General Impression
Overall Rating: / 10
I had an amazing experience! I got exactly what I wanted and then some. The local partners knew what they were doing and made sure I had a great experience. The locals were so welcoming! I felt like I made a little difference in their lives and completely changed my own life for the better. I felt safe yet stretched out of my comfort zone. I definitely plan on volunteering with this organization again in the future.Country
Honestly it lived up to many of the African stereotypes. I got to see many different aspects of Kenya, which helped me learn about the country as a whole. I felt safe for the most part, though I was stared at a lot for being the only white person around.
Project & Staff
Marta and Izzo were wonderful. They helped me feel so welcome and have a great experience. My one issue was that it was hard to know what was going on to I could plan ahead, since everyone there is laid back and goes with the flow, I never had a clear schedule to plan around, so there was a lot of guessing and waiting involved.
Tips
Don't overpack, you can buy most things in Kenya. I left most of the clothes I brought there with the locals and they were very grateful and it helped me have room in my backpack coming home. Stick to bottled water. I brought a filter bottle and drank tap water through that and still ended up getting pretty sick for a few days. Try to learn some of the local language, they loved it when I said simple things like "thank you" in Swahili. Use Uber! They're pretty cheap in Kenya and the local drivers had some great suggestions about places to visit and things to do. Smile. People are so friendly in Kenya and they kids love when you wave at them!