Kithoka Amani Children’s Home / International Peace Initiatives
Categories:
Spanish Language Preferences:
Location Details
Description
Kithoka Amani Children’s Home (KACH) is a program of International Peace Initiatives (IPI), situated in Meru County, Kenya and has been in operation since 2003. IPI is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) that works to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDs, poverty and violence in the lives of women and children in Kenya. We bring together a global network of individuals and organizations seeking to share innovative and alternative means of overcoming the devastation of disease, conflict, and poverty in the world today. IPI’s tools are Education, Enterprise and ‘Empoweredness.’ IPI endeavors to strengthen the capacity of women living with HIV/AIDS, their families and communities to care for women and children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, poverty and violence. IPI has created a number of core programs that support these marginalized groups. The Kithoka Amani Children’s Home (KACH) is one of IPI’s core programs. It is at KACH that the ND students will be placed.
Student Role
The role and responsibilities of the students will include: Mentoring and Femtoring our children; teaching them English (and any other foreign language the ND students know) and Science/Math; teaching them games; creating projects together such as creating organic gardens; planting trees; and visiting the schools where our kids study. The students will also participate in the workshops that we host for youth. The students will also learn from our children how to cook various Kenyan dishes (e.g chapati) and in return, the students will teach our children how to make a dish from USA.
Work Schedule
The students will work from 8am to 4pm (for a minimum of 7 hours a day). They will work from Monday to Friday. They will be free on Saturdays and Sundays.
Orientation
We will introduce the students to our work at International Peace Initiatives and the Kithoka Amani Children’s Home (KACH) site on zoom before they arrive. We will share photographs showing the various facets of KACH and the Tiriji Eco Center where the students will be accommodated. We will then let them ask any questions they have. On arrival, we normally do a village walk so that the student is aware of the place she has landed. We then do an orientation of the KACH home and Tiriji Eco Center. We share our story using a powerpoint presentation that shares with the students where we started and where we are at when they arrive. We share our approach to regeneration of various spaces, such as, various human, environmental, and resource vulnerabilities. We then answer any questions the students may have. We have one of the KACH older children accompany the students to the various events taking place at IPI at the time of arrival so that they can become familiar with our work. We have an organic garden; a herbs processing space as well as a weaving and jewelry making space. The students work in all these spaces to have a feel of our work. We also have a skills training program where vulnerable girls learn skills in catering, tailoring and hairdressing. The students try their hand at these various activities and they do these hand-in-hand with KACH kids and the women we work with. Our space is very community-oriented. We bring vulnerable women from the community to our site to learn various activities. It is always fun when students learn about the issues of women and youth from our community members instead of us telling them stories from our perspective. We believe that immersing students in our community is a powerful way for them to feel the love and support of everyone within and without KACH. Hence, even when they walk around the village, everyone knows them and greets/sees them as part of the KACH family and the larger community.
Housing Information
Students will stay at our Eco Center – which is 3 minutes walk from KACH. The students share one room which has two beds, a shower and seat/flashing toilet. The Eco Center is a sustainability project for KACH, hence the place where we accommodate our guests. When the students are there, there will be other guests – mainly students from other parts of the USA – these other students come for shorter periods of time – from 2 to 3 weeks. We all eat together in a dining hall set up. Students are invited to clean their utensils after meals. The students are part of the cooking party assigned particular days of preparing meals for everyone.
Spanish Language Proficiency
Not Applicable
Other Language Proficiencies
Yes, a language like French so that she or he can teach our children.
Background Check
CPR Training, Child Protection/Working with Youth Training, Immunizations (please note if any are required by your site below), Safe Environment Training
Drivers License
No
Student Preferences
The student who succeeds in a new environment is open minded and open hearted. They are flexible and able to adapt to a different accent, new food types, new culture and new people. It would be great to have students who are easy going and easily able to connect with children and youth. Students with some knowledge of ICT, coding and how AI works would be a great asset for our children. A student in an education (teaching) and/or social work program would be great too. A student who is passionate about social and environmental transformation is welcome too.