Children Of Watamu

 

Location and Background:

The Happy House is situated a 10 minute walk from the centre of Watamu, a small fishing village, located on the coast, approximately 60 kms. north of Mombasa.  It has been purpose built to house up to 100 children and will be opening from January 2010.  The work will develop and adapt to meet the needs of the children looked after in the Happy House.  It will become their home, probably for most of them for the majority of their childhood.

As a volunteer for this new venture, you will support the development of the work of the Happy House.  During the first few months, it will be necessary to adopt a flexible approach to your visit whilst a routine is established which best suits the needs of the children.  Your duties may involve you working directly with the children, in the gardens or carrying out any of the multitude of tasks that will need to be done to get things set up.  If you have the necessary skills, you may also volunteer in the local school.  The days will be varied, interesting and purposeful, building on your skills and experience.

Applying to us:

Please note that in order to volunteer with us, you must be at least 18 years of age at time of arrival.  You will also need to provide us with satisfactory police clearance.

Cost of Volunteering:  All volunteers, irrespective of length of stay, are expected to make a donation to The Happy House of at least £500 towards the ongoing maintenance and development of the work.  In addition, a charge of £200 will be made for every week of your volunteer stay.  Included in this is the cost of yourtransfers to and from Mombasa, accommodation, breakfast and lunch. Suitable accommodation for volunteers will be provided in Watamu village, near to shops and local amenities.

Please note that both the project donation and the weekly charge for the duration of your stay will be payable four weeks in advance of the date of your arrival.

Alternatively, you may opt to pay your project donation of at least £500, (payable four weeks in advance of the date of your arrival), and, instead of paying the weekly charge, find your own accommodation and meet the cost of your meals and transfers to and from Watamu yourself.  Please indicate your intention when you complete the Application Form.

Getting There:

Flights:  The nearest airport is Moi International, Mombasa.  You should not book your flight until your application to volunteer has been accepted. 

Passport:  You should ensure that your passport will remain valid for at least six months beyond the end of your projected stay in Kenya.

Visa: This can be obtained from the Kenyan Embassy or High Commission.   www.kenyahighcommission.net/visas.htm  Alternatively, visas can be bought by British passport holders on arrival at any point of entry to Kenya provided they meet the usual immigration formalities.  However, if purchased this way, please note that the fee is payable in U.S. dollars and is currently $25 (the fee for non British passport holders may be different). 

Insurance:  It is your personal responsibility to ensure that you have adequate insurance cover for theft, loss, illness or injury.

Currency:  The local currency is Kenyan shillings (Ksh).  Watamu has an ATM cash machine and facilities to exchange cash and/or traveller’s cheques.

Health:

It is important that we are aware of any medical conditions or health issues that may affect you during your stay.  Please complete the medical section of the application form if you decide to volunteer.
It is strongly recommended that you seek medical advice from your G.P. as part of preparing for your trip.  You may want to consider having a dental check-up and any necessary dental treatment prior to departure. 
N.B.  It is your responsibility to bring with you sufficient supplies of any prescribed or other medicines that you may need during your stay.

Inoculations:  You should check with your G.P. Practice which inoculations it is necessary to have, for example tetanus, polio, typhoid, Hepatitis A and B and yellow fever.  An International Certificate for Yellow Fever may be required if you are entering Kenya overland and/or intending to travel outside of Kenya in other African countries.  You should plan ahead and organise your jabs at least six weeks in advance of your departure.

Heat:  Given the strength of the sun, you are strongly advised to wear a hat and sunglasses and to use high factor sun screen.  It is essential to drink plenty of fluids (excluding alcohol and caffeine) to prevent dehydration.  It is also advisable to bring re-hydration sachets to replace fluids should you suffer with diarrhoea. 
N.B. You are strongly advised to stick to bottled water and to avoid drinking the local tap water.  The Happy House has a water filter system available for use. 

Malaria:  Malaria is endemic to Kenya.  Your G.P. will advise on anti-malarial  tablets.  When taking these, it is important to maintain a careful routine and to cover the period before and after your trip with doses, as prescribed.  It is also important to avoid being bitten by keeping arms, legs and feet covered as much as possible after dusk and covering exposed parts with a strong repellent, such as Deet.  Always ensure that you sleep under the mosquito net provided. 

HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases:  These are widespread in Kenya.  You are strongly advised not to enter into any sexual relationships during your stay. 

The following website has further relevant medical information www.mdtravelhealth.com/destinations/africa/kenya.php

Emergencies:

You will need to give us emergency contact details as part of your application.  Should it be necessary for us to contact your next of kin, this will be arranged by the Director of the Happy House.   

Clothing:

As Kenya is in the tropics, light clothing is suitable throughout the year. You will be expected to respect local ways and feelings by dressing appropriately at all times, avoiding, for example, vest tops and shorts/short skirts which expose body parts.  These may both offend and attract unwanted attention.   In Watamu, it is only on rare occasions that you may need a sweater or fleece.  A waterproof is advisable during the rainy season i.e. mainly, April – June (long rains) and November/December (short rains). 

Travel:

You may want to spend some time travelling within Kenya or more widely in East Africa.  This should be arranged either before your volunteer period or after it.  During your stay, we can put you in touch with local travel agents who will be able to organise safaris, boat trips and local tours.  You should be aware, however, that these may be expensive and budget accordingly. 

Disclaimer:

Whilst we want to ensure you that all reasonable precautions will be taken to ensure that your period with us is as pleasurable and safe as possible, Kenya is a developing country and the Children of Watamu Charity cannot accept legal responsibility  for any harm that may befall you whilst there.  If you decide to volunteer with us, you will need to confirm your acceptance of our disclaimer conditions on the Volunteer Disclaimer which is part of the Application Form.     

1.  Volunteer Application Form word format - pdf online form soon
2.  Volunteer Disclaimer Information word format - pdf online form soon

Once we have accepted your application, we will send you a confirmation e-mail together with some further information.  Meanwhile, if you have any questions or need to clarify anything, please contact sue@childrenofwatamu.net .

We look forward to receiving your application. 

Sue

January, 2010

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