Forums The Vibe Chat Voluntary work in Kenya

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  • #1041212
    skattyasfuk
    Participant

      Just wondered if anyone had ever done this? Or any other? i’m looking to do this in september but I’m not sure which company’s are reputable as so many come up. I’ve spent so long saving that I really can’t afford to be scammed Any help/info would be great. Cheers. x

      #1104118
      globalloon
      Participant

        eze skatty

        i’ve done bits of volunteering abroad.. in bolivia, palestine and india

        the vast majority of companies out there are making huge profits which they justify by charging you for ‘orientation’ (even if you are all ready in the country in question, speak the language and aren’t ‘disorientated’ at all) :yakk:

        that’s most, but not all… there are some organisations whose projects have real impact, have your safety in mind and won’t rip you off

        that aside.. a few questions, if i may 😉

        what age are you?

        what qualifications / work / life experience do you have?

        have you spent any time abroad before? where and for how long?

        have you ever been in a developing country? which ones?

        can you speak any another language/s? which ones?

        what is your motivation for doing this (ie. what do you want to get out of it)?

        what sort of activity do you see yourself doing?

        have you ever volunteered in this country?

        if you don’t want to put all this on the main board, PM me. my job is all about finding people volunteering opportunities… usually in this country, but i have tons of information about international volunteering at work and i’d be happy to help. i may also be able to put you in touch with an organisation local to you that can help you find something suitable, depending on where you live

        a couple of bits to chew on…

        http://www.raleighinternational.org/overseas/index.html are relaible and not a rip off for shorter-term trips (10 weeks at a time) for the uninitiated

        http://www.vso.org.uk/volunteering/ prodominantly for people with established skills (from building to teaching to medical)

        but i can also put you in touch with a few small (read lovely), effective charities that take volunteers in a couple of countries… such as http://www.childrensaid.org.uk/index.html … this site is a little out of date… take that as a sign the the small number of people running this organisation have more important things to do than take your money…

        get in touch!

        #1104110
        skattyasfuk
        Participant

          Hello Mate,

          Well I don’t have any qualifications apart from gcse’s but I really want to work with children eventualy i’m hopefuly going to get the right ones to do this.

          I’m 21 don’t speak any other languges, although I have been to Gambia which is in west Africa. I have also been to various other places in Europe and and am more than willing to learn how to say hello, thank you, please etc as I know in quite a few different languges.

          My main reason for going is coz I love children and think that where such a poor country has such a high H.I.V rate they need my help, also I want to experience things from a different point of view and meet knew people.

          Any more info would be great

          Cheers

          #1104111
          skattyasfuk
          Participant

            Sorry bit brief there, went to Gambia for two weeks but whilst I was there I had the most amazing experience. We didn’t do the usual tourist thing and just sit by the swimming pool all day, we met some locals whom my parents had met the year before and traveled about to the villages real african style. The country is so poor but i’m still yet to meet happier people. I LOVED it and want to do it again but for longer and help make a differrence. I have found a wesite orignalvolenteers.co.uk which seems totaly reasonable in price all the rest cost thousands. But still is it genuine, How do I know?

            Anyway thanks so much for your response I really do apreciated it, this is something I want to do so much. And I want to get it under way as soon as possible.

            Gemma x

            #1104119
            globalloon
            Participant
              skattyasfuk wrote:
              I have found a wesite orignalvolenteers.co.uk which seems totaly reasonable in price all the rest cost thousands. But still is it genuine, How do I know?

              i tried originalvolunteers.co.uk and i wouldn’t recommend anyone to use them based on the information on that site… for a start there are no kite marks, charity or company numbers as far as i can see

              #1104112
              skattyasfuk
              Participant

                Okay so what sort of Kite marks am I looking for? See this is the sort of information I need, is there a goverment website that I can go on which would tell me this?

                #1104113
                skattyasfuk
                Participant

                  Hmmm just tired to call original volunteers and there was no awnser, you coulden’t even leave a message as it said the mailbox was full. Also all that is on the site is a link to pay for it. Seems a bit dodgy to me. The 0800 number doesen’t even work.

