18 years. Some of
these children are taught in an on-site nursery. Within the
school and with the older children in the home there is the
opportunity for HIV and AIDS awareness-raising activities.
Nyalenda Catholic Centre and Kisumu Children’s Remand
Centre
These organisations work together on various
activities. Nyalenda Catholic Centre is based in Nyalenda, an
informal settlement in Kisumu and the Remand Centre is based within
the town centre. At Nyalenda volunteers have the freedom to assist
with non-formal education (NFE) and a community health outreach
programme. At the Remand Centre volunteers assist with NFE and
activities for children awaiting trial. Children at both centres
range from 7-18 years.
Teenage Mothers Association of Kenya (TEMAK), Kunya
Primary School and Ebenezer Rescue and Rehabilitation
Centre
TEMAK is a vocational training centre for
young mothers. At TEMAK volunteers assist in the small non-formal
school for the children and with classes for the mothers – English
and sexual reproductive health especially. Most of the children in
the school are below 12 years and come from very difficult
backgrounds. Volunteers may also assist with the business
development side of TEMAK such as the website. The Rehabilitation
Centre houses boys aged 6-25 and there is a need for volunteers to
help with homework, English and Science. Similarly at Kunya there
is a need to focus on assisting with English tuition. Both the
school and the centre are relatively new additions and there is
scope for volunteers to work around Youth Issues.
Alango Primary School and Kingdom
Kids
Both Alango and Kingdom Kids are located on the
rural outskirts of Kisumu. Volunteers live at Kingdom Kids and
assist with their education during out of school hours. As
volunteers live very close to the children, there is a lot
opportunity to assist with extra-curricular activities in the
evening. Alango Primary School is based in Mamboleo; a settlement
on the suburbs of Kisumu. At Alango, there is a great deal of
opportunity to work with the older children, engage in youth
issues-related activities and hold debates.
Vision and Passion Fellowship and Children’s Home
(VisPa), Rabour Primary School and Ranjira Primary
School
Rabour, Ranjira and VisPa are a distance
outside Kisumu in a more rural area. Volunteers live at
Vision and Passion Children’s Home, a well resourced local
orphanage, home to around 40 children. Volunteers assist with
extra-curricular activities and homework with the children who live
there, and assist in teaching at 2 local primary schools, Rabuor
and Ranjira during school hours.
HOVIC and Kudho Primary School
Kudho is
based in Obunga, an informal settlement in the suburbs of Kisumu;
as well as assisting with academic subjects volunteers have the
opportunity to assist with Youth Issues. At HOVIC, a centre for
street children, volunteers will be expected to assist with
non-formal education around both academic subjects and Youth
Issues.
Shiriki Programme
Shiriki means ‘partnership’ in KiSwahili. The Shiriki
Programme therefore, is a
partnership Volunteer Programme between Family Health Options Kenya
(FHOK) and Tenteleni. The programme pairs British and Kenyan
volunteers together to assist in placements. Shiriki was piloted
last year and was a huge success with both Kenyan and UK
volunteers. Both spoke of how it promoted the fact that
volunteering wasn’t just a ‘western’ thing, and praised the extent
to which they were able to bring different ideas to lesson plans.
Due to the success of the programme, Tenteleni decided to go
ahead with a larger Shiriki Programme in 2009. This year there
were eight Shiriki volunteers (four Kenyan, four UK), building
on last year’s four (two Kenyan, two UK), meaning that four of the
seven placements benefited from this programme in 2009. Through
this dynamic new partnership volunteers and placements benefit from
the cross-cultural aspect as they have a unique opportunity to
share their ideas and learn from each other. This is a new area for
Tenteleni to move into and whilst it represents a very positive
development it will also be an extremely challenging
programme.
Shiriki Programme Aim
To support the education of children and young people in Kisumu
through a youth focused cross-cultural exchange which promotes
global volunteering.
Shiriki Programme Objectives
· Provide a
cross-cultural experience for British and Kenyan volunteers and
their placements
· Build relations
with Shiriki counterparts, staff and the community through
integration, sensitivity and flexibility
· Work in close
partnership with local organisations, placements and
communities
· Exchange skills,
ideas and experiences principally concerning teaching and caring
methods
· Promote
volunteering to young people in Kenya and the UK
· Promote greater
cross-cultural understanding within the communities where we
work
· Facilitate an
improvement of English within placements
· Raise awareness
about youth issues within the organisations and communities we are
working with where this is appropriate and applicable
· Build up a stock
of knowledge for Tenteleni and the community through annual
research, good communications and the Tenteleni Resource
Centre
Shiriki Volunteer Role
Kenyan and British volunteers will work together as
Education and Youth Support Volunteers
on:
·
Supporting English learning and other classes as appropriate
·
Supporting youth issues in lessons and youth groups/
activities
·
Providing care and extra-curricular activities
·
Facilitating relations between NGOs and
placements
The Partner
Organisation
FHOK is the pioneer of
family planning in Kenya and now focuses on providing integrated
reproductive health services in response to the needs of Kenyan
society. The FHOK office in Kisumu is a dynamic and youth focused
office with an active Youth Counselling Programme. Youth Peer
Educators volunteer within the community, raising awareness on
sexual and reproductive health issues.
For More Information
In Kisumu you can contact the Shiriki Programme Coordinator George
Ngolo on doctagee2005@yahoo.com. In the UK you can
email the Kenya and Tanzania Project Manager on
The Kisumu Project Preparation pack and Language pack are available to current volunteers by registering a website account. To register, click on the link at the top of the page and create a new account. All packs are then available through the Volunteer Information page.
Links
General
Kenyan Government
Website
UK Kenyan High
Commission
Kisumu Placements
TEMAK
Pandipieri (Nyalenda Catholic
Centre)
Newspapers
Daily Nation - English-speaking independent Kenyan
newspaper
Kenya
Times
East
Africa Standard
Websites to order useful books from
General