We
are very excited and encouraged that you are interested in volunteering with
Maisha Mema (Better Life) Child Sponsorship Program.
The
purpose of this information is to tell you about Maisha Mema and our programs,
our children, our needs and how you can best fit in with Maisha Mema [please
read the Job Behaviour
carefully!]. We hope that you find the information here helpful as you plan to embark
on an adventure that will teach you about yourself, the world, different
cultures, God, and the children He has called us to serve.
Kenya is a multitude of people from close to 60 tribes, whereof the majority
have Nilotic or Bantu origin. The biggest tribes are
Kikuyu 22%, Luyia 14%, Kamba
11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 5% - all of them Bantu, Luo 14% and
Kalenjin 11% - Nilotic (figures vary slightly according
to which source you check...).
English is the official language, while
Kiswahili is the national language.
As so many countries in Africa, also
Kenya is a so called 'development country', where the income per head
is 1.550 US$ a year - against USA's 31'500 US$ a year… (These are 1998 estimates,
but according to the US Department of State the Kenyan
income per head sank to only $455 in 2006.
Wikipedia operates with $1.200...). The infant
mortality rate 68.7 per 1.000 births against USA's
6.8... But then it has to be said that both income
and mortality is extremely 'unfairly' divided. A
small group on top is stinking rich, as they say here,
while maybe 80 per cent of the population of more than
35 million people are living on a pure basic minimum.
Kenya is also among the countries in the world with
the biggest population growth, and close to half the population are children
below the age of 15. Generally, it is correct to say that the lower income
people have, the higher infant mortality rate you will find. This means
that in the slums and most of the countryside quite a number of small
children die because of malnutrition and deceases. But if you ask the
many tourists visiting Kenya every year what they know best about Kenya,
chances are very high that they will mention safari tours in the national
parks, visiting Mombasa and the many swimming resorts and hotels at the
coast, and maybe climbing Mt Kenya (5.200 metres). But then you just touch
the fringes of the Kenyan society!
Religionwise, the Kenyan
population consists of nearly 80% Christians, 10 %
Muslims, 9 % belonging to traditional African religions
and 1 % Hindu, Sikh, Baha'i, Jewish and other fringe
groups. The concentration of different churches
can be extremely high just following one street!
The names of churches are also a study in imagination...
You can check out the
following links for more information about Kenya:
Masai Mara,
November 2006 (view from Mara Serena Safari Lodge)
Slums::
Due to
poverty and 'the dream of a good life', a large number of people move
from the countryside and into the cities, especially Nairobi. That is
the reason around 60 per cent (or about 1.8 million people) live in slum
areas in Nairobi - but they only cover around 5 per cent of the land area....
Quite many, not to say most of these families, have problems even managing
one meal a day. In addition to this, you also find the biggest number
of children per family in the slum areas. It is no exaggeration to say
that slum mothers literally produce street kids (with good help from their
husbands or occasional 'uncles' who are moving in for shorter or longer
times…).
Often
there is no clear line between a 'slum kid' and a 'street
kid', as many of the children in the slums just roam
around doing nothing. They then engage in criminal
activities, sniff glue and use other substances, and
practice free sex. This also often means that the
older ones abuse the younger children, regardless of
whether it is a boy or a girl.
When we know that about 13 per cent of the population in Kenya
are HIV-positive [the Government claims that by 2007 this figure is
reduced with more than a half] - and close to 25 per cent of sexual active people in
Nairobi, Kisumu and Thika (figures from November 2000) - the ability to
help this situation seems a hopeless one. That is when we have to concentrate
on the individual child. And this is also why it is so important to give
them positive activities to do!
A
division of MASEMI Trust Registered Trustees - Inc. Kenya (1999).
Jonny Mydland (born 1963) is a
Trustee. He is a theologian, and worked as a Pastor in the Blue Cross in
Stavanger, Norway for 6 years. During this period, he engaged in
international work, and was half a year in Kenya as a consultant for the
Norwegian organisation Stromme Foundation. From April 1997, he has lived
in Kenya, and Klepp Frikirke in Norway is the sending congregation. He is
married to...
