You will need to fly into Ukunda, where your Kenya-based AV representative will meet you on arrival. After a quick stop at the shops in Diani, you will head straight to your house for a chance to settle in, unwind after the hectic few days leading up to your departure and get to know the other volunteers. The AV in-country representatives will brief you the following day, once you have rested from your journey to Kenya. We will cover the following:

• Customs and culture of Kenya and its people
• Safety, health and security
• Advice on communicating with your students and tips for lessons, if you’ve chosen to help in a school
• Community projects
• Basic Kiswahili

The briefings for the Gap Year Kenya Program takes place close to the beach so you will definitely have the chance to relax and enjoy the location!  In no time, you will be ready to start your village experience and settle in to your new home, but remember they’re never more than a phone call away if you need them!

What you do each day is down to you, however, two days with AV in Kenya are rarely the same! Be ready for a variety of experiences to develop your transferable skills.

In the community your hard work and efforts will be greatly appreciated. From living like a local within a village to community work through local schools, an education centre and community centre, your time on our gap year program will be well-spent to make sure you have a positive impact in the surrounding villages. Building, painting and renovating classrooms; feeding programs; fresh water projects; groups for girls; health clinics; support reading through a local library; sports coaching; and teaching – these are just a few of the activities you’ll be supporting.

If you have chosen to spend some time in the classroom at a local rural school, all lessons are taught in English and the schools appreciate help in English, maths, science, art, drama, music and computers (if they have them). It would be extremely helpful for you to spend time with students who have been left behind at the back of the class, helping them to read, write and speak English in smaller groups. You can run your sessions in pairs or on your own. Outside of this you will spend time planning for lessons or for your one to one sessions, and may have homework to mark!

For those doing sports coaching you can run all the PE lessons and arrange sports clubs. PE lessons may involve big classes and little equipment, a game of tag or duck, duck goose are great for their simple rules and mass participation, in general they are a good test of your initiative and resourcefulness. Sports clubs involving football, rugby, athletics, rounders, volley ball, cricket and netball are all actively encouraged – however you can also teach new games. Many AV volunteers arrange fixtures or tournaments between the different AV schools or an inter school sports day.

Outside of the classroom or on the sports field, you can make a big impact by running after-school clubs and supporting the local education centre – these have included debating, reading, French, modern dance, art, music or drama. In the past, AV volunteers have run talent shows, produced school newsletters and magazines, and even started a choir. You might choose to brighten up classrooms by painting or decorating the walls with educational  murals from the alphabet and numbers to world maps and the solar system – let your imagination run wild and leave your mark!

Each day you can spend time socialising with the local community, usually over a cup of chai (sweet tea) or lunch. This is a great chance to get to know your colleagues and learn more about them. They will be keen to learn more about your life at home whilst you can practice your Kiswahili! Support will be on hand to show you round and advice on where to shop, the nearest internet café etc.

At weekends and on public holidays you can stay in the village or travel further afield. You may want to continue work on projects you have started, such as painting a classroom or revamping the desks and chairs and playground equipment. Alternatively you can head to Ukunda or Diani to do some shopping, have a meal in a nice restaurant or meet up with other AV volunteers and travel to see other parts of Kenya. You could also go to Shimba Hills game reserve or Kisite Marine Park – there is plenty to do on the Kenyan coast!

In Kenya you will live in designated AV houses with fellow volunteers. An important part of the AV experience is living in local accommodation, shopping at the local markets, or being invited to your colleagues houses for a meal.

The house itself will have a bedroom(s), a communal/cooking area and somewhere to wash. You will have running water and a flushing toilet but expect electricity to be intermittent. Whatever house you get, you will grow to love it and soon feel very much at home! We encourage independence and so you won’t have someone cooking for you and looking after you – it’s a chance to step up and take responsibility for yourself.

You will be given a living allowance and will be expected to shop at the local markets and cook for yourself. Again, this is the best way of getting to know people, being involved in the community and gaining the best possible understanding of living there – you are not a bystander watching from afar.

24/7 AV representative support: Whilst not living with you full time the AV representative is never far away and there whenever you need them. They can be contacted by phone 24/7 and will visit you during your project.

As your project comes to an end, if you’ve been with us for 12 weeks you have the chance to stay on for an additional 4 weeks of independent travel time, to ensure a good balance of volunteer work and travel. Kenya and other parts of East Africa have lots of exciting and beautiful places to explore which you won’t get a chance to do in your weekends alone.

From our experience traveling is often when problems occur, from lost passports to getting ill – that’s why we offer this extra travel time to ensure that you experience as much as possible but with the continued 24/7 support from us whilst you do so. It’s up to you, the only rule is that you don’t travel by yourself. If 4 weeks isn’t enough and you are staying on a bit longer in Africa, don’t worry because “Once an AV, always an AV!”