The disabled children and youths in the community endure unbearable suffering because of the nature of the cultural practices and the attitude of community members. Mental retardation is stigmatized and any child with such handicap is either hidden at home or kept to look after their animals.
Poroko special school is the only such school in the larger Transmara region. It is located in the Maasai country side. The school was established to address the plight of the disabled among the Maasai community. The school thus will go a long way in addressing this crucial problem. The school at the moment has a total of 72 students and seven teachers and seven support staff. 50 students are in residence in the school. The main objective of the school is to equip the mentally challenged in the area of operation with life skills and get employed in other sectors with technical qualification to own their own small industries and hence create their own employment and be self-reliant Project activities.
Nurturing and developing the skills and talents of children with mental disability and making the community aware of their needs and how well they can be integrated into the development spectrum of the community.
Volunteer tasks:
Nurturing the talents of these children will be involved in the following activities together with other staff members:
support in educational development of the children especially in the following fields’ handcrafts, agriculture, home science and woodwork. Volunteers will also be involved in the awareness creation with the community to enlighten the local community on the needs of these children and enhance their acceptance in the community. Other activities will include awareness creation in the community on emerging issues especially HIV/AIDS; Resource mobilization to support the activities of the project; capacity building.
Minimum stay:
3 months
Maximum stay:
12 months
Financial contribution:
Participation fees is Euro 200 per month paid upfront on arrival to cover the entire duration of placement at the project and monthly payment of participation fees is not allowed for conventional purposes.
What is included in the participation fee? •Airport transfers •Accommodation and food while in the project (breakfast and dinner will be provided in project) •Orientation and evaluation including board •Transport to and from the project
What is not included in the participation fee? •Cost of drinks like soda, bear, mineral water etc. •Cost of sight seeing •Visa costs •Local traveling
« I appreciate that constructive criticism may be more useful to you than praise but I honestly have no gripes that I could possibly mention. I can only thank you for the experience that I really enjoyed and will undoubtedly follow-up in the coming year. »