Kenya

VSO volunteers in Kenya are working in the areas of secure livelihoods, disability and HIV and AIDS. Volunteers are working in Nairobi, Nyanza, the Rift Valley and the eastern, western and coastal regions of Kenya.

Secure livelihoods

The secure livelihoods programme targets disadvantaged youth, women and other marginalised groups such as people living with HIV and AIDS and disabilities.

With 56 per cent of the Kenyan population living below the poverty line, the secure livelihoods programme is multi-faceted with a strategy of reducing poverty through market oriented skills development, capacity building, market access and business development. The programme is also addressing environmental issues to ensure sustainable food production.

Through a European Commission funded project, volunteers are working with rural vulnerable groups, including youth, to help them promote the use of locally available resources so that they can access markets for their products and improve their income. Volunteers are working alongside colleagues to improve skills in areas such as marketing, organisational capacity building, networking and business development services.

Disability

VSO Jitolee’s goal is to improve participation and active involvement of people with disabilities in society. Volunteers work with a wide range of partners in capacity building roles to:

• improve access to appropriate education for children with disabilities

• raise community awareness of the needs and rights of people with disabilities

• lobby and advocate for increased government support for inclusive policies and the rights of people with disabilities.

HIV and AIDS

VSO Kenya is collaborating with a range of partners including community-based organisations and the National AIDS Control Council to reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS on agencies and individuals. Volunteers are involved directly in different aspects of organisational capacity building, increasing access to care and treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS and increasing the accessibility of HIV and AIDS information to people with disabilities. Right To Life, an HIV and AIDS mainstreaming project, is being implemented across all of VSO’s work in Kenya.

Recruitment of volunteers from Kenya and Uganda

VSO Jitolee recruits an average of 120 volunteers from Kenya and Uganda each year. There are currently more than 150 skilled Kenyan and Ugandan professionals volunteering in 35 countries worldwide.