                  #1104109
                  General Lighting
                  Moderator

                    This is some more info about original volunteers. The link below contains a post from a girl who says they are OK, bear in mind she could be a company employee though….

                    http://www.gap-year.com/browse.asp?catID=1174&sNode=1174&Exp=Y&forumid=2&topicid=3168&nodes=3168,3172,3175,3176,3177,3178,3187,3203,3204,3208

                    OTOH It may simply be the case they are a new company, and a combination of poor site design and lack of sufficient admin capacity to answer queries makes them look worse than they actually are..

                    Their business address is either a residential house or a small business unit in the North Norfolk coastal area.

                    My mum used to run a small business taking in foreign students from her home at one point so the company could well be legit, but I think maybe they shouldn’t have advertised on line so quickly until they could establish themselves and afford admin staff to handle the greater queries that web exposure causes.

                    I’ve known really well run companies to suffer serious problems just because they get a good review on their website and their customer service staff are overloaded…

                    As for suggested websites, the places globalloon suggested are the only ones I could think of (or get in touch with him as he has access to a lot of info)

                    #1104114
                    skattyasfuk
                    Participant

                      Hey,

                      Cheers for that mate, I did manage to speak to someone earlier acualy and I outright said to her can I trust you? Are you registered? And she said no because they where such a small company.

                      I also asked if I could contact some previous voluteers and she said no because many people had asked the same and they where getting anoyed with the phone calls. Now surely it should have been a straight no because of data protection.

                      I did give her my number though and said anyone is free to contact me but then they could get anyone to do that. It seems to good to be true I reckon i’ll have to wait a little longer and pay the extra money.

                      I wish there where easier ways to find out about these things I even spoke citizens advice today who passed me to someone who passed me to somebody else.

                      #1104115
                      skattyasfuk
                      Participant

                        Sorry such a new company

                        #1104120
                        globalloon
                        Participant
                          skattyasfuk wrote:
                          Sorry such a new company

                          :groucho:

                          #1104116
                          skattyasfuk
                          Participant
                            globalloon wrote:
                            :groucho:

                            Cheers. :you_crazy I wrote the wrong word!

                            #1104121
                            globalloon
                            Participant
                              skattyasfuk wrote:
                              Hey there,

                              You given up on trying to help me?

                              Do you know if there is a formal register of some kind that I can check on?

                              All the information you could possibly help me with would be so apreciated. You seem to be the only person I have spoken to in my search so far, that actualy might know something.

                              I’m really serious about this, please help.

                              Thank you

                              G 😉

                              hey G

                              no way have i given up! I never give up 😉

                              i don’t always check back on all the threads on partyvibe, so sorry if i missed anything you asked for

                              do me a favour and clear some space in your private messages inbox… i want to send you a quick message…

                              I will do all i can to help you find something that really suits you

                              cheers

                              G

                              #1104117
                              skattyasfuk
                              Participant

                                There you go. Cheers. xx

                                GEMMA :bounce_fl

                                #1104126
                                enimateK Toxic
                                Participant

                                  is there any party in kenya?im italian i stay in kenya…mombasa..i realy need info.

                                  #1104125
                                  mishap
                                  Participant

                                    mombasa is a lush place, my fav place in the world,
                                    i lived in kenya for 5 years, used to holiday there frequently, fuck that place is jus a haven of good memories…make sure to check out diani beach! dont know of any parties though, i was there 6 years ago!!

                                    op, i wish i clicked this thread 2 years earlier i coulda help you, te reason my dad moved me n my family out there was to start a charity project, now has several different ones going.

                                    #1104122
                                    rachus
                                    Participant

                                      Globallon- did u go any volunteer work or paid work in india? Im off travelling in oct but my mum wants me to start with an organisation for a couple of weeks to a month. Im heading to south east asia, india, NZ but most organised groups are africa or south america it seems…. ho humm…

                                      #1104124
                                      Clusterfrog
                                      Participant

                                        *envious*
                                        wish I could go do taht sort of thing

                                        #1104123
                                        joshd96320
                                        Participant

                                          id like to do this too at some point..

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                                        Forums The Vibe Chat Voluntary work in Kenya