Kenya: COMMUNITY HEALTH VOLUNTEERS-VIRHEMBE

About the local hosting organization

Community Health Volunteers (CHV) Virhembe is a grassroots, community-based organisation established in 2006 by Kenyan volunteers operating within the Kakamega East District in Western Kenya. Headquartered at Virhembe Market near the Kakamega Rainforest, the group primarily focuses on fighting HIV/AIDS, mitigating gender-based violence (GBV), improving community health, and spearheading local conservation efforts Core Initiatives & Interventions • Healthcare & Facility Management: The group built a community facility (frequently operating under names like Virhembe Community Nursing Home). The facility provides critical infrastructure, including clinician consultation rooms, words, a laboratory, a pharmacy, and a delivery room. • HIV/AIDS & Reproductive Health Support: The organization works closely with the Kenyan Ministry of Health to design quality HIV/AIDS interventions, promote safe sexual behaviour, and expand referral access for people living with HIV/AIDS. They actively provide sexual reproductive health education to thousands of school-going adolescents across Kakamega East • GBV & Women's Empowerment: Volunteers act as frontline educators and advocates against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), leading awareness campaigns targeting local women and adolescents

Presentation of the programme

Healthcare Support & Clinical Assistance • Facility Support: Assisting staff at the community nursing home with daily operations, guiding patients, and organizing medical supplies. • HIV/AIDS Advocacy: Supporting home-based care for people living with HIV/AIDS, distributing nutritional supplements, and conducting safe-sex education. • Public Health Campaigns: Participating in community hygiene drives, including tracking, cleaning, and treating jigger infestations in local households and schools. Environmental Conservation • Tree Nursery Management: Working in the group's tree nurseries near the Kakamega Rainforest to bag soil and nurture seedlings. • Afforestation: Planting trees in degraded areas of the local ecosystem and educating the community on environmental protection.

About the accomodation

 Living Spaces: Accommodation is provided in shared rooms within a communal house or host family situated close to the Virhembe project site.  Essential Gear to Bring: The accommodation is basic, so it is required that you bring your own sleeping bag, sleeping mat, and a mosquito net.  Meals Provided: Volunteers receive three local meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).  Cooking Arrangements: Food is prepared using locally available Kenyan foodstuffs. Volunteers generally share the daily responsibility of preparing and cooking meals as a team  Drinking Water: While tap or local water is accessible at the site, it is highly recommended to boil or chemically treat the water before drinking. Alternatively, bottled mineral water can be purchased from local shops at Virhembe Shopping Center

About the location

After daily volunteer tasks wrap up in the afternoon, you can participate in informal, low-cost activities around Virhembe village: • Nature Walks: Group walks around the village borders and the outer edges of the rainforest. • Cultural Exchanges & Meetings: Gathering with local volunteers and villagers to learn local Luhya customs, share traditional stories, and exchange languages. • Community Games: Playing football or participating in local recreational sports and board games with village youth. • Home Visits: Visiting neighborly community members for an immersive look into rural Kenyan hospitality. Since Virhembe Market sits directly on the fringe of the Kakamega Rainforest, volunteers frequently spend their Saturdays or Sundays exploring the ecosystem: • Rainforest Sunrise Hikes: Early morning guided treks up the forest hills (such as Buyangu Hill) to watch the sunrise over the massive tropical canopy. • Wildlife & Primate Tracking: Guided trail walks at the Kakamega Forest Station to view rare bird species, butterflies, and colobus monkeys. • The Crying Stone of Ilesi: A popular historical landmark located nearby featuring an 8-meter vertical rock formation that is excellent for brief day trips and local folklore exploration