Help the Maasai in Kenya with MANDO Our volunteers are on-the-ground Maasai specialists. In our eight years of existence our project managers in the field have had the privilege of sharing Kenya and Maasai culture with volunteers determined to make a difference in the challenging environmental and social structures in which we work. And they did. So can you. Matonyok Nomads Development Organization http://mando-maasai.org Offices in Karen 5 miles/15 kms from Nairobi +254 (0) 724 415793 and +254 (0) 733 948648
Learn from experienced Maasai guides about life in the African bush Live in the heart of the Maasai people, one of the finest safari destinations in the world Work alongside local Maasai instructors training and educating students from surrounding Maasai communities http://mandomaasai.org/education.html Help communities value their environment through conservation education http://mandomaasai.org/latest_microgrids.html and http://mandomaasai.org/latest_solarlamps.html Be involved in helping and improving the facilities of a Maasai school and the safe house for girls under construction Get a taste of the Kenyan / Maasai culture; learn a bit of Swahili & Maasai Maa language Make friends for life Your mission is to help local Maasai communities help themselves, while preserving their unique culture. You will be involved in education, budding entrepreneurial businesses, developing water sources or conservation, among varied projects in Kenya's Southern Rift Valley. The goal is sustainable solutions for the entire ecosystem.
MANDO is a young, rapidly growing non-profit NGO addressing huge challenges. Its Maasai people face increasingly severe drought that is forcing them to become more agriculturally based, contrary to their historically nomadic, pastoral existence. Volunteers teach, work in an agriculture demonstration farm, provide primary healthcare, develop water sources and storage tanks and administer micro-loans to women starting small businesses to support their families. Wherever possible, placements are tailored to the interests and abilities of the volunteer. Location Situated on the equator on Africa's east coast, Kenya offers beautiful landscapes, amazing wildlife and ethnic diversity that yield a vibrant social atmosphere. Our Eremit community in the heart of the Lake Magadi ecosystem just southwest of Nairobi between the famous Ngong Hills as well as Lake Magadi with its impressive flora and fauna. Projects you may be involved in MANDO is proud to have been started by Maasai natives themselves. Their guidance for goals is instrumental in assuring that volunteers are making a meaningful and lasting impact. Kimelok Girls School Approximately 250 students range from pre-school to grade 8. Thanks to the Headmaster, there is noticeable pride in the school by both the community and the children. Volunteers run an environmental club once a week with selected students encouraging conservation through interactive methods. These students are then responsible for transferring what they learn to other students through workshops and presentations. The school itself is very basic, leaving much potential to develop the facilities.
Community development MANDO involves volunteers in project development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. When completed, they hand the project over to the community. Activities might be: Gather information for a project from those involved to describe situations so that donors and sponsors can learn why the need is so great Identify pump locations, using GPS to document terrains Compile reports Train users to repair and maintain boreholes or pumps or in sanitation and hygiene practices Prepare a proposal with budget for a specific project including tools, materials and work required Work on a specific task such as tank or water trough construction or fix hand pumps Agriculture / Farming MANDO provides training, tools, nongenetically modified seeds for staples such as maize and beans as well as help sell or store the harvest if there is a surplus. Volunteers would be involved with recruiting farmers to participate, prepping land, planting and watering seedlings in the nursery and transplanting them to fields as well as weeding.
Women's issues / Entrepreneurship Micro-loans help women start and build businesses. Volunteers are involved in appraising business possibilities, processing loans to members, monitoring compliance with loan policies and procedures, keeping records, devising ways to recover delinquencies and attend planning and review meetings. Silan safe house Silan means girl in Maasai. Girls threatened by genital mutilation and early marriage will be housed in a safe house currently under construction. These cultural practices keep girls from achieving their potential, and MANDO and its communities are devising ways to overcome them. A housekeeper will look after 20 girls aged 5-15. It will be their home 24/7 except when at school (Kimelok Girls School or Ewuaso high school). Construction so far Goals are to provide safe living quarters to girls vulnerable to female genital mutilation, early marriage and early pregnancy educate residents in regard to civil rights and life skills, provide additional and ongoing education in anthropology and history as well as practical skills in first aid, management and cooking grow food to feed residents (any surplus will be sold with proceeds invested back to Silan). Landscaping includes fruit-bearing trees and crop-yielding plants. Both the girls and their community are responsible for maintaining the house and grounds. convert the surroundings into an economically viable conservation area, equipping local people with skills needed to participate in and promote conservation and wildlife management continue improving facilities building dormitories, a dining area and kitchen The Silan facility will also support the existing micro-loan program for women offering training, eventually a computer lab and agriculture initiatives. Volunteers are involved with construction of the safe house and camp facilities, identifying resources for future development and realizing the overall concept.
