Gap Year Listings

Action for Children in Conflict

Victoria House, 10 Broad Street, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 3LH, UK
01235 539 319
07733 882 613 (mobile)
info@actionchildren.org
www.actionchildren.org

Action for Children in Conflict (AfCiC) is a UK based charity established in 1995 and registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales in 1997 (registered charity no. 1060894). It currently operates in Kenya, but has previously run successful projects in Northern Uganda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, the UK and several other countries worldwide.

Our mission - what are we here for?
AfCiC works to break cycles of violence, hatred and despair by providing psychological, emotional and educational support to those affected by conflict. AfCiC focuses its activities on children and young people, who have the greatest capacity to transcend the conflicts of their communities and to bring about change in the future. Children are increasingly amongst the most vulnerable in conflict situations. Conflict isn't always the result of war. Poverty, desperation and despair also create situations where children suffer violence and neglect. AfCiC works to create places of safety where trained workers can provide a climate of support and befriending tailored to the needs of young people and their communities.

Work or Activities
Action for Children in Conflict has been running August summer School Holiday Clubs for over 280 of the poorest school children at our partner schools, St Patrick’s and Garissa Road Primary’s in Thika (40km northeast of Nairobi in Kenya) for the past 5 years. Its primary aim is to keep children off the streets, safe and educationally stimulated with a programme of activities during the school holidays.

The Holiday Club offers these children a unique opportunity to interact with other peers, gain vital life skills and benefit from non formal educational activities that stimulate learning in new ways. The club also plays a vital role in providing a safe space that keeps these vulnerable children off the streets and away from the temptations of drugs, violence and crime associated with street life.
The children who attend the Holiday Clubs are aged between 8 and 18 years and are all from extremely poor and difficult backgrounds.

We are looking for 4-6 enthusiastic volunteers, who feel they can make a difference to the lives of vulnerable children in Thika.

FAQ
Why a school holiday club in Kenya ?
During the long primary school holidays in December, children from the most deprived areas of Thika become a burden to their families and are expected to engage in some form of informal work (rubbish picking, carrying bags for shoppers etc.), often then failing to return to school at the start of the new academic year. Our experiences since 2004 shows that the Holiday Clubs help to ensure almost all of them come back to school.

When are the holiday clubs?
The Holiday Clubs run from 3rd –27th August, but volunteers will need to arrive on Sunday 26th July in order to attend a week’s training and orientation before lessons begin. However we understand some volunteers are students and constrained by term dates, so arrival on Sunday 2nd August is also possible. If any volunteers are interested in coordinating one of the clubs an earlier start date is also possible. You will need to mention this on your application form.

Where are the schools?
Thika town is about 40 km north of Nairobi . This is where Action for Children in Conflict runs its street child prevention and rehabilitation projects. The Holiday Clubs are part of this vital prevention work.

What does a typical School Holiday Club day consist of?
The school day runs from 8.00am to 3.30pm . Mornings consist of lessons both on Kenyan National Curriculum subjects and special lessons on unusual topics to stimulate pupils’ interest and broaden their learning. Food is provided daily at lunchtime for all pupils. The afternoon is for games and activities including board games, ball games, painting, drama, music, arts and crafts.

What will volunteers do?
Volunteers will be involved in teaching lessons in the morning. Classroom size will be approximately 25 and level of ability extremely variable. The National Curriculum is similar to that in the UK , and is also taught in English although this is the children’s third language (after their tribal language and Swahili). Volunteers are actively involved in the creation of the timetable. Volunteers will organise, supervise and participate in the afternoon fun activities.

Who are the volunteers?
Anyone with a positive attitude, willingness to learn and have fun and who feels they could make a significant contribution to the club! Volunteers must be over 18 years of age and fully CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) vetted.

