KVDA is an indigenous, non-political and membership organization, which is non-sectarian and non-profit making, started in 1962 as a work camp organization registered under the Societies’ Act. In 1993, KVDA was registered as a Non-Governmental organization by the establishment of the NGOs Coordination Act.

Vision Statement of KVDA: KVDA envisions a more peaceful and connected world through voluntary international service.

Mission Statement of KVDA: The mission of KVDA is to promote peace, and understanding through international volunteerism combined with locally driven, sustainable development. We believe that powerful personal and global change happens when people work together, build cross-cultural friendships, and mobilize their resources to support development against dependence.
Core Values or Operating Principles :

• Promotion of voluntarism ;
• Transparency and accountability ;
• Participatory evaluation of projects ;
• Local community ownership of projects ;
• Continuous research and development ;
• Regular follow up of projects ;
• A learning organization ;
• Documentary evidence of processes and events.
Strategic Objectives :

• Afford voluntary service opportunities to young people ;
• Mobilize communities to action ;
• Supplement formal education with experiential learning ;
• Create awareness amongst Kenyan communities about development issues ;
• Foster global peace, friendship and understanding ;
• Mobilizing all-purpose resources to promote grassroots development ;

Products and Services :

a) International work camps
b) National work camps and expeditions
c) Medium and long-term volunteering program
d) Outbound voluntary service program
e) Erasmus Plus Program funded by the European Commission
f) Educational tours.
g) Development education and empowerment of communities.
h) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
i) Enterprise Development Training.
j) Languages teaching i.e. Kiswahili and English
k) Inter-cultural education and use of forum theatre and non-formal education to enhance cultural diversity.

Values :

KVDA has a 60-year history of working to “develop against dependence” while cultivating trust and friendships with volunteers and partner organizations all over the world. The three mandates of the organization are as follows:

■ The Association shall be a non-profit, non-governmental, non-religious and non-political Association, whose inspiration is the furtherance of peace, friendship, understanding, development, democracy and equality among peoples of different cultures and backgrounds.
■ The Association is dedicated to seeking opportunities for young men and women from diverse national, cultural and educational backgrounds to live, work and share life and experiences in order to improve their world, to provide voluntary services to marginalized communities, to acquire alternative education, to gather information and build international cooperation.
■ The Association is further dedicated to mobilizing resources within and across national borders to support community development initiatives whose aims are to eradicate poverty and human suffering as well as to promote democracy and justice among peoples.

Bright Spots :

International Partnerships - KVDA has a long history of successfully collaborating with organizations around the world to deliver programs. Successful recent partnerships include CCIVS, successfully implemented 6 Erasmus+ projects funded by the European commission, Implemented Germany Government funded program “Weltwaerts”, worked with Lunaria Italy on series of EU bilateral projects, and in partnership with the Dobrudzha Agricultural and Business School in Bulgaria implemented Climate change project under Youth in Action program of the EU. KVDA served on the Executive Committee of the Coordinating Committee of International Voluntary Service (CCIVS) based in Paris France from 2004 and 2012. This history of successfully collaborating and assuming a leadership position with international organizations demonstrates KVDA’s aptitude for working cross culturally.

Network of Past Volunteers - KVDA has worked with thousands of international and Kenyan volunteers over the years since inception in 1962.

- Roddy’s Eco-Cover is a community-based organization founded in 2011 to champion environmental awareness with forestry as key concern?

- The project was established by members of the local community with the aim of empowerment for the less fortunate members in the quest to tackle development challenges at the grassroots.

- Its major focus is on environmental concern to mitigate the effects of climate change and foster inter-cultural education among the local community.

- The project is located at Ebuyangu village in Emuhaya constituency in Vihiga country that is situated in Western Kenya.

- It is situated 430 Kilometers away from Nairobi city and its located in an area that is famed for cultural diversity due to the high population density.

- The volunteers will be hosted in a homestead to experience cultural diversity and learn to live and interact with members of the host community in an atmosphere of cooperation and solidarity.

