At the end of September I will be saying goodbye to my family, to my friends and to little Lichfield as I depart for ten weeks in Kenya with VSO (Voluntary Services Overseas). I am taking part in the International Citizen Service (ICS) scheme, a government funded initiative which sends 18-25 year olds from the UK to work on projects feeding into the Millennium Development Goals in developing countries. What is unique about the ICS scheme is that all UK volunteers are partnered up with a counterpart volunteer native to the country they are working in, who will also fall into the 18-25 age bracket. Volunteers also live with a local family and so become fully immersed into the country’s way of life.
After nervously sending off my application last year I waited before finally hearing that I was to attend an assessment day. There were 8 other young people at my assessment with whom I partook in a variety of group activities and discussions before having a daunting 45 minute 1 to 1 interview. A week after my assessment day I got an email saying that I had been accepted onto the scheme and would be spending three months in Kenya!!
So I then officially entered the “pre-programme” phase of the scheme, and this meant that it was time to start fundraising! I was given a target of £800 to fundraise and none of this money would pay for any aspect of my trip whatsoever. This money would go back to VSO and the ICS scheme as a whole and was used to show my commitment to the scheme. After a gig night at Whittington cricket club using local young musical acts, an afternoon tea and a generous donation from Lichfield St. Chad’s Rotary group and many other kind donations and smaller fundraising events....I hit my target! I would like to thank every individual or organisation who donated or helped support my fundraising events in one way or another, it means a massive amount to me and I can ensure that the money is going to a worthwhile cause.
At the end of August I went on my pre programme training weekend where I met some of my team and found out more about what I will be doing. I am going to a small town called Loitokitok which is very close to the border with Tanzania and is at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Our project is aiming to help ‘Secure Livelihoods’ in the area, this might include; Education, Natural resources management, Information and Communication Technology and Business development support. All of these projects are very interesting and will prove beneficial to the local community. As a team of UK and Kenyan volunteers we will also be putting on community action days to involve the whole community of Loitokitok and to promote important messages such as gender equality and sexual health.
I am very excited to go to Kenya and start work on this project in a new area that ICS hasn’t been to before. Meeting my counterpart volunteer and home-stay family will be a real highlight of the trip I’m sure. Before long I’ll be saying goodbye to Lichfield until Christmas and I cannot wait for this new adventure!!
When I return back from Kenya I will definitely let you know about my time in Loitokitok. However in the mean time if you would like any more information about the ICS scheme or the work that VSO does please follow these links:
