Volunteering in Kenya: Medical/Health Volunteering Projects in Kenya Volunteering in Kenya: Medical/Health;Medical/Health Program You can become involved in helping to develop communities in Kenya. With such a variety of projects this program has something to suit everyone.

1. Volunteering in Kenya: Medical/Health Volunteering
Projects in Kenya
Volunteering in Kenya: Medical/Health;Medical/Health Program
You can become involved in helping to develop communities in Kenya. With such a
variety of projects this program has something to suit everyone.
You have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of under-privileged children
and adults by providing education and counseling in schools and orphanages, HIV
education, and medical care.
Whilst sharing your knowledge and compassion with the local people, you will have a
chance to make a personal contribution and connection to the people of Kenya.
The Projects
Volunteers will be placed in program locations in the suburbs surrounding Nairobi,
including Kiambiu slum in Buru buru phase one, Kibera Slum
Volunteering in Kenya: Medical/Health
Malaria, typhoid, pneumonia, and tetanus are treatable diseases, yet many still die in
Kenya as a result of not receiving proper medical care. Government-run hospitals and
medical clinics are ill-equipped to handle the volume of people in need of care.
As a medically qualified volunteer you can help by sharing your medical skills and
working alongside local staff to provide those in need with basic medical care.
Volunteers have the opportunity to work in the areas of general medical practice,
maternal health, minor surgery, and laboratory work. This role is suitable for self-
directed, caring people who are medically qualified.
Malaria, typhoid, pneumonia, and tetanus are treatable diseases, yet many still die in
Kenya as a result of not receiving proper medical care. Government-run hospitals and

2. medical clinics are ill-equipped to handle the volume of people in need of care. As a
medically qualified volunteer you can help by sharing your medical skills and working
alongside local staff to provide those in need with basic medical care. Volunteers have
the opportunity to work in the areas of general medical practice, maternal health, minor
surgery, and laboratory work. This role is suitable for self-directed, caring people who
are medically qualified.
Medical/Health Program
Volunteers will work with local staff to assist with the daily duties. This could involve
patient consultations, recording patient history, diagnosing medical conditions,
prescribing medication, applying dressings, minor surgeries, and counseling patients.
Volunteers have the opportunity to work in the areas of general medical practice,
maternal health, minor surgery and laboratory work.
All foreign medical staff who wish to work in Kenya must be registered with the Ministry
of Health. Following this, all medical volunteers are required to supply a copy of their
qualification certificate and their curriculum vitae (resume) for submission to the MoH.
This should be received before you arrive.
Although the type of work volunteers will
perform is subject to the needs of the particular hospital, volunteers can expect to be
working with limited medical resources and technology. Because of this volunteers will
need to rely on being self-directed and use initiative.
Note: the type of work volunteers will perform is subject to the needs of the particular
project they are placed at and their own experience and skills.
Volunteer work expectation
Volunteers are expected to work a minimum of 4 to 6 hours a day, 5 days a week from
Monday to Saturday. Sundays are days off. Volunteers are able to work beyond this
minimum commitment.

3. It is vital that you are flexible and willing to adapt to situations as they arise. You cannot
predict what each day may bring. We also ask that you are prepared to follow any rules
set by us or our partners to ensure continuity of the program. New initiatives you may
wish to set up at your project should be discussed with Lecden-Kenya and your project
director supervisor before implementation to ensure that what you set up is appropriate
for the project.
Accommodation
Volunteers in the Teaching, Medical/Health and HIV/AIDS program will be
accommodated in a homestay situation. While volunteers in the Children’s program may
be accommodated in either a homestay, volunteer dormitory, or at the Children’s Home
they are working in.
Accommodation at homestays is with everyday members of the community who have
invited international volunteers into their homes. Each host situation is different in terms
of the number and make-up of people living in the house, their personal circumstances,
style of accommodation, and their expectation of you as a guest in their home.
Volunteer dormitory accommodation is where volunteers live together in a house located
near their placement and are cared for by househelp.
Accommodation at a Children’s Home is located onsite and provides the volunteer with
separate sleeping quarters from the children. Volunteers are cared for by the Home’s
staff.
Accommodation providers have been selected to ensure volunteer well-being and
comfort, to maintain safety and security, and to give an insight into Kenyan life. Take the
opportunity to get to know those at your accommodation. You have a unique opportunity
to learn a different way of living and culture. Make the most of it!
What you can expect
Volunteers can expect to share a room with one to three other volunteers. Bedding, such
as sheets, blankets, pillows, is provided however volunteers will need to supply their own
mosquito nets. Mosquito nets cost less than US$10 and can be purchased in Nairobi on
day two of Orientation.
Living is basic, but comfortable. In urban areas accommodation is modern relative to
rural areas. Houses will generally have electricity, running water, hot water and flushing
toilets. Internet, telephone, ATMs, supermarkets, and restaurants are an easy travel
distance from accommodation. Public transport is readily accessible and just a short
walk from most urban accommodation sites.
In contrast, rural accommodation may not have electricity or running water. Common to
all houses are bucket baths, squat toilets and boiled hot water. Internet, bank or ATMs,