- This project has hosted previously both local and international volunteers and it has great potential for the replication of its activities in equally challenging circumstances in other regions of Kenya.

Manual work and Intercultural activities:

• Agro forestry that will include tree planting ;

• Preparation of tree nurseries and weeding ;

• Land scaping and tending to bamboo trees in the natural habitat ;

• Cleanup activities ;

• Naming of trees ;

• Home visits ;

• Inter-cultural learning coupled with home visits for exposure to development challenges.

- Volunteers will stay in a homestead within the community with basic living conditions.

- Volunteers have an obligation to climb down the level of the people with the aim of exposure to development challenges.

- There is electricity in this homestead.

- There is electricity connection at the project and the volunteers have an opportunity to use electric appliances.

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.
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!

Possibility to visit the historic sites like Hippo point on Lake Victoria in Kisumu City, renowned Kakamega Rain Forest and the Equator point at Maseno University; among other spectacular sites of interest in the region. However, this will be done most probably during the weekends.

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

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.

The port of entry to Kenya is Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. Airport pick up will be done on the provision of full flight details.

THEME: Youth Entrepreneurship and Leadership Development

Challenges Facing Youth in Kenya: Below are some risk factors that affect entrepreneurship development in particular:

Rites of Passage: The absence of rites of passage means that youth are no longer well prepared for adulthood by the traditional means of providing youth with mentors who give them advice to equip them for adulthood ;

Education: Suitability of education/vocational training for the labor market. There is limited access to secondary schools and alternative forms of education are lacking. There is also a need for life skills training in the education curriculum. At present, students are trained just to pass exams ;

Inequality/regional disparity: There is inequality in many fields, and often this has a regional aspect. Youth in certain geographical regions are marginalized, with restricted access to opportunities that are available to other young persons. In
urban areas, poor youth and those living in slum areas have severely limited access to services and opportunities;

Society’s attitude towards youth: Youth face discrimination purely on the grounds of age. This is legitimatized by beliefs such as wisdom only comes with age, and that youth is merely a transition period. Society also perceives youth as irresponsible and troublemakers. This perception may contribute to difficulty in obtaining credit ;

Expectations put on youth: Society’s expectations of young people are not very clear. A gap in expectations has opened between what parents and older generations expect of youth on the one hand, and the expectations of youth themselves (influenced by their peers, and the media, etc.). Society’s expectations of youth may overshadow personal expectations and overwhelm youth. There is also an assumption that white-collar jobs are best and little encouragement is offered to youth to take up blue-collar jobs ;

Displacement: Especially in slum areas, the demolition of homes has displaced many youths. Others were rendered homeless by the politically inspired ethnic clashes around election time in the 1990s. Homes on proposed road routes, close to power lines and railway tracks are being demolished. The social consequences, both short and long term, of such displacement are severe;

Policies: Gaps in, and unsuitability of, existing policy can be cited, along with important problems of implementation. Absence of youth participation in actual decision-making or implementation of policies affecting them was also cited. Youth are merely used as tokens in the policy formulation process;

Corruption: Corruption can be cited as one of the major risk factors affecting youth. It results in unequal access to resources. It is especially cited as a problem when youth are trying to establish businesses. Those who lack money to bribe have difficulty in getting assistance to set up their businesses;

Transition: Kenya is undergoing transition in many areas and this affects youth particularly. For example, there is a transition from an agrarian to an information-based society, yet knowledge is not keeping up with the changes. Changes in social expectations are also resulting in confusion. Children are obliged to take on the roles of adults when households are decimated by HIV/AIDS. The influence and support of the extended family is also declining;

Choice of Role Models: Negative role models tend to be elevated. There is a dearth of positive models for leadership roles, exacerbated by the negative and corrupt image of leaders projected by the media. Parents, too, may often present negative role models in alcoholism and violence. The media glorifies negative role models, such as drug barons and advertisements for alcohol glamorize risky behavior.