Overview
Volunteer Teaching in Kenya

GVI Volunteers will live and work in the beautiful Shimoni Archipelago, off the coast of the Indian Ocean on the border with Tanzania, a world class location for dolphins as well as other wildlife. Volunteers will have the opportunity to become involved in local community development projects, including teaching English as a foreign language and sustainable tourism programmes. Full training is provided by GVI's full time education staff allowing volunteers a hands on and invaluable contribution to the development of this warm and welcoming community. Volunteers can also choose to combine this project with other GVI programs in the area including our dolphin research project and primate research project.

View Film Footage, images, blogs, volunteer stories from the field, volunteer video diaries and more at the programs media centre

The orphanage is always the highlight of my day, just being there reading, talking and drawing with the children is so much fun. They are always so happy and excited to see us and the time always goes far too fast.

Jessica Eddison, GVI Volunteer 2008

What Difference Does This Project Make?

The GVI Kenya Expedition is making a difference by supporting our partners, including Kenyan Wildlife Services, in three focus areas; cetacean research, community development and Terrestrial ecology studies. Through education, environmental awareness and current wildlife monitoring studies, our collaborative work has been building capacity within the communities, assisting them in developing sustainable tourism practises and protecting cetacean and primate species within the area. Volunteers choosing to join this project will focus on the community development side of the program but will ultimately aid all aspects of this long term multi focused program

Highlights

Integrating deeply with the local community and learning some Swahili, English language teaching techniques and an intro to TEFL (teach English as a foreign language) certification, Camping out under the African stars; living on an African island; having the chance to see dolphins and whales; experiencing the amazing mega-fauna of the island that includes whale sharks and manta rays (seasonal), snorkelling some of Kenya’s finest coral reefs, seeing primates and making a real difference to these vital community development projects.

Location

If you are looking to go on an adventurous expedition that takes you to a truly exotic location, this is the one for you! Shimoni is a peninsula located next to the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Protected Area, which lies at the tip of the Pemba Channel. With scattered islands covered by coastal forest, mangroves, rocky shores, sandy bays and fringed by coral reefs, Shimoni is a tropical haven and divers’ paradise. The expedition’s main base is located on Wasini Island, which is situated alongside the famous Kisite National Marine Park.

Field Conditions

Accommodation is in shared housing that has a large communal banda where volunteers can eat, conduct training, plan lessons and relax after their teaching within the local community. You will be living with different volunteer teams either from the GVI expedition or from volunteers choosing to work on the dolphin project. This is a great way to learn more about what GVI does in the area and you will also have the opportunity to stop in to see other projects at work. The communal area has a beautiful view of the channel and Mkwiro beach. The base camp will have limited electricity, powered by solar panel and backed up by a generator. Volunteers can wash either in the ocean or using bucket-style showers on the base. Wholesome and varied meals will be cooked on a rotational basis