Volunteer Ndiwa Widows and Child Empowerment
Project: Farming to reduce hunger & fight HIV/Aids Theme: Empower Mamas to educate their children Location: Kibwezi, Eastern Kenya Length of placement:;-open Dates Time placement: Any Time Accommodation::;- Family stay Preferred languages: English Volunteer groups: Single, partner or more than 5 people Area attractions: Tsavo National park, anti-gravity site and community culture

Email now at: volunteer@malaikaecotourism.com

Project’s Background:
“Ndiwa” is a Kamba word that refers to a widow. Ndiwa Women group was started as a result of the increasing number of widows in the community and high poverty levels. Their aim is to take care of their children and sustain their family, therefore the name of the project. Ndiwa Women group is composed of 110 mamas - aged from 24-70 years - who are all widows. Majority of the widows are active, except those who have different health problems coupled with the age factor.

Kibwezi is classified as a semi-arid zone where rainfall is rare and cannot support any meaningful agricultural activities. This village is actually close to the most important highway that connects the port of Mombasa with East and Central Africa, this traffic also leading to Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS among poor people.

Volunteer Role:
Volunteers play a key role of motivation to the community, as well as they lower the gap between the haves and the have nots. The objective is not to turn around the lifes of these unprivileged ones but to make a difference and build a bridge between the North and the South.

The following are volunteers' tasks and roles in the project:

Organic farming Micro-finance program Guidance and counselling Child Sponsorship program Home visits in the villages Team building and animation Nutrition health program Home based care for infected HIV / AIDS People Support of orphans within family members Child & Women educating/empowering programs Develop marketing strategies for the Mamas' products Beneficiaries of this project: about 700 People living in this village

Importance of Volunteer placements:
Volunteers bring with them a different outlook and perspective, as well as knowledge base, which is invaluable to the continued learning and education of the group members and the community. They also help to motivate group members for each activity as well as the community as a whole.

Orientation:
You will receive an orientation at the beginning of your programme in Malaika Ecotourism office in Nairobi, Kenya and then at the project together with the community. It will cover what you can get involved with at your project, how to stay safe and the opportunity to ask any questions that you may have.

Volunteer Programme support:
Throughout your stay in Kibwezi, you will have the support and guidance of the local Community coordinators. They will provide you with competent assistance and help you with anything that you may need. Malaika Ecotourism will also support you with a 24 hour emergency mobile phone number and give you a local sim card line that you can use when you are in the project.