Volunteer Work in Kenya

My sister and I came to Kenya to work as volunteers in orphanages. Our second day in Nairobi, we attended an orientation day in a college near the Network for Voluntary Services (NVS) premises. We found this organization to be very professional and organized, compared to the previous one we worked as volunteers in Cape Town (Dreams to Reality). We also found the staff to be very caring and friendly.

There were 38 volunteers, from all over the world, attending this orientation. We heard from another volunteer, that on the previous group there were about 74 volunteers. Kenya is a very one of the first places, in the African Continent, chosen by people to volunteer. Not sure the reason, but I guess it might be word of mouth.


Orientation Day

Here the NVS staff divided the volunteers into groups and took them outdoors to explaing to each group about their volunteer placement.

Learning about our Volunteer Placement

Overcomers Centre for Orphans

We have been working as volunteer in an orphanage called Overcomers Centre for Orphans, which is ran by Pastor Simon and his wife Eunice. There are 22 orphans, who live permanently in this orphanage, ranging between 4 and 15 years of age.

During school terms, there are about 80 extra children, who come from a slum just behind the orphanage, to attend school and get some breakfast and lunch there. The houses in the slums are mostly made of clay with metal sheet roofs. 

Bagladesh Slum, in Rongai

There are about 4 regular teachers, who work in this orphanage earning a small allowance at the end of each month. Due to the little money the teachers receive, not many of them stay for a very long time at Overcomers, so the volunteers play a big role in the orphanage teaching the children. Teachers and volunteers some times teach 2 different grades in the same class as there aren’t enough classes in the orphanage.

Crossword class

Brazil History class

I have also been teaching the children to exercise regularly. I've included a bit of boxing at the end of each exercise class, which they love!!! We exercise on a very tough floor but the kids never complain, to the contrary, they are always smiling and asking me for more. The harder I push them, the more they enjoy it.  J

Exercise class

Apart from teaching, we also play a lot with the children. My sister and I taught them many games from our childhood in Brazil that didn’t require a lot of fancy toys, apart from chairs and balls. During the month of August, it’s school holiday in Kenya, so we have been interacting only with the orphans at Overcomes. At the beginning of September, we’ll meet all the other 80 children coming from the slum.

Skipping Rope

Chair Song Game

Brazilian Game - 'Queimada'

The children don’t have much in this orphanage, so they have to be very creative. Every thing they find around is turned into a toy.

Joana playing with a 'tyre hula-hoop'

One of the favourite toys we could get the children was a soccer ball. Similarly to Brazil, here in Kenya they love to play football. Brazilian football players are very popular here in Kenya and most children and teenagers in the orphanage, can proudly name most of them. J

Soccer Match

The children at Overcomes are very disciplined. On our arrival in the mornings, they are always working - some are doing the dishes in the kitchen, others washing their clothes or mopping the floor and the oldest ones cooking porridge for everyone.

Kids doing the dishes

Beds are made every day!

One thing that all of them enjoying doing, be them children or teenagers, is to play with our hairs. One day, I had five girls making plates on my hair, so I would come close to look like a Kenyan woman. After the girls got tired and left, I spotted all the boys staring at me. Sure enough, when I invited them to plate with my hair they had the biggest smiles on their faces and within seconds were all over my head. J

Kids plaiting my hair

By the time Dine and I leave the orphanage we are feeling quite tired from all the energy we spend with kids. Sometimes we manage to have a quick nap before dinner to recharge our batteries. I also feel lethargic sometimes when the sun is too hot. . It was a good decision to come to Kenya during winter rather than summer. Sometimes I just feel like sitting and relaxing with the children (when they allow us a break!).

Precious little Denis, Frederick and I