Main Menu

About VSO

Volunteering

Donate Now

Get involved

Events

Newsroom

Fundraising

Resources

Staff Vacancies

Groups & Networks

Corporate Partners

Back to full version
Our other websites

VSO - Sharing Skills, Changing Lives

Facts & Figures Population: 37 million Capital city: Nairobi GDP per capita: $1,140 HDI ranking: 152 out of 177 countries * Life expectancy: 47

* The UNDP Human Development Index (HDI) measures a country's achievements in terms of life expectancy, educational attainment and adjusted real income.

Country background

VSO Jitolee volunteers are working in secure livelihoods, disability, and HIV & AIDS.

In Secure Livelihoods volunteers are working to enable disadvantaged youths, women and other marginalised groups such as people living with HIV and AIDS or disabilities to earn a living. A significant area of this work is through the EU funded TED programme (Training through Enterprise Development), which works through Kenya’s Youth Polytechnics. With 56% of the Kenyan population below 19 years and another 20% aged between the ages of 19 and 35, Youth Polytechnics are Kenya’s single most important institutions in providing vocational skills for self-employment for the youth. However research indicated that the performance of the institutions is undermined by three key problem areas, which are weak management, inadequate curricula and being under resourced. Volunteers working on the TED project are undertaking a number of roles, including conducting needs assessment; advising on products to be produced for the market; advising on income generating activities and improving the administrative processes needed to manage the institutions.

Elsewhere, volunteers are working with community-based organisations to encourage income-earning activities for women’s groups, rural or vulnerable groups, many of which promote the use of natural resources or traditional arts and crafts. Volunteers work alongside colleagues to improve skills in areas such as marketing, financial management, networking and business development.

VSO works with a number of different partners in the areas of Disability. The Children with Disabilities Empowerment Programme (CDEP) works to improve access to appropriate education for children with disabilities; raise community awareness of the needs and rights of children with disabilities and increase government support for inclusive policies and the rights of people with disabilities. Outside CDEP, volunteers are working with disabled people’s organisations in areas such as community based rehabilitation, advocacy, income earning opportunities and organisational development.

In HIV and AIDS volunteers are working with community-based organisations, local non-governmental organisations and the national AIDS Control Council to reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS on organisations and individuals by increasing awareness of prevention and also improving access to treatment, care, nutrition and income generation activities for people living with HIV and AIDS.

VSO Jitolee also recruits volunteers from Kenya. There are currently more than 150 skilled professionals who have been recruited as volunteers working in 31 countries worldwide.