St. James Community Orphans’ School

Name: St. James Community Orphans’ School
Start: 2020-05-02
End: 2020-05-23
Location: Kenya

Code: 148b7477-103b-11ea-a873-00505603f1ab Copied

Kenya Farming Education Farming Education Fixed dates

About the project

📝 Detailed information

🏢 About the local organisation

Project overview

St. James Community Orphans School is a community owned school whose idea was conceived to the challenges that the community has been with over the years. For a long time, parents have passed on leaving their children to be orphans who are either total or partial. Due to constant and continuous death and other related issues, the number of these orphans grew to an escalating rate which eventually led to call for intervention. It is this regard the school has taken good care of most of these orphans since school opened its doors on the 9th January 2012.

St. James Community School is located in Mfangano Island, Homabay county in Kenya. It’s one of the many islands in Lake Victoria with several beaches. Being an island with many fishing beaches, it’s prone to a unique lifestyle that contributes to high prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS which leads to many orphans.

St. James School is addressing three major problems

1. Free education for these orphans

2. Poor nutrition

3. Alarming low levels of domestic income among caregivers households

In 2014, the school started with a population of 45 orphans represented in three kindergarten classes, with 3 teachers. To date the school is enjoying a population of 112 both total and partial orphans aged between 3 years to 12 years. The school has seven classes with 8 teachers.

💼 What the programme involves

Manual work and Intercultural activities:

• Farming

• Home visits to orphans and caregivers

• Sports with school pupils

• Workshops about children rights to the local community

• Advocacy against teenage pregnancy

• Social work majorly guiding and counseling for the HIV/AIDS program at the health center

• Field visits and face to face meetings with the local people

• Participate in home visits to enhance inter-cultural education and solidarity

🏠 Accommodation on site

ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS

• The host community will provide a house to accommodate the volunteers with very basic living conditions.

• Volunteers have an obligation to climb down the level of the people with the aim of exposure to development challenges.

• KVDA will provide foodstuffs and volunteers will cook their own meals in turns. Water is available from springs and it is recommended that drinking water should be boiled or medicated. Mineral water available at supermarkets is also recommended.

• There is electricity connection at the project and so volunteers can use electric appliances.

• Furthermore, we invite you to bring typical food, spices, drinks, games and music from your country (for an intercultural evening) – and a lot of motivation!

📍 About the location

LOCATION: The school is located within Mfangano Island, Waware sub-location, Mfangano north location, Mfangano division, Mbita Sub-county of Homa-bay County.

⚠️ Requirements

What to carry?

This is outlined in the detailed info sheet and includes, sleeping bag and mat, toiletries, torch/flashlight, sandals, mosquito net, national flag from your country, among others

🤝 Meeting point

Airport pick-up services:
• This will be done subject to provision of full flight details.
• The port of entry to Kenya is Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.
• Volunteers will stay at KVDA Residence in Nairobi at a subsidized fee

ℹ️ Additional information

Participation FEES: The project participation fees that is all-inclusive for the 3-week work camp is Euro 300

WHAT DOES THE PARTICIPATION FEES COVER?
Project preparation cycle, return transfers from the airport and the project, KVDA administration, orientation, certificate of participation, project coordination, facilitation, evaluation and monitoring
WHAT IS NOT COVERED?
Excursion activities, local travel while in the community, personal effects, needs and wants.

Interested in this project? Create your account and apply online.

📅 Available sessions

KVDA/STV/05A

02/05/2020 → 23/05/2020

Closed

0 / 20

♂ 0/10 ♀ 0/10

ℹ️ Key information

Age required

18–99 years old

Solidarity donation

300.00 EUR

French tax residents may be eligible for a tax reduction of up to 66% of their costs (membership, plane tickets, solidarity donation).

📍 Location

Mfangano Island, Kenya

Kenya

🌍 Location info

Local currency

Kenyan Shilling (KES / KSh)

Exchange rate

1 KES = 0.006892 EUR

Rate as of 31/05/2026

Timezone

East Africa Time

Local time: 21:24 (12/11/2026)

🛡️ Before you leave

Security information

📞 Contact us

[email protected]

+32 2 888 67 13

Contact form

✅ Features

🗣️ Languages spoken

English Swahili