Program Summary

Women's Education

Local organizations in Takaungu are empowering women and their families by helping them learn to read and develop basic math and business skills to help them advance economically. Most of the students in the adult education program are women who never attended primary school or left before they learned how to read.

The adult education class is offered free of charge four days a week, two hours a day (health education classes are offered on the fifth day.) The program uses books provided by the Kenyan government's adult education department, including the Coast region's Director of Adult Education, have visited and lauded the program.

Women's education is crucial to the empowerment of women and children and essential to the eradication of extreme poverty. According to the United Nation's Millennium Project:

• :: If a girl is educated for six years or more, her child birth survival rates will dramatically improve.


• :: Educated mothers immunize their children 50 percent more often than mothers who are not educated.


• :: AIDS spreads twice as quickly among uneducated girls than among girls that have even some schooling.


• :: The children of women with five years of primary school education have a survival rate 40 percent higher than children of women with no education.

Children's Education

The local organization asked the community of Takaungu how they could best help them, they were asked to start a top-notch professional Nursery and Primary school. The organization opened a junior school on January 6, 2004 and it immediately filled to capacity.

The program currently serves approximately 120 children ages 3-8 in four classrooms. Our school is staffed by instructors from the local community and assisted by volunteers from around the world.

There is overwhelming demand for the school and it can only accommodate only a fraction of the students who desire to enter the program. With additional funding, the local organization is able to increase its capacity to meet the demand for education in the area.

An after school tutoring program for primary and secondary school students is offered in the library five days a week. Children literally run to the tutoring program after the local public school lets out. The program is extremely important to the children it serves since the public school classroom typically have up to 200 students in a single class and the tutoring service is the only program where they can get personalized attention.

At a Glance

Minimum Program Length:	2 weeks
Start Date:	Every Monday
Arrival Date:	2 days prior to your Start Date (Saturday)
Minimum Age:	18 years old
Volunteer Gender:	Male and Female
Accommodation:	During their stay, all volunteers are housed with host families in the community they will be based. They will be provided with their own room which will have a bed with pillow and wardrobe with dresser. Since we started hosting volunteers, no volunteer has reported any problems with personal safety (or any other major issue). Also, our volunteer houses always have security at night.
Food:	They will be provided with free meals each day. The food is local and nutritious. Vegetarians are also catered for. Takaungu and the surrounding areas are very safe.
Pick-up Info:	A Volunteer Visions representative will be at the airport in Mombasa (or Malindi) to pick you up and will return you to the airport upon the completion of your volunteer experience.
Project Schedule:	Volunteers will participate in their program 4-6 hours from Monday to Friday. During the weekends, volunteers are free to travel to explore local communities or engage in activities with their homestay family.

Your role as a Volunteer

You may choose to work in either the women's education program or the children's education program. The following are activities that you will partake in through these programs:

• :: Providing adult education classes at the Center to increase the literacy rate in the region. (An estimated 3 of 20 women in the area are literate)


• :: Providing a nursery and primary school at the Center.


• :: Offering opportunities for cultural sharing and technological education through the Technology for Youth Program.


• :: Offering after school tutoring at the Center.


• :: Provide a platform for foreigners to learn from local residents and vice versa through offering international volunteer opportunities

Project Location

The village of Takaungu is a warm and welcoming traditional rural community located on the coast. Its red dirt roads lined with palm trees, white sandy beaches, and idyllic society make it the ideal place to get a taste of the African experience.

The Takaungu sub-location has a total population of approximately 10,000 people. Takaungu is the largest village in the Takaungu sub-location with a population of about 5,000. The other villages included in this sub-location include Vuma, Vijiweni, Kayanda, Kanyumbuni, Mavueni, and Mkwajuni.

Takaungu village is a short journey from Mombasa, a bustling port city alive with Swahili, Kenyan and Indian culture. Takaungu has all of the charm of a rural village, while still being within reach of many of the exciting aspects of Kenya's incredible environmental and cultural tourist destinations. Although some aspects of modern life are lacking in Takaungu (internet cafes, banks and modern grocery stores), all necessities are just a short journey away, located in nearby Kilifi town. There are landline and mobile phone services available in the village, as well as the popular boda-boda (bicycle taxi) transport. Volunteers in Takaungu never complain about the small inconveniences, as they are usually too busy making friends with the local residents, marveling at the beaches, or attending social events to even notice the lack of western luxuries.

