Kenya

"LAUNCH OF THE NATIONAL SURVEY ON VOLUNTEERISM IN KENYA:, Perspectives, Structures and Systems. 5 November 2009"

The National Survey on Volunteering in Kenya study articulates the status and perspectives of volunteerism in Kenya. United Nations in Kenya has, through the United Development Assistance Framework 2009-2013, endorsed volunteerism as one of the strategies to be pursued for harnessing the pool of talent in Kenya to contribute to national development as well as promoting corporate social responsibility. It elaborates on the role of volunteerism in selected sectors by bringing out the gaps in the sector - such as the lack of a volunteer policy that would enable enhanced promotion, facilitation and recognition of volunteerism in order to maximise it's benefits for national development.

NEIGHBOURHOOD EMERGENCY VOLUNTEER SCHEME (EVS)

In 2008, The United Nations Development Programme and United Nations Volunteers in collaboration with the Government of Kenya launched the Emergency Volunteer Scheme in the three Nairobi districts on 22, 23, 25 February 2008. During the commitment ceremony for the neighbourhood volunteers scheme in Nairobi, the Minister of state for Special Programmes Hon. Naomi Shabaan, underlined the need to extend the scheme to other hot spot areas in Kenya. UNV and UNDP launched the scheme in Uasin Gishu district on 14 May and in Nakuru district on 15 May. These, two are among some of the 21 districts earmarked for this initiative. Anchoring on volunteerism the scheme is one of the practical initiatives contributing to the promotion of conflict resolution, peace building and supporting the delivery of services in Kenya after the post election crisis. Click to read the NVS BRIEF 2009

Click to access UNV-Kenya website

Dr Ojielo Ozonnia in Nakuru with Emergency Volunteers, July 2009

The Neighbourhood Volunteers Scheme has so far mobilized 928 volunteers covering 21 districts. In Nairobi there are 228 volunteers in 9 neighbourhoods. “The volunteers have made positive progress, but the challenges are still there therefore there is still more work to be done”. Click to read details and view pictures of the field visit.

In areas where the project has existed the volunteers have been able to create their own network and continued with volunteer work. She encouraged volunteers in other neigbourhoods to take on this kind of approach in order to keep the volunteering spirit alive even after the project exits from their neigbourhood. “Volunteerism should be anchored in the community and done in a structured way, so what has been started should be engrained and continue within the community” The Neighbourhood Volunteer Scheme is an initiative that is being implemented to harness positive attitudes in the neighborhoods in order to enable reconciliation and the recovery process following the violence that was witnessed in many parts of the country after the 2007 disputed Presidential elections in Kenya.

UNV Chief of Africa Section visits Kenya Nairobi, 22 March 2009
Mr. Michele Falavigna, UNV Chief of Africa Section, said the role played by Neighbourhood Volunteers in promoting peace and reconciliation in Kenya is important because the neighbourhood volunteers are a representative of the community and are therefore well placed to come up with solutions to problems faced in the neighbourhoods. Neighbourhood Volunteers have been urged to continue facilitating dialogue in the neighbourhoods in order to foster consensus building and enable community healing, reconciliation and peaceful co-existence within the community. Click for full story