| Population: |
37.5 million |
| Capital city: |
Nairobi |
| GDP per capita: |
$1,240 |
| HDI ranking: |
148 out of 177 countries * |
| Life expectancy: |
54 |
|
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* The UNDP Human Development Index (HDI) measures a country's achievements
in terms of life expectancy, educational attainment and adjusted real income.
Country background
VSO volunteers in Kenya are working in the areas of Secure Livelihoods, Disability and HIV and AIDS. Volunteers are working in Nairobi, Nyanza, the Rift Valley and the eastern, western and coastal regions of Kenya.
Secure Livelihoods
The Secure Livelihoods programme targets disadvantaged youth, women and other marginalised groups such as people living with HIV and AIDS and disabilities.
With 56% of the Kenyan population living below the poverty line, the Secure Livelihoods programme is multi-faceted with a strategy of reducing poverty through market oriented skills development, capacity building, market access and business development. The programme is also addressing environmental issues to ensure sustainable food production.
Through a European Commission funded project, volunteers are working with rural vulnerable groups, including youth, to help them promote the use of locally available resources so that they can access markets for their products and improve their income. Volunteers are working alongside colleagues to improve skills in areas such as marketing, organisational capacity building, networking and business development services.
Disability
VSO Jitolee’s goal is to improve participation and active involvement of people with disabilities in society. Volunteers work with a wide range of partners in capacity building roles to improve access to appropriate education for children with disabilities; raise community awareness of the needs and rights of people with disabilities and lobby and advocate for increased government support for inclusive policies and the rights of people with disabilities.
HIV and AIDS
VSO Kenya is collaborating with a range of partners including community-based organisations and the National AIDS Control Council to reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS on organisations and individuals. Volunteers are involved directly in different aspects of organisational capacity building, increasing access to care and treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS and increasing the accessibility of HIV and AIDS information to people with disabilities. Right To Life, an HIV and AIDS mainstreaming project, is being implemented across all of VSO’s work in Kenya.
Recruitment of volunteers from Kenya and Uganda
VSO Jitolee recruits an average of 120 volunteers from Kenya and Uganda each year. There are currently more than 150 skilled Kenyan and Ugandan professionals volunteering in 35 countries worldwide.
