Marianne Center

Program Description

There are around 2.9 million individuals with various forms of mental disabilities in Kenya. These Kenyans face many obstacles in their daily lives since many communities still consider mental disability an ailment caused by witchcraft and black magic. These individuals are more than capable of developing useful skills given adequate support. The current education system is unable to support young adults who have mental disabilities since they cannot enroll in an ordinary secondary school and are often too old to attend primary schools.
In 2010 the Marianne Center started helping individuals with disabilities aged 16 to 50 years. Marianne is a vocational training center that offers support for these individuals and their families. There are around 40 Kenyans enrolled in this center who have different disabilities including Autism and Down Syndrome. The students are divided and grouped into classes depending on their abilities so that they are trained on important vocational skills such as beadwork, baking, farming, activities of daily living among others.
The mission of this organization is to make a difference in the life of young adults with special needs and disabilities in order to be self-reliant and easily integrated into mainstream life without fear of stigmatization.

Highlights

Volunteer activities:
- Assisting in teaching of various subjects (mathematics, language, writing, computer skills)
- Promoting core activities such as drawing, sewing, bead-work, gardening
- Running activities of daily life such as cleaning, personal hygiene
- Organizing extra-curricular activities such as sports and nature walks
- Provision of guiding and counseling services to the students

Qualifications

Volunteers should have interest in working with mentally handicapped persons.

Volunteer Types

What`s Included

Included services:
- Airport transfers from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi
- 3-day orientation seminar
- Introduction to the city
- Accommodation and food (breakfast, lunch, dinner) during orientation and placement duration
- Coordination, mentoring and supervision
- possibility: 3-day Safari to Masai Mara National Reserve, 330 Euro

The following costs are NOT included:
- Cost of drinks like soda, beer, mineral water etc
- Cost of sightseeing
- Visa costs (www.ecitizen.go.ke)
- Direct donations to the project
- Local traveling

What to bring: Sleeping bag, sleeping mat and mosquito net are necessary. You can also bring photos of your country, clothes, books, pen