Marianne
Haldimann Mydland
(born
1966). She has her education within sales- and business administration,
and worked in a store for some time. During the period January 1990 to
June 1995, she was working with Covenant Players, an international, Christian
drama ministry, and was in East Africa for 4 years. In April 1999, she
came to Kenya to work with Jonny, and in June 2000, they got married.
Evangelisches Gemeinschaftswerk in Ostermundigen, Bern in Switzerland,
is the sending congregation for her.
Volunteering
Possibilities
The possibilities are practically limitless, however to get you thinking
about what you might want to do, the following are places/positions in
which volunteers are needed in the programs described above:
·
Assist teaching classes in Soweto clubhouse
·
Teach kids any artistic skills (music, drama, painting, dancing,
etc.)
·
Assist the social worker during home visits and write case histories
·
Share during the devotional times
·
Participate in the sports program
·
Share your professional skills with our staff (i.e., seminars
on teaching, health care, counseling, etc.)
·
Take kids for recreational outings (camping, hiking, swimming,
etc- funds for this must be raised by you)
·
Be a part of the day to day activities in our Doonholm family
(cleaning, cooking, helping with homework, etc.)
·
Academic project pertaining to your studies
·
Please contact us with any other ideas you have.
What will it cost for you to
volunteer with Maisha Mema?
We guess you notice the way of asking? :-)
Since it is you volunteering your time to work with Maisha Mema,
we are of course not paying you anything. At the same time, we do
not want this to be an economic burden for you. The only thing we
expect in terms of payment, is that you pay something for your
accommodation. Since so many volunteers want to come, we were
forced to rent a small apartment a few meters from where we live.
It has a living room and one bedroom, meaning you might have to
share the apartment with others depending on how many volunteers are
here at the same time. More than three volunteers at a time is not
practical, though. It is also an advantage if you ask us well in advance so that we can
plan when people are coming and for how long. The charges for
accommodation are as follows:
Euro 3 per day, or Euro 90 per month.
Swiss Francs 5 per day, or Swiss Francs 150
per month.
Norwegian Kroner 25 per day, or Norwegian
Kroner 750 per month.
We don't think this should scare anybody... :-) What you also have to
cater for yourself, is transport, breakfast, lunch and pocket money. But since you have come
to work, we do give you one advantage: You will normally be
eating dinner with the children and us in the evening. In addition
to tasting both local and international food, you then also have the
opportunity to interact with the resident children :-)
We normally don't
encourage you to come for more than three months at a time, of various reasons.
The space problem is one of them, and again we refer to the fact that we
not yet have built our centre. Another reason has to do with the
visa. You easily get a three months tourist visa, but after that
it becomes a bit unpractical. You would either have to leave the
country and then apply for a new visa, or you would have to apply for an
alien pass (that also costs!). Since we want many people to have
the opportunity to be volunteers, staying more than three months is also
not very practical! :-) This means we have to say no to some of
the people who want to come, simply because too many people want to
volunteer. An even though this can surely be characterised as a
positive problem, is it nevertheless dissapointing for those we have to
say no to...
But another reason is that we are a
small organisation working among the poor people of the Soweto slums,
and we don't want to flood the place with white people...
Clubhouse is run by Kenyans and for Kenyans,
and expatriates ought to be few there by the very same reason. We
hope you understand this.
So with
these terms and conditions we are heartily welcoming you to Nairobi to
volunteer with us. We are sure that it will shape your life in a
positive way – just as it has done with many before you. Welcome
in the Maisha Mema family!
This is
in fact a very important issue that can make or brake a
relationship. We do want to have an open an honest
relationship with you, but then you should also observe
the following rules!
