Volunteer

WELCOME TO KENYA

Huruma Children’s Home is delighted to welcome you to Huruma Children’s Home – Ngong, Kenya. While you are here, we hope you feel you are among friends. Our staff is at your disposal to assist you in any way possible. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any problems or queries.

Phone: +254(0)-724-724181 Mama Cell: +254(0)-733-678285

Email: mamazipporah@yahoo.com

Huruma Children’s Home, its staff and management, hope that you have the most enjoyable time in Kenya. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any further questions. We would welcome any comments or suggestions on our operation that you may have.

Your Arrival and Departure

On arrival to the airport, you will proceed through customs and immigration formalities. One of our representatives will be waiting for you outside the arrivals hall. If new at Huruma look for a sign with Huruma Children’s Home on it. Beware of other people trying to sell you a ride. Please give us your departure flight details so that we can reconfirm your flight arrival and departure times.

Languages

State official language and the most popular languages are Swahili and English. Your pick up and most people around the area will speak English.

Currency and Credit Cards

The unit of currency here is the Kenya Shilling (Ksh). Exchange rate is around $1 = Ksh 85. Visa and MasterCard are accepted in most stores throughout Kenya.

Personal Safety

Valuables, including travelers’ cheques should be locked up when away. The streets in the cities and towns are not dangerous, but it is unwise to walk alone after dark or away from well lit streets, especially carrying bags or cameras. Pick-pocketing is very common, so be aware of where all your belongings and monies are on your person. Try not to make a flagrant display of wealth – your normal holiday spending money amounts is a small fortune to most Kenyans.

Health

The sun in Kenya is hotter that you may imagine. One can get sunburned even on a cloudy day. Please take care and use a protective lotion. Piped water supplies are safe practically everywhere, but local advice should be taken. You can find bottles of water in the town of Karen. Please remember to take Malaria preventives and continue these for the required weeks after your departure from Kenya. Mosquito nets are provided on the beds at the Home.

Clothing

Please show respect for local laws, customs, and sensitivities of your host country. Remember for religious reasons, many people consider scanty dress a discourtesy. This applies particularly to northern and eastern Kenya, as well as the coastal areas. Overall, stay away from shorts and skirts that hit above the knees and bare midriffs.

Photography

Please do not photograph the president, police, soldiers, military, prisons, prisoners, or airports. Always enlist the cooperation of your subject before photographing a stranger. People do not like to be regarded as exhibits and many may not understand that your photos are merely a personal record of your trip.

Huruma Children’s home upholds a very strong belief in Jesus Christ and our mission is to empower children through rehabilitation, education, and self- reliance skills so that they can become productive citizens of the future.
People often want to volunteer at Huruma. They all have good hearts and good intentions. Volunteering is a flexible roll. But, once a volunteer has been accepted by Huruma, the Home will do its best to match the volunteer’s interests and desires to the needs of Huruma and their children.
Please understand that living conditions will probably be very unlike those in your home country. Each person who volunteers will have different skills, gifts, and strengths, and after a short period of exposure to the environment of the Home and a discussion with Mama Zipporah or her designate, it will be possible to identify the best use of each volunteer’s time.
There are a range of areas where assistance is required, including childcare, education, medical support, administration, fund raising, building/carpentry, gardening and other special areas, such as sports and dancing, working with the teachers in the school, and much more.
Some volunteers will take on specific roles, while others will simply spend time playing, talking and stimulating the children. This is a particularly valuable activity during the school holidays, when the teaching support is lessened. Volunteers should be able to develop, arrange, and run activities to keep the children busy.
Volunteers are expected to constantly be a positive influence on the children at all times by giving love, time, motivation and inspiration. Volunteers need to always be sensitive to the backgrounds of the children at the Home.
Activities that would make volunteer a negative role model, such as use of bad/foul language, consumption of alcohol, smoking of cigarettes, use of illegal drugs, violent behavior or inappropriate sexual involvement should not take place on the grounds of Huruma Children’s Home or in front of their children at any time.
Volunteers should dress in an appropriate manner to be dealing with children and to respect the Kenyan culture. Long trousers are appropriate for men as well as women. Women can also wear skirts below the knee. No revealing clothing will be allowed. Please respect this rule as the local community is concerned about such things and because of the effect the volunteers have on the children.
We are expecting the volunteers to give 75% of their time to Huruma Children’s Home. If you have other plans during your stay at Huruma Children’s Home, please let us know in advance. If planning on other activities while in Kenya, please arrange these prior to or at the end of your stay at Huruma.
Please be aware that Huruma Children’s Home provides a safe environment for all children that require it. This includes children from the streets, abandoned children, children with HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and many other social, emotional and physical needs.

Complete Application

Volunteer

Everything entered in this form will be held with the highest confidentiality and trust. Please complete this application at your earliest convenience to assure prompt processing. Please note, we recommend turning in a complete application three months prior to desired departure date to allow for processing and review. For more information, please contact the Director of Huruma Children’s Home at info@hurumatrustfund.org.

