Where do we work?

VAE is a social enterprise organisation working with schools in the area around Gilgil, a small town 120km north of Nairobi on the edge of the Rift Valley. It is stunningly beautiful.

Ours is a rural area. We don't have corporate offices in Nairobi; we live and work alongside subsistence Kenyan farmers. Doing the same, you will connect with the natural world and a way of life that has been lost in the suburban West.

Schools

Schools in Kenya range from the extremely good to the extremely poor. It is the latter we serve: schools with too few teachers, virtually no money and utterly inadequate infrastructure.

Your energy, enthusiasm and fresh perspective can help change this. Volunteers have a more or less full-time teaching timetable, but the greatest contribution they make comes through extra-curricular activities. Former VAE's have organised science presentations, coached exam candidates, led sports tournaments and have recently brought a craze for rugby to the area. One directed a passion play while others have painted classrooms. Some have even built entire schools.

If we feel we have become superfluous to a school, we give it a rest and focus where VAE can be most effective.

Community

Community values are incredibly strong in Kenya. You'll only realise just how strong when you become part of it.

You'll live and work in your community and make friends with your neighbours, other teachers, and the families of the children you teach. You will be overwhelmed by the hospitality of those who have seemingly so little. This is a humbling experience, as well as a privilege and a responsibility. VAE has the ability to reach an enormous number of people. Past VAE have helped with inoculation drives, AIDS prevention, dental hygiene, planting trees, and even building roads. Come to Kenya and see what 'Big Society' really means!

Street Children

Our earliest Volunteers found the street children a problem in our local town. We decided to try and do something about this. We have since built up a strong rapport with them, and have had a massive influence on this part of society that most Kenyans view as irredeemable.

We provide them with accommodation in town, get them back into school, find them jobs, and fund apprenticeships and training. One former street boy, through VAE, is now reading Computer Science at Nairobi University, and another is a chef.

Volunteers earn the respect of this difficult group, who in turn become your friends, guides and 'guardian angels' when in town. It's strange, but they are an integral part of what makes VAE unique.

See how all this comes together at The Green House...