Project Name: St. James Community Orphans School

MARCH 2023

Code: KVDA/STV/03A

Dates: 13th -27th March 2023

Orientation: 13th March 2023

Travel to the Project: 14th March 2023

Project closure: 26th March 2023

Travel from the project: 27th March 2023

Location: Mfangano Island, Lake Victoria Region Theme: Teenage Pregnancy in the society

Project overview

St. James Community Orphans School is a community owned school whose idea was conceived to the challenges that the community has been with over the years. For a long time, parents have passed on leaving their children to be orphans who are either total or partial. Due to constant and continuous death and other related issues, the number of these orphans grew to an escalating rate which eventually led to call for intervention. It is this regard the school has taken good care of most of these orphans since school opened its doors on the 9th January 2012 hitherto

St. James Community School is located in Mfangano Island, Homabay County in Kenya. It’s one of the many islands in Lake Victoria with several beaches. Being an island with many fishing beaches, it’s prone to a unique lifestyle that contributes to high prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS which leads to many orphans

St. James School is addressing three major problems

Free education for these orphanage
Poor nutrition
Alarming low levels of domestic income among caregivers households

In 2014, the school started with a population of 45 orphans represented in three kindergarten classes, with 3 teachers. To date the school is enjoying a population of 112 both total and partial orphans aged between 3 years to 12 years. The school has seven classes with 8 teachers.

LOCATION: The school is located within Mfangano Island, Waware sub location, Mfangano north location, Mfangano division, Mbita Sub-county of Homa-Bay County.

PUPIL POPULATION: 112

CLASSROOMS: 7

TEACHERS: 8

CLASSES: Baby class, Nursery class, Pre-unit class, Standard one to four SPONSORS: Community sponsored

VISION:” To be an exemplary Centre of excellence in quality holistic, academic education provision within the community”

MISSION:” To provide accessible and acceptable education to the less fortunate professionally, and in a formal manner that can be realized from within and without the community”

MOTTO:” Arise and shine for a better life”.

OBJECTIVE: To be the school within the island in helping provide for the welfare and well-being of the numerous orphans and destitute left behind as a result of HIV/AIDS pandemic.

VOLUNTEER PROGRAMMES: Since the school’s inception in 2012, the school has various volunteer activities. Among them being:

In 2012 (May-August), we received two volunteer teachers who helped the school in teaching `of physical ad vocation (P.E). The volunteers were from Italy.
(Jan-Feb) 2013, the school, got one volunteer (male) from Japan who helped in the school garden.
(May-June), we had 2 volunteers (a couple) from USA, Michigan who helped the teaching of health and sanitation lessons.

Security for our volunteers has always been our number one priority. Moreover, the school is situated barely 600m from the police post .We also have a Government of Kenya dispensary within the same area to carter for health emergency that might arise.The school is committed to offering hope to children and especially who are vulnerable to societal risks and this call for community of efforts.

AGE: Volunteers have to be at least 18 years old to participate in the work camp. There is no upper age limit.

PROJECT Activities: Volunteers will work for six hours daily from Monday to Friday.

TYPE OF WORK CAMP: CHIL/AGRI/EDUC

Manual work and Intercultural activities:

Farming
Home visits to orphans and caregivers
Sports with school pupils
Workshops about children rights to the local community ∙ Advocacy against teenage pregnancy
Social work majorly guiding and counseling for the HIV/AIDS program at the health center
Field visits and face to face meetings with the local people ∙ Participate in home visits to enhance inter-cultural education and solidarity

PROJECT PARTICIPANTS: Maximum 20 volunteers from Kenya and the international community

What to carry?

This is outlined in the detailed info sheet and includes, sleeping bag and mat, toiletries, torch/flashlight, sandals, mosquito net, national flag from your country, among others

DONATION AND GIFTS:

These are usually symbolic gestures to enhance the solidarity of volunteers and the hosting community. Kindly contact KVDA for details in case you are willing to support a worthy cause in the community either by offering a donation or long-term intervention on the project.

THEME: Teenage Pregnancy in the society

Lack of information about reproductive health and high rates of child abuse have caused the upsurge of teenage pregnancy

Lack of information about reproductive health and high rates of child abuse has caused an high rate of early pregnancy

AIM: To reduce the cases of early pregnancy

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

To improve and strengthen the health workers methodology on disseminating information among the young people on grassroots level -To create a platform of social workers and peer educators to campaign against sexual harassment within the community
To advocate on children rights within the community

ACTIVITIES

Workshops about children rights to the local community
Advocacy against teenage pregnancy

TARGET GROUPS

Workshop: health workers, parents and peer educators
Health Camp: parents, teachers, health workers and peer educators
Methods group discussion, “café” method, planning discussion, expert analysis

INDICATORS

Number of schools calling for peer educators after the health camp, for reproductive health education
Number of community leader requesting for more advocacy through health camps
Number of health workers getting more involved in organizing workshops for emphasizing and enhancing the effects of early pregnancy

Orientation: Will be done on 13th March 2023 at Nairobi South YMCA Hostel in Nairobi and the team will leave for the project on the morning of 14th March 2023.

Airport pick-up services:

This will be done subject to provision of full flight details. ∙ The port of entry to Kenya is Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.
Volunteers will stay at Nairobi South YMCA Hostel at a subsidized fees ahead of their project placement.

Participation FEES: The project participation fees that is all-inclusive for the 3-week work camp is Euro 300

What is not included in the project participation fees: Transport to and from the project will be paid by the volunteers themselves.

INSURANCE: KVDA does not provide insurance and volunteers should obtain travel insurance cover. It is a good idea to get medicine you are used to from your home country and seek advice from your personal doctor.

WHAT DOES THE PARTICIPATION FEES COVER?

Project preparation cycle, return transfers from the airport, KVDA administration, orientation, certificate of participation, project coordination, facilitation, evaluation and monitoring

WHAT IS NOT COVERED?

Excursion activities, transport to and from the project, local travel, personal effects, needs and wants.

EDUCATIONAL TOURS

KVDA offers educational tours to spectacular sites including the renowned Maasai Mara Game Reserve at separate fees. Please contact us for specific tour information.

ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS

The host community will provide a house to accommodate the volunteers with very basic living conditions.
Volunteers have an obligation to climb down the level of the people with the aim of exposure to development challenges.
KVDA will provide foodstuffs and volunteers will cook their own meals in turns. Water is available from springs and it is recommended that drinking water should be boiled or medicated. Mineral water available at supermarkets is also recommended.
There is no electricity connection at the project but volunteers can charge their electric appliances at the nearest market center. ∙ Furthermore, we invite you to bring typical food, spices, drinks, games and music from your country (for an intercultural evening) – and a lot of motivation!

LANGUAGE: English is the language of the work camp. There will be a possibility of learning Kiswahili and other international and local languages as cultural diversity is a major component in international service

EMERGENCY CONTACTS:

Below is the emergency contact for Kenya Voluntary Development Association:

KVDA Administration: +254721 650 357

PROJECT DETAILED INFO SHEET: Will be sent to the volunteer sending organization as soon as the application is accepted by KVDA

CONFIRMATION DEADLINE: Should be done via e-mail at least one month before the start of the project.