Who is responsible for volunteers whilst they are in Kenya?
Our Kenyan Director Eleanor Harrison will be in Kenya throughout the duration of the Holiday Club and will ensure the smooth running of the Club and your trip. We also have locally employed staff members who are extremely reliable and trustworthy. However you will not be “supervised” the whole time and will need to be comfortable taking care of yourself.

The headmaster, teachers and children at the school are very friendly and you will be warmly welcomed. You will be working along side the teachers during the Club and they will be happy to offer support and advice.

What is the accomodation like?
Volunteers will either be living at our Residential Rehabilitation Centre for street children (Interim Care Centre: ICC) or at our Volunteer House in Thika Town depending on the volunteer’s wishes and availability.

Staying at the Interim Care Centre will give you the opportunity to learn more about our work and befriend the children we work with. Accommodation is clean and secure. The centre has clean pit latrine toliets, electricity and running water. Cost of accommodation is £25 a week at our Centre and includes meals.

The Volunteer House is in the centre of town and offers more privacy and the opportunity to cook for yourself. Again accommodation in clean and secure with electricity and running water. The cost is £100 for the month and does not include meals.

What is there to do at weekends/evenings?
Thika has a number of bars and clubs where people go to drink, eat roasted goat and dance. They are different from the Western style places in Nairobi and give you a chance to see real Africa . The locals are very friendly and enjoy meeting people from other places. You can easily arrange trips to local places of interest at the weekends. Nairobi has many tourist attractions e.g giraffe centre, baby elephant santuary, as well as bars and clubs.
Is it possible to travel after the holiday club?

Yes. With prior notice we can help you arrange a safari or a trip to the Coast or other interesting areas. You will have to decide how long you wish to stay before we book the flights.

How much does it cost?
We are asking each volunteer to raise at least £400 each towards the club, as well as paying for his/her own airfare, insurance (personal and medical), accomodation and other in-country expenses.

When do I need to pay?
The Project Contribution needs to be paid by 1st July 2009 . This will be non-refundable as it will be used to run the Holiday Clubs directly. If we are arranging flights, insurance and other items these will need to be paid as bookings are made. Accommodation will be paid in-country.

What is the best way of fundraising?
We have a volunteer fundraising pack which will be sent to you, and includes a variety of ideas from organising fundraiser events to writing official funding requests. We will offer you all the support we can give, and can provide you with headed paper, leaflets, posters, information on our programmes, maps and photos.

Former volunteers have successfully raised money through a variety of means including sponsored sporting events, appealing on local radio, organising coffee mornings or African Awareness Days, asking for small contributions from friends, families and local community groups, and lots more…

How do I prepare for the trip?
Following acceptance on the volunteering programme, we will send you an induction pack with detailed information on what to take, visas, vaccinations etc. We will also provide you with information on safety measures.  

Qualifications & Skills
We are looking for people with good leadership and organisational skills, who can work on their own initiative. You need an outgoing nature and a good sense of fun with lots of ideas for games and activities for children. Some teaching experience is an advantage but not essential. Skills in music, dance, drama, sports and arts and crafts are also very beneficial but again not essential.

Where
Thika , Kenya.

Fees
We are unable to offer volunteers any payment, and you are asked to pay for all your own expenses (flight, accommodation, visa, vaccination, spending money in country). We also ask volunteers to contribute a minimum of £400 towards the School Holiday Club (to be paid pre-departure).

As a small organisation, this money is vital to us, as it enables the School Holiday Club to function: without the Holiday Club, many vulnerable and impoverished children would be at a loose end, without food, money or anyone to care for them during the long December holiday. They would end up on the streets, high on glue, without ambition for the future or desire to return to school at the end of the holidays.

Application Details
If you would like to join our team of Kenyan and overseas volunteers, please email us at info@actionchildren.org for an application form, and return this to us together with your recent CV.

Further Information
For further information please look at our website or contact us by telephone with any queries. We hope to hear from you soon and to welcome you to our AfCiC Family!

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N
O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - XYX