4. supermarkets, and restaurants are located in the nearest town which will require public
transport to get to. Public transport is available but will normally require volunteers to
walk a distance to get to.
Both urban and rural accommodation will not have telephones. For this reason it is
recommended volunteers buy a local mobile phone to keep in contact with family and
friends at home, other volunteers and program staff. Volunteers will have an opportunity
to buy a mobile phone on day two of Orientation and the cost is upwards of US$30.
Remember to keep an eye on international calling charges.
Meals
Volunteers will be served two meals per day: breakfast and dinner. While meals will
differ from accommodation to accommodation, volunteers can expect the style of food
served to be in keeping with the traditional Kenyan diet. An example of the types of meals
served:
Breakfast: bread with jam, fruit, and chai tea.
Dinner: a typical dinner includes three dishes of the following: beans, rice, potatoes,
meat, spinach, cabbage, mixed vegetables, or chapatti.
Please note that snack food is not provided as part of the meals supplied at your
accommodation.
As you can see the Kenyan diet is made up of mostly carbohydrate dishes and meat
served at most one to two times a week. For most, this will be a new way of eating and
you may like to consider supplementing your diet with vitamins and perhaps purchasing
food from a local market or supermarket. If your diet differs from the foods listed above,
let your accommodation provider know so not to cause any confusion about your eating
habits.
Water
As it is not advisable to drink tap water we recommend that you purchase bottled water.
This is widely available in Kenya and you can expect to pay about US$10 per week. This
would provide you with 2 liters of water per day. Be sure to check that the seals are not
broken.
Boiled water is another good option for safe drinking water. The Center for Disease
Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/travel/contentWaterTreatment.aspx)
recommends boiling water as the best method for making water safe to drink. Boiling
water as recommended will kill bacterial, parasitic, and viral causes of diarrhea.
Directions for boiling water: boil water vigorously for 1 minute and allow it to cool to
room temperature (do not add ice).

5. Where to buy? What you can buy?
Kenya has a large number of outlets where food is sold, ranging from small outdoor
markets to large supermarkets, and roadside eateries to world famous restaurants.
Prices vary greatly. You can expect to pay what you would in your own country when
buying food from a supermarket or eating at a restaurant, while small markets and
roadside eateries offer a much cheaper price option.
Transport
Your transport from your arrival location to the volunteer accommodation, and during
Orientation is covered by the program fee. Once Orientation is complete volunteers are
transferred to their program locations. Volunteers, in most cases, will be accommodated
a reasonable walking distance from their project location and will be able to walk to
work each day. For those who are accommodated outside of a reasonable walking
distance and when public transport is available, money for transport will be provided.
Note: any transport money provided in this instance is at the discretion of Lecden-
Kenya.
Transport on departure from the program is not covered by the program fee. Volunteers
will need to organise and pay for their own transport when leaving the program.
Getting around Kenya
Kenya has about 250 airports and airstrips (of vastly varying quality) and plenty of
airlines connecting Nairobi with Mombasa, Kisumu, Nanyuki, Malindi, Lamu and the
national parks/reserves of Amboseli, Masai Mara and Samburu. Flying around Kenya
and its neighboring countries is a relatively safe way to cover a lot of ground.
Traveling by train between Nairobi and Mombasa is also a popular form of transport.
Kenya has a good network of regular buses, matatus (usually minibuses), shared-taxis
and private taxis which will get you where you need to go; from home to the closest town
or the neighboring country. To reduce any safety risks, only travel with recommended
bus companies and taxi drivers and never travel by matatu at night. Cycling is best done
in rural areas due to the chaotic traffic on the main roads, but the distances between
towns and the poor condition of roads needs to be kept in mind.
Communication
Keeping in touch by post, telephone and email is generally easy, but sometimes not
reliable.
Telephone

6. Kenya‘s telephone system is improving but the network is limited to main towns and often
breaks down in times of heavy usage or bad weather conditions.
Volunteer accommodations do not have telephones, but phone booths are usually located
in the cities. Most Kenyans however, rely on mobile phones to keep in contact with the
outside world. For this reason we recommend volunteers buy a local mobile phone to
keep in contact with family and friends at home, other volunteers and program staff.
(Volunteers will have an opportunity to buy a mobile phone on day two of Orientation
and cost upwards of US$30. Remember to keep an eye on international calling charges.)
Internet Services
IT has picked up rapidly in Kenya. Internet cafes are available in the main towns and
you can expect to pay around US$1 for an hour of internet use. The internet is slow but it
is a much cheaper option for keeping in touch with family and friends at home than
telephone.
Post
There are several post offices in Kenya scattered around the country. The post, on
average, takes a few days to Europe and around ten days to North America, Australia
and New Zealand; times from these places to Kenya are slightly longer. It is a good idea
to keep copies of letters or photo disks just incase they get lost in the post and we
recommend not sending valuables just in case they go missing also.
Electricity
Electricity runs in cities and towns but not in extremely rural areas. Power cuts do
occur, so a power surge protector for sensitive equipment and a torch and or head lamp
are good ideas. Kenya’s electrical system is characterized by 240 volts AC, 50Hz with a
rectangular blade 3 pin plug (http://kropla.com/!g.htm).
Free Time
Volunteers are free to do as they please during down time. For most, free time will be on
weekends, public holidays and after volunteer duties are done for the day.
You can use free time to prepare for any future work or activities you may wish to plan.
Some volunteers choose to help in other programs when they have free time. You may
like to meet up with other volunteers during your free time to swap ideas or simply spend
time with them. You may also like to visit local sights of interest.
If you are considering traveling around Kenya and neighboring countries we recommend
you take the necessary safety precautions and the advice of our partner organisation and
trusted locals. If you would like to discover Kenya by joining a safari you may like to

7. consult our partner who can put you in touch with providers of safari packages at
competitive rates. Organizing a safari can be done while in Kenya.
Number of Volunteers
The Kenya program usually has between 30 and 80 volunteers per month, but the
number of volunteers varies depending on the season. Generally you are placed with one
to three other volunteers at your project.
Apply Now
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Regards
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info@lecdenkenya.com
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