Requirements and Training
Kenya Community and Conservation Volunteer Expedition

Skills Required

No previous experience or foreign language skills are required, but volunteers must be able to work as part of a team, have a strong interest in wildlife and conservation, a sense of adventure and be prepared to enjoy Africa in a rustic way. Days are hot and dusty, and volunteers can expect to experience all the adventures and rigors of Africa on a continual basis. In addition, all volunteers will have to complete a swimming test on arrival at the expedition base (an unaided 200m surface swim, followed by a ten minute float in the open sea environment). Participants must be enthusiastic, adventurous and respectful of their host country’s culture and environment.

Training and Qualifications

Volunteers receive comprehensive training that is continuous and rigorous, and involves both indoor lectures and field practicals. Training is delivered in the first few days that volunteers join each of the programmes and consists of presentations and field lectures, combined with practical field experience to build upon the theoretical knowledge. This provides Volunteers with a baseline and holistic understanding of all aspects of the region’s terrestrial and marine environment on which to build throughout your stay. The topics training covers include: oceanography, marine mammal identification, marine mammal behaviour, turtle biology and identification, terrestrial environments, threats and conservation, primate survey techniques, biodiversity and anthropogenic impact surveys, English language teaching techniques and certification, and an internationally-recognised first aid course