·No alcoholic drinks and drugs including smoking are allowed, while you
are a volunteer with Maisha Mema. These may act as a reminder of the children's
past and may most likely encourage a regression. In Kenya, these habits
are also looked upon as being completely opposing Christianity. [We
are sorry to say that we have had volunteers trying to
go around this rule; please be honest with us!]
· No flirting or dating between our youths and the volunteers are
allowed. You go safely back to your country, but the
child's life might be ruined...
· We also
don't encourage flirting or dating between our staff and the volunteers.
· Volunteers are expected to communicate and cooperate with the
Maisha Mema staff and other volunteers.
· No punishment can be administered by volunteers to children
within the program. If punishment is needed, please contact one of the
staff.
· No donations
are allowed to be given directly to the children or to
their parents if you visit their homes in the slums. Please
seek guidance from us about how to go about distributing gifts.
·
We expect volunteers to be
polite with the children, staff and other people.
Remember: If you "claim your rights" to abuse people in
the neighbour shop, you might also ruin our
relationship with them...
You will have to sign a
statement when you start volunteering that you have read
and understood these rules.
Remember also, that
recruitment of volunteers is led by the
demands of the project, NOT by the demands of people who
want to come and work with us...
Just one final thing: It is always
good to ask yourselfwhy you want to come
and volunteer in such a project. To be a bit blunt:
You must be willing to come as a servant, not as a
master. Therefore, think through your values and
attitudesbefore you
come, seek advise from people who have been here before
(if possible), come prepared to learn
rather than dictate, and try having an open mind.
It is much better to ask too many questions than not
asking at all!
Here's an article from
Washington Post called "Churches
Retool Mission Trips
- Work
Abroad Criticized for High Cost and Lack of Value"
that says a lot about servant / master roles and
attitudes. And this not only goes for volunteers
from churches, but for all people who come
to the so called third world!
To
get an insight in another culture requires an insight in
your self. That journey should never end!
Immunization Requirements
The requirements for immunizations change regularly, so
it is important to check with the government health
agency of your home country, a qualified physician or a
travel agency for what is required and recommended for
living in Kenya.
The following are either recommended or required:
- Yellow Fever - Hepatitis A
- Tetanus-Diphtheria - Hepatitis B (serum)
- Measles/Mumps
- Typhoid - Polio
- Also let your doctor advise you if you should take
Malaria Prophylaxis. If you are only going to stay in
Nairobi during your visit in Kenya, there is no need to
take malaria Prophylaxis.
Immigration
Documents
Short-term volunteers (3 months or less) planning on working with Maisha
Mema, only need an entry permit visa. Typical issuance is a single-entry
Tourist visa for the duration of 3 months, costing approximately $50.
(If you want to stay longer than 3 months you will need to extend the
visa and get an Alien pass, or you leave the country and go for a short
trip to a neighbouring country and apply for a new visa at the border.)
The visa can be obtained ahead of time by sending in an application from
the Kenyan Embassy in the home country. Information is available on the
Internet. Make sure to apply at least one month prior to departure to
ensure receiving the visa in time. It is possible to obtain the visa upon
arrival in Kenya; however, there are some times long lines at the airport.
See www.kenyaembassy.com
for details and updates.
Some
Things to Bring Along
· Clothes, which you aren't worried about damaging (if you work
in the field you will be working in a dirty environment and clothes
will be hand washed and get worn out).
·
Girls/ Ladies: While working in the slum we advise you not to wear
shorts or tops (spaghetti straps) that reveal too much.
· Sport shoes / tennis shoes (when it rains- it's MUDDY!!)
· Rain coat / wind breaker
· Sweatshirt / fleece
· More socks than you think you need
· Sunscreen / hat
· Flashlight / torch
· Photos of friends and family to share with the kids (and for
your own memories)
· A book about Kenya (a tourist guide)
· Don't wear expensive jewellery or an expensive watch.
You
might also combine your time of volunteering with a holiday in
Kenya. Let us know of your plans and we might even be able to give you
some tips on what to do or visit.
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