St. James Community Orphans School

KVDA is an indigenous, non-political and membership organization, which is non-sectarian and non-profit making, started in 1962 as a work camp organization registered under the Societies’ Act. In 1993, KVDA was registered as a Non-Governmental organization by the establishment of the NGOs Coordination Act.
Vision Statement of KVDA: KVDA envisions a more peaceful and connected world through voluntary international service.
Mission Statement of KVDA: The mission of KVDA is to promote peace, and understanding through international volunteerism combined with locally driven, sustainable development. We believe that powerful personal and global change happens when people work together, build cross-cultural friendships, and mobilize their resources to support development against dependence.

Core Values or Operating Principles
• Promotion of voluntarism.
• Transparency and accountability.
• Participatory evaluation of projects.
• Local community ownership of projects:
• Continuous research and development.
• Regular follow up of projects.
• A learning organization.
• Documentary evidence of processes and events.

Strategic Objectives
• Afford voluntary service opportunities to young people.
• Mobilize communities to action.
• Supplement formal education with experiential learning.
• Create awareness amongst Kenyan communities about development issues.
• Foster global peace, friendship and understanding.
• Mobilizing all-purpose resources to promote grassroots development.
Products and Services
a) International work camps
b) National work camps and expeditions
c) Medium and long-term volunteering program
d) Outbound voluntary service program
e) Erasmus Plus Program funded by the European Commission
f) Educational tours.
g) Development education and empowerment of communities.
h) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
i) Enterprise Development Training.
j) Languages teaching i.e. Kiswahili and English
k) Inter-cultural education and use of forum theatre and non-formal education to enhance cultural diversity.
Values
KVDA has a 60-year history of working to “develop against dependence” while cultivating trust and friendships with volunteers and partner organizations all over the world. The three mandates of the organization are as follows:
■ The Association shall be a non-profit, non-governmental, non-religious and non-political Association, whose inspiration is the furtherance of peace, friendship, understanding, development, democracy and equality among peoples of different cultures and backgrounds.
■ The Association is dedicated to seeking opportunities for young men and women from diverse national, cultural and educational backgrounds to live, work and share life and experiences in order to improve their world, to provide voluntary services to marginalized communities, to acquire alternative education, to gather information and build international cooperation.
■ The Association is further dedicated to mobilizing resources within and across national borders to support community development initiatives whose aims are to eradicate poverty and human suffering as well as to promote democracy and justice among peoples.
Bright Spots
International Partnerships - KVDA has a long history of successfully collaborating with organizations around the world to deliver programs. Successful recent partnerships include CCIVS, successfully implemented 6 Erasmus+ projects funded by the European commission, Implemented Germany Government funded program “Weltwaerts”, worked with Lunaria Italy on series of EU bilateral projects, and in partnership with the Dobrudzha Agricultural and Business School in Bulgaria implemented Climate change project under Youth in Action program of the EU. KVDA served on the Executive Committee of the Coordinating Committee of International Voluntary Service (CCIVS) based in Paris France from 2004 and 2012. This history of successfully collaborating and assuming a leadership position with international organizations demonstrates KVDA’s aptitude for working cross culturally.
Network of Past Volunteers - KVDA has worked with thousands of international and Kenyan volunteers over the years since inception in 1962.