A student in the 1st year of a Master's Degree in Industrial Engineering + ADE tells us about... 

"Working in Nyumbani I have used not only the knowledge learned in my degree but also the values learned during my life, combining them to create work that was implemented, helping the more than a thousand children we have had the opportunity to meet during our stay in Nyumbani Village. In short, we are here to help and be helped. We have to be aware that not all of us have the same obstacles on the road, so we must try to help, to accompany and improve as much as we can, to leave the world a little better than we found it, a little more humane. A world in which we all walk the same path, helping each other."   

Nyumbani is a Kenyan organization that cares for children orphaned and/or living with HIV. Nyumbani Village, the project site, is an ecovillage-orphanage that is home to 1,000 children orphaned by HIV and 100 grandparents. It is located in the Kitui district, in the county of the same name, in the south of the country. It has been operating since 2006 with the intention of generating fair opportunities for the future of its population and sustainable development for its environment.  

The project is developed in an ecovillage-orphanage that belongs administratively to the district of Kitui, capital of the county of the same name, 180 kilometers east of Nairobi, and offers different possibilities of collaboration: formal and non-formal education, attention to social needs, health care, environmental activities, productive activities and support to micro-enterprises for boys and girls who finish their stay in the orphanage, sustainable projects of energy generation, construction, recreational activities for the children during their vacations, etc.  

The call for the summer of 2024 is aimed at students from two different academic backgrounds: students from the health field (nursing, physiotherapy, medicine) and from the field of business management. Each of the two teams, in addition to collaborating in common volunteer activities linked to the welfare of children and grandparents living in the village, will plan in advance and develop a specific task in the field:  

• The health team will develop intervention plans linked to community health in the village, including research, diagnosis and elaboration of proposals and implementation of health education projects and others that improve the general health of the population. 

• The marketing and commercialization team will collaborate in a project that aims to boost the village economy, increasing the visibility and marketability of the goods generated by the productive initiatives linked to the project (the farm and the vocational training center, which produces furniture) through the implementation of specific marketing strategies, to stimulate the economic growth of local businesses. 

The tasks assigned to each volunteer will be linked to his or her own academic background and are expected to reinforce the capabilities and/or means available to the village and its team of professionals to provide a better service to its inhabitants. On the other hand, the interaction and coexistence of the team of volunteers with the children and grandparents has a value in itself of exchange and mutual appreciation. 

The Village is a self-sustaining and self-managed community for the orphans and elderly who have been left behind by the "generational loss" caused by the AIDS pandemic. The Village aims to form a new family unit made up of orphaned children living with grandparents (a vulnerable and destitute group), with the latter acting as caregivers. The village is home to 1,000 children. 

The Village has a set of infrastructures that allow for the proper development of the community: housing for 6 to 12 children and grandparents, a community center, a kindergarten, an elementary school, a secondary school, a polytechnic center, a health center, a police administrative unit, a guest house, playgrounds, a common garden and a network of paths and roads. 

Their vision successfully encompasses three major objectives: to reduce poverty in the community, to be a self-sustainable community and to be environmentally friendly. 

Normal working hours are from 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday. Weekends are free, but volunteers should consult for travel outside the village, particularly if they are to remote areas and do not involve staying overnight in the village.  

Children orphaned by HIV and their grandparents, who live together in the Ecovillage orphanage.

All students selected for the VUELA program will receive common training for participation in volunteer activities. 

Consult YOUR UNIVERSITY in the following links for training dates, location and conditions.  Don't forget to mark them in your calendar. This training is mandatory and is part of the project. 

The field support will be provided by the organization itself throughout the project, as well as by a person from the convening universities who will accompany the experience in the field.

The Village has a house for volunteers that can accommodate up to 16 people at a time. Each volunteer can have his or her own room or may have to share with another person (rooms are for two). Each room has its own bathroom, but without great comfort. For a few hours a day there is running water that can be used for personal hygiene and washing clothes. Electricity is available, but it is powered by solar panels, so if the sun is not shining, there will probably be days when there is no light or electricity. There is local transportation to the neighboring villages, but it is limited. To travel outside the village, coordination with the responsible staff is necessary.

The cost per volunteer per month to be paid to Nyumbani for room and board will be around 400 €, 800 in total for the two months of stay. Amount to be confirmed depending on the applicable exchange rate.   Each volunteer will have to contribute this amount individually to cover the costs of rent and food. The final amount will be communicated prior to arrival, as well as the method of payment.  

Information on the possibility and conditions of financial support for these concepts can