“The people in Africa need our help to have a good life, because our countries are more developed and we have much more knowledge than them.” I think most of the people that have never been in an African country before, including me, had that thought already. Here I want to tell you my story about my volunteering in Kenya, what became important to me, what you should pay attention to when you consider to volunteer and how my way of thinking changed during my time there.
Volunteering vs. Volunteerism
The first thing you should know is that there are two main ways to volunteer abroad. I would quickly like to differentiate between two terms: volunteering and volunteerism. Volunteerism, often called voluntourism, is about combining a travel with doing something good. This is ideal for people who want to explore a new country and make a little difference along the way. These short-term programs mix adventure with purpose. Typically, you sign up for a package that includes a project of your choice, excursions, activities, meals, and accommodation, often needing to pay a lot of money to participate. Volunteering, on the other hand, goes much deeper. Usually, it’s a longer commitment and focuses on creating lasting change. Volunteers work with non-profit organizations and local communities, sharing their skills, offering support and helping projects grow sustainably. I’m not saying that one is better than the other, everyone should decide what fits best for themselves, but here I will put a focus on volunteering, what you should look for, if you want an ethical program that creates a real impact.
Choosing the right organization
When I started searching for an organization to volunteer somewhere in Africa, there were some important points for me. I will share my thoughts with you and what I learnt that became even more important for me. Who runs the organization? Do they want money for me working there? Where does the money go? Is the community involved? These are questions you should ask yourself, when you choose your organization to work with. For me it was important to not pay any money to work there. I wanted something authentic, to live with the people there, to learn about the culture and especially to understand the community. Through an acquaintance my attention was put on a Swiss Organization that operates in Kenya. My questions got all positively answered. No need to pay money to work there, the community is involved and they have different projects on the ground in a little village. This is what I actually looked for.
Preparing for the Experience
Once you decided to actually commit to a program, you should start to prepare yourself. On the one hand, to travel to that country and on the other hand for the volunteering. One thing I can really recommend is to talk with people who have done the same before you did, so you get to know if there are special customs and traditions that you need to respect in your destination country. People often greet each other in different ways, have different dress codes, religion and community norms. I was told that to greet respectfully you give the other person the right hand and place the left hand on your right elbow crease. Women are responsible to cook for the family, while the men sit in the living room and wait for the food to be served. When you appear there as a guest and at the same time you are a woman, you are in a difficult position, because as a guest they don’t want you to help, but if you stay with the same family for a longer time, as I did, they do expect to you help in the kitchen, since you’re a woman. The thing with the dress code was a little bit difficult for me. I was told that women only wear long skirts and that they will look at you if you don’t. Anyway, it was inconvenient for me, to wear skirts, because I had to work there. The more important thing was to wear long things, rather than a skirt. But of course, in more formal situations, like in a church, I was also wearing a long skirt.
The right Mindset
Besides all the preparations that you can do beforehand and respecting the culture and traditions once you are there, your mindset is what truly matters most. What I was told, and I only really understood after I spent some time in Kenya, is that you should approach everything with humility and not with a savoir attitude. We are not the best. We don’t know more than they do. We don’t necessarily do things better. Our way is not always the right way. Remember, you are a guest in that country, not a leader. Step back a little bit and observe how people do things in their own way. You’ll learn so much from that. You’ll see that there are many other right ways of doing something. The culture of a country strongly influences the way they work. Try to contribute your specific knowledge in a meaningful area of the project, rather than trying to change how things are done. Furthermore, do not do anything you would not be allowed or qualified to do in your own country. Volunteering is not about trying something completely new or gaining experience in a random field. Instead, contribute with your existing skills and communicate with the organizers about where your expertise is most needed.
What will come next
All in all, you will learn an incredible amount from an experience like this. I hope you find a program that suits you and that you’ll have a wonderful time. If you’re curious about my own volunteer experience in Kenya, check out my next post about the specific program I joined.
(Upcoming) Blogs about Kenya:
- Traveling to Kenya – Not just Poverty, Full of Heart
- How to be Ready for Kenya: Health, Visa, Money, Packing Essentials
- Volunteer Programm in Kenya – How to Volunteer Ethically
- kiptere.ch – empowerment
- Living in a small village in Kenya – the daily life
- Poverty and prostitution in Kenya – a vicious cycle
- Safari in Kenya – where to go and how to plan it