A day in the life of a MANDO volunteer These proposed schedules are subject to change but exemplify typical scenarios. Kimelok Girls School 06:30 10:30 08:00 07:30 13:00 10:30 09:00 Practical activities with community guides such as guided walks or bird spotting Computer/English/cultural lesson Break Practical activities which may include work in the tree nursery/greenhouse, resource 13:00 14:00 14:00 16:30 16:30 17:30 17:30 18:30 18:30 19:00 19:00+ Saturdays room, painting, classrooms renovations, library development, etc. Lunch Continue with practical activities Dinner Evening lessons Volunteers seek feedback with workshops/debates/presentations with students. 8:00 09:30 Discussion improves English language skills. Agriculture 06:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 17:00 18:30 19:00+ 12:00 13:00 14:00 17:00 18:30 19:00 Training at the demonstration farm, recruiting and/or planting Lunch Evening lessons / rest period Data entry / rest period Dinner Eremit villages 07:30 08:00 12:00 08:00 12:00 13:00 17:00 18:00 18:00 19:00 19:00+ Breakfast Formulating agriculture project reports Computer/English/cultural lesson with girls at Kimelok school Community conservation projects (e.g. outreach, tree planting, clean-up, educational workshops, building and construction, painting, advising women entrepreneurs, etc) Transport back to host families Dinner Community development & safe house 08:00 13:00 14:00 17:00 19:00+ 11:45 14:00 17:00 19:00 Computer/English/Cultural lesson with Kimelok girls school Work at Enkoireroi clinic Lunch Micro-loan monitoring & evaluation visits Transport back to host families and dinner
Enkoireroi Primary School 06:30 08:00 10:30 07:30 10:30 11:30 Practical activities with community guides e.g. guided walks Computer/English/cultural lesson with students from Eremit school Break Work which may include improving the resource room, painting, building, library 13:00 14:00 17:00 18:00 19:00+ 14:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 development, tree marking, etc. Lunch Environmental conservation club Rest period/ Evening lessons Dinner Every effort to meet individual needs is made. Volunteers are accepted from 2 weeks up to 3 months 2-week placement: 900 US$ 1215 KES 121500 1 month: 1475 US$ 1990 KES 199125 3 months : 1940 US$ 2619 KES 261900 These fees go directly back into the project that you are involved with for items such as building materials, supplies, food, vehicles and equipment. Included Transfers to and from Nairobi International Airport Stay-over in Karen wildebeest eco camp if necessary (for volunteers arriving late at night) Full board and lodging for the duration of your stay Weekly laundry service Orientation All project-related transportation and equipment required to carry out your project work 24-hour support and guidance from the project management team Kenyan SIM card to be returned at the end of your stay. This will ease communications locally and internationally.
Not included Transport to and from Nairobi Items of a personal nature, such as gifts, curios and additional food and drinks Medical insurance for the duration of your program (including repatriation) Additional trips or activities over and above your planned itinerary Visas Orientation Upon arrival in Nairobi you will be met by a MANDO representative, who will escort you to your new home in Eremit in the heart of Maasai land. Once you have settled in, you will be briefed about what's next and receive a detailed welcome pack with all the important information you will need. You will be shown the areas where you will be volunteering. In the next few days you will visit the project sites and be introduced to relevant key people and volunteer coordinators with whom you will be working closely. Support Throughout your stay you will have the support and guidance of experienced field workers, MANDO's support team providing competent and 24-hour field assistance. Accommodations You will be staying in a rustic yet comfortable volunteer guest house in the heart of the Kenyan bush, a male/female delineated dormitory with outside eating/kitchen area and latrines. Hot water is available at night for showers. Mosquito nets and towels are provided. Cell phone reception is spotty, although a Safaricom SIM card is provided (to be returned at your departure). To use the internet, it is recommended that you bring your own laptop. Wifi is available at the project site. Laundry is done weekly; housekeeping is daily. A cook provides three meals a day. Breakfast is cafeteria style, usually consisting of cereal/porridge, toast, fruit, tea and coffee. Lunch and dinner are full meals varied daily but mostly ugali (cornmeal) and vegetables such as greens, cabbage, cereals and beans, along with flatbread, rice and stir fry or stewed meat. When spending the day at Kimelok Girls School or other community projects, meals will be the same as provided to students corn and beans, rice, and ugali served with collard greens. Lunches may be packed in advance. Remember you will be living in the wild, so you will need to be accompanied by a guide when going for walks.
Meet your destination manager, MANDO's director Michael Sayo (shown here with one of his sons) was born and raised in Eremit, one of the communities MANDO supports. Before getting a chance to go to school at eight years old, he spent most of his time in the bush looking after the family's cows, protecting them from lions and other dangers. While he loved his herd, he also saw the value of having formal education. Villagers sold goats and cows to help him get an education in Nairobi. After graduation he decided to give back to his community. Thus, MANDO was founded. E-mail Michael: Michael.sayo@mando-maasai.org Many more questions are answered on our Q&A web page http://mandomaasai.org/intern_faq.html Partners Goodwill Globetrotting is a global charity support network helping new or struggling organizations lacking resources to accomplish their missions. It fosters and partners with these organizations, providing hands-on support in the way of materials, recruiting volunteers, enhancing their marketing and publicity campaigns and hosting fundraisers on their behalf. MANDO is a proud member. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Web site at http://www.globetrottingforgood.org Ol Pejeta is a non-profit wildlife conservancy in Kenya involved in protecting endangered species, eco-tourism and best practices in livestock management. MANDO community members have learned about integrated livestock ranching and wildlife conservation there. Web site at http://www.olpejetaconservancy.org Volunteer 4 Africa disseminates information about volunteer opportunities as well as wish lists for voluntary organizations and nonprofits. Their working premise: Travel abroad to Africa and make a difference! Web site at http://www.volunteer4africa.org IndiGO aims to change the culture of volunteering to a sustainable and fee-free system connecting volunteers directly with projects and charities around the world. MANDO's listing is a participant. Web site at http://www.indigovolunteers.org