There are only two seasons of mention on Kenya's coast. The cooler rainy season begins in April and lasts through to September. The warmer dry season reigns from October to March. "Dry" merely refers to the near-total absence of rain. March is the hottest month. May to August are the cool months. June is the coolest. As far as agriculture is concerned, planting is done in early May. Harvest is August and September.

Local Activities and Attractions

The local beach is called "Kitangani." It's a postcard and located less than 1 mile from Takaungu village. Kivukoni is the local name for what might otherwise be called the "Takaungu Creek." In actuality it's a salt-water inlet with no connection to any fresh water source. When the water "is full" (high tide), it's the best place to swim, next to mangroves and sometimes you can see monkeys in the trees.

In addition to weekends, volunteers are welcome to take 5 travel/vacation days off during their stay.

Here is a list of near by destinations you may be interested in: Mombasa - many sites to see in this old and historic coastal city; Lamu - magical island at the northern end of the Kenyan coast, Lamu seems to be the richest Kenyan preserve of Swahili culture; Malindi, Watamu and South Coast Mombasa are great locations for snorkeling and relaxing on pristine beaches. Tsavo and Amboseli National Parks - both great places to go on safari to see lions, zebras, elephants and other animals that make East Africa famous for it's wildlife.

Just outside Kenya there are other popular places to visit such as Zanzibar Island; The Great Serengeti in Tanzania; Trekking on Mt. Kilimanjaro; Kampala - Uganda's capital city located on Lake Victoria; white water rafting in Jinja - located at the mouth of the Nile - the longest river in the world.

Eco Safari Tour

Our uniquely designed 2-week eco-cultural safaris enable you to travel to some of the most beautiful and exotic locations in Africa. You will experience local cultures, while volunteering part of your time assisting communities and/or conserving the environment. The program starts with a 1-week stay in Takaungu village on the coast of Kenya. You will spend one day in a highly informative orientation on the local culture, language, history etc. You will then have the opportunity to assist with one or more development related projects undertaken by a local grassroots development organization, the East African Center. In addition to assisting with development project(s), you will have the opportunity to experience/observe the following :

• :: Traditional palm wine and coconut oil manufacturing
• :: Village nature walks
• :: Traditional rope making
• :: Visit to the local schools
• :: Preparation and eating of local cuisine
• :: Henna / hair braiding
• :: Traditional singing and dancing
• :: Swimming at the local picturesque beach

On your second week you will take a 5-day tour of the countryside. The tour will include the following

• :: A visit to the marine park where you may be able to do some snorkeling (between October -March)
• :: A day tour of Mombasa including visits to Old Town, Fort Jesus, the market and shopping for souvenirs
• :: A two night stay at an exclusive 5 star beach resort
• :: An overnight stay at the shimba rainforest
• :: Two day safari to Tsavo National Park where you will have a chance to see literally hundreds of wild animals
• :: An overnight stay at the exclusive Voi Safari lodge within Tsavo National Park

The cost of the Eco-cultural safari is $1,500 USD. The fee covers food, accommodation, sightseeing and all your transportation during your stay. The eco -cultural safaris begin on the 5th of each month. A portion of the fe goes towards supporting local the local organization that you will be working with. If you are interested in joining the eco-cultural safari, please mention it in our questions and comments section of our application form.

Suggested Skills and Interests

Most importantly the volunteers need to be open-minded, show initiative, have patience and ability to think creatively to overcome challenges. Self-motivation is very important as well. Volunteers should respect the culture, dress codes, and traditions very closely. They need to be flexible with local foods, accommodations and systems of living. Specific skills or trades that have been found in previous volunteers include, but are not limited to: teachers, health care professionals, social workers, community developers, construction workers, business professionals.

Suggested Donations

Donations of books, pens, notebooks, basic medical supplies, clothes, blankets, hygienic items, games etc. are welcomed. For large sum donations, please contact the Volunteer Visions office.