AVIF Volunteers in Kenya

Christmas with Sky and AVIF

2009-11-05T20:32:00.001Z

AVIF webshop newsletter Christmas with Sky and AVIF Bring your family together with the best line up of movies all in stunning High Definition. When new customers subscribe to Sky+ HD via the webshop AVIF will receive £120! If you are thinking of joining Sky

Please help us to help Ingrids Angels

2009-10-25T19:06:00.001Z

The Ingrids Education Centre has been leasing the land it stands on for the last 3 years and now the owner has put it up for sale. In this time the Centre, under the guiding hand of Douglas "Wesley Snipes" Onkware has been caring for over 100 children in the Matopeni slum area of Nairobi. This summer AVIF volunteers assisted greatly, helping the buy and install a permanent water tank as well as

Mount Kenya with Mary Kariuki

2009-10-24T17:55:00.001Z

MOUNT KENYA, alt 5,199m (Batian), is the highest mountain in Kenya, and 2nd only to Kilimanjaro for the entire African continent. My good friend Mary "Mumbi" Kariuki of StandOut Adventures is planning to take us up to one of its 3 peaks, early 2010. Lenana via the Sirimon Route is a non-technical trail that allows all trekkers to enjoy a magnificent view of east africa without any climbing

The Road to Hell by Michael Maren

2009-10-21T16:44:00.001Z

Shaking up the inertia, as he does so well, I first blogged about Michael a few years ago.A former food monitor for the United States Agency for International Development, Michael provokes debate about Aid in Afica. One such discussion comes from AVIF volunteer, Alec, recently returned from 5 weeks in Kenya, mainly rural and Mike, a Board Member for AVIF's CIC, KO2.M: That is a great article.

Mercy Home Storyboard from Eleanors volunteering in Kenya

2009-10-13T10:58:00.001Z

Eleanor has wonderfully uploaded a story board with great explanation, onto Facebook.You may need to add her to read it, starting here.That concludes this years volunteering, Asante Sana to all involved.Technorati Tags: volunteer, kenya, AVIF, mercy home

Swine flu - malaria - resistance to drugs - Hello?

2009-10-10T19:34:00.000Z

With the hysteria about to escalate over swine flu, I'd like to bring back chlorine dioxide, or its marketing name MMS, to the fore. Its really incredible stuff and despite the unlicensed factor is totally capable of ridding anyone from anything from a common cold to malaria, verrucas, athletes foot, internal sexual viral infections. Swine flu (which is killing less people than standard seasonal

Progress in Yala

2009-09-29T14:26:00.001Z

Edward has sent an update from the work carried out this Summer in Yala with Deb and Alec.He tells us the widows in the community "are very committed and have worked very hard to complete the office. It is now our plan that we plaster it... They have also contributed maize and hope to start a feeding program in the centre for the orphans they are caring for".[1]Ruth watering seedlings at the Yala

Challenging a youth group to build their own office

2009-09-25T10:16:00.000Z

Alec & Deb, in western Kenya this Summer, challenged a local youth group to build their own office. Offering to provide the roof, they told the group they would have to find the rest of the materials and tools and of course the labour. After news of the challenge, land had been donated to the cause, so that a big centre could be built up around it, the new self help centre.Click the photo for a

Storyboard of a summer in Kenya

2009-09-10T17:33:00.000Z

Instead of blogging it you may as well go direct to the wonderful storyboard put together by 2009 volunteer Deb from UK. The storyboard is hosted by FaceBook so you'll need to join if you haven't already and visit the Volunteering in Kenya group where the link is on the group page. Alternatively add Deb and introduce yourself before reading through the highly informative, open and honest account

More photos from Kenya

2009-09-03T11:05:00.000Z

... just a few links so you can see what amazing work has been done this Summer.Alec's photo journal of the office being built for the Christian Widows and Orphans Support Project CWOSUP in Yala is here:The photo journal for the water tank construction at the Ingrid Education Centre in Nairobi is here: Christina's photos on Flickr from Nakuru are here: Thank you to everyone involvedASANTE SANA

Summer volunteer program comes to an end

2009-08-31T16:53:00.002Z

I'd like to thank all volunteers this Summer for all their wonderful work and patience and generosity. This Summer has been quite challenging for some with illness and hard lessons to learn, realities to face, but everyone of the teams was strong and helpful to each other, supporting each other. Asante sana Beckee, Sam, Mariam, Stan, Deb, Alec, Andrew, Philip, Laurence, Amy & Christina.Throughout

Arguments Baseball and Roofing in Kenya

2009-08-13T19:24:00.001Z

8th AugToday was a mixed day... and for those that know me well, it will be no surprise to hear that I don't always have the best delivery. [Ed: LOL]We met the widows and children at the CWOSUP Niawara centre. I was surprised to see only 20 kids were members, but they put on a lovely display of singing, dancing and poems and as usual, they were all happy and smiling. They meet every Saturday to

Update from Deb

2009-08-13T15:25:00.000Z

We travelled to the family home of our host Edward and met a widow who was actually his carer when he was a child, as he himself is an orphan. She had been helped with a new roof. Most of the buildings in this area are made from mud. Posts are driven into the ground and sticks are weaved between, then mud from the ground surrounding is mixed with water and added to the sticks. A grass roof is