Name*
First Last
Address*
Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country
Email*
Home Phone*
Office Phone
Cell Phone
Sex*
- Male
- Female
ID or Passport Number*
Copy of your Passport showing your photo*
Max. file size: 32 MB.
Date of Birth*
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Citizenship*
Country of Birth*
Please note the highest level of education achieved, and where. Please share a short sentence about your experiences in school.*
Please list languages spoken and written*
Please obtain a police report from your local police station to submit with your application.*
Max. file size: 32 MB.
Please write a personal statement that includes your purpose in coming to Huruma Children’s Home and how you feel you can benefit the home. Include any talents or life experiences you feel will contribute to the children’s lives at Huruma. Describe any training or education you have received related to working with children. List anything additional you feel can be shared with our children, such as participation in community organizations, hobbies, skills and interests.*
Should your application be accepted in what capacity would you like to serve?*
- Child Care
- Teaching
- Administrative Assistant
- Construction
- I am open to suggestions
Do you prefer to work directly with a specific age group?*
- 0-4 years
- 5-8 years
- 9-11 years
- 12-14 years
- 15-19 years
- No preference
How long would you like to serve at Huruma?*
- Less than one month (a minimum of two weeks expected)
- 1-3 months
- 3-6 months
- 6-12 months
Start Date*
MM slash DD slash YYYY
End Date*
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Are dates flexible?*
- Yes
- No
Health
Medical Insurance Name
Medical Insurance Number
List any health problems*
List any food preferences (such as being vegetarian)
Do you have any physical limitations?*
Please obtain a letter from your primary care physician stating you are in good enough health.*
Max. file size: 32 MB.
Church Affiliation
Church Name*
Name of your pastor or leader*
First Last
Is your church affiliation important to you?*
- Yes
- No
Emergency Contact
Name*
First Last
Address*
Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country
Phone*
References
We require two references to consider you as a volunteer. The first should be a professional person (teacher, counselor, doctor, etc.,) who has known you for a minimum of 6 months. The second reference should be a friend who has known you for a minimum of 2 years. Neither reference can be related to you. Please alert these people to the fact you have given their names as references. They will be contacted by the administrator of your application.
Reference 1 Name*
First Last
Reference 1 Address*
Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country
Reference 1 Phone*
Reference 1 Email*
Reference 2 Name*
First Last
Reference 2 Address*
Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country
Reference 2 Phone*
Reference 2 Email*
Volunteer Commitment These guidelines apply to all volunteers involved with Huruma. They have been designed to enable volunteers to contribute fully during their time at Huruma, while minimizing the disruption to the day to day activities for our children.
By signing this document, you agree to the following
- I agree to treat my volunteer experience at Huruma like a job and conduct myself professionally.
- I agree to adhere to the rules of Huruma as they pertain to the care and protection of their children.
- I agree to actively seek ways to assist in the day to day operations of the Home and to take guidance from the Huruma Staff.
- I understand that my tasks will be based on the key priorities of the home during the time of my visit. As such, I understand that it may not be possible to allocate tasks specific to my skills and experience. As such, I am prepared to keep my plans flexible in order to meet the needs of the children and staff of Huruma at all times.
- I agree to join in the activities of Huruma at all times and to interact with the children rather than standing back and observing.
- I agree to attend and participate in devotions and church services.
- I agree to ensure my behavior is discreet if I am traveling with my partner.
- I agree to wear culturally appropriate clothing (no bare midriffs, nor clothing above the knees).
- I agree to respect the Christian beliefs of Huruma and the background of the children by abstaining from alcohol, drugs, cigarettes and swearing.
- I agree to keep my contacts with the children culturally acceptable and sensitive. I will discourage personal relationships with individual children.
- I agree to not give money, personal items or any other type of gift to any child or staff member at Huruma.
- If I wish to donate gifts, it will be through Huruma administration and will only be donated after consultation with Huruma administration.
- I agree to not disclose any personal contact details (emails or addresses) to the children or Huruma staff.
- I agree to abstain from cell phone (Ipods, Discman, etc.) usage on Huruma grounds (outside of the guesthouse).
- I will respect that the children’s bedrooms are a private area and will not stay over at night.
- I will not bring any child up into the guest house.
- Upon my arrival, I agree to pay the full accommodation fee of US$ 25 per day for the time I will be staying at the Home. If I choose to have Huruma pick me up and return me to the airport, I agree to pay $ 100 U.S. dollars each way.
- I agree to cover the costs of any activities, which incur personal expenses (e.g. hotel stays, transportation, and sight- seeing).
- I agree to arrange my own travel insurance for the duration of my stay.
I declare that all particulars given in this application are true and correct and that I have not willfully suppressed any material fact. I understand that I am liable for dismissal by Huruma Children’s home if the information given above is subsequently found to be untrue or if the volunteer commitment is not adhered to.
Signature*
RELEASE OF LIABILITY
In consideration of Participation in Huruma Children’s Home I, the undersigned, agree to the following statements.
1. I release Huruma Children’s Home, its staff, partners and volunteers of any liability whatsoever arising out of any injury, accident, death, ransom, damage or loss to my physical being or belongings which may be sustained during my stay at Huruma Children’s Home, Ngong.
2. I give Huruma Children’s Home, its staff, Partners and volunteers permission to act in my best interest in case of an emergency. I further authorize Huruma Children’s Home to take me to any doctor for medical treatment, emergency, hospitalization or care as need arises.
Signature*
Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Volunteer

WELCOME TO KENYA

Please ensure that you have read and understood our volunteer information before submitting your application.

Volunteer

Health

Church Affiliation

Emergency Contact

References