Volunteering journal from Yala and photos from Nakuru

2009-08-10T19:43:00.005Z

Deb's managed to write a few words down without losing everything by either the power going down, or losing the connection!! Truthful and shocking at the same time but exactly why things need to change.If you can't get access here's a few parts:"The head mistress here is something special. The school also has a feeding program which is sponsored 70% by the Millenium Project. Millennium have been

Building futures in Kenya

2009-08-07T16:26:00.002Z

Alec and Deb have posted photos on Facebook. If you can't see them due to privacy please add them first as a friend and make sure you join the group too.They've been through quite a lot already, emotionally and are now starting to see and understand real life as opposed to the tourist scenes. There is an unfortunate mindset that illness and poverty bring; despair, loss of hope and ability to help

Harsh realities of disability in Kenya

2009-08-05T11:55:00.001Z

Volunteers assisting LLK, based in the slums of Nakuru, went to visit a very special young man yesterday. George is 6 years old and autistic. He also suffers from cerebral palsy and cannot walk by himself, or feed himself.On sight he is ostracized like most disabled children in Kenya but his parents refuse to hide him away as others may. They love him dearly. The brutal truth, however, is that

ASANTE SANA for all the help and fundraising for AVIF

2009-08-03T16:35:00.001Z

I'd like to thank 3 amazing girls for their efforts, big efforts!.. running the British 10K London Run 2009 and raising funds for our projects in Kenya.We've already been able to contribute directly, today, to securing the land that the Ingrid Education Centre sits on in the Matopeni slum area of Nairobi where volunteers are currently helping out.[Abby, Isabel, Frances & Zoe]Zoe, Frances and Abby

Making progress for Ingrids Angels

2009-08-01T15:55:00.001Z

Beckee and Sam are already making such a difference to the childrens lives of the Matopeni slum area. Thanks to Douglas' hospitality to our volunteers and their overall generosity, meals and clothing have been provided for the children for at least the next month at Ingrids Angels Education Centre.Outside the centreAVIF and your contributions will also be going to the appeal for funds to secure

Fun and games

2009-07-31T17:09:00.002Z

The volunteers have arrived in Nairobi and had their experience marred by corrupt police threatening to arrest one of them for smoking on the street. I've reported the incident to the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission but of course the officer didn't give a name or badge number. Luckily, despite an initial attempt to take a Ksh20,000 fine???? then lowering it to Ksh5000, the volunteers in question

5th Summer Programme begins

2009-07-25T11:20:00.000Z

Sam & Beckee are now in Nairobi with Douglas, at Ingrids Education CentreSam has been in Kenya for a month already, assisting Tony at the RABUOR Self Help Group in western Kenya and will NOW spend some time in the Matopeni slum area before moving onto another project. The "oasis" that is Ingrid's is in dire need of funds now as the land itself is a rental plot where they have put up 6 iron

Mercy Home Report

2009-07-05T14:33:00.001Z

Rhiannon, one of our volunteers from earlier this year has just written a fantastic report on the Mercy Home; her expereinces and lessons volunteering in Kenya.You can read it online at DocStoc here.There are valuable lessons to come from the report so try to read it.Rhi's FB photos are also here if you're "on the list" ...Technorati Tags: AVIF, poverty, volunteer, takeaction, Kenya, Africa,

Paper making with the Kenyans in Yorkshire

2009-06-24T17:59:00.002Z

Sunday 21 June, Fathers Day in the UK, welcomed the 3 Head Teachers from the Mida, Mbarackachembe & Mzizima Primary Schools in Kenya, East Africa for a 10 day visit. Today I had the pleasure of being hosted by Nidderdale High School with Nicholas, Kanunda and Sirus. We were there to learn some of the fantastic art of paper-making, coached by the fantastic Joan Newall and Sue Harrison.Kanunda,

Gearing up

2009-06-23T10:24:00.002Z

Time for planning and time for preparing. I'm about to ride off on a charity event for 7 days so wanted to touch base to remind everyone about arrivals in Nairobi. Please confirm flight arrivals. We've changed venue for the orientation. Everyone will be gathering at Nairobi's International Youth Hostel. You can book your own rooms online (there are private or shared) and they can organise a

Fundraiser for AVIF with the Foundation for Social Improvement Small Charities Car Draw

2009-06-03T22:53:00.002Z

FSI have created a brilliant new paper or virtual £2 draw fundraiser to win a fabulous Fiat 500. Tickets go on sale on Saturday June 6th online at our Everyclick site where you may also want to sign up to using Everyclick.com as your search engine to raise money for us at the same time.On 21st August 2009 the draw closes and will be made on 1st October 2009 at the FSI’s Forum for small charities.

Tour d'Afrique in pictures from Simon Gardner

2009-05-29T09:39:00.001Z

Simon's back, rested and put together all his photos onto Flickr of the amazing Cairo to CapeTown Tour d'Afrique 2009 journey by bicycle. His full blog is here. Simon incredibly fundraised for AVIF, enough to cover another years secondary education for Pius and Norbert, 2 Yala boys, who he met when riding through Kenya March 5.The images speak their own words so make a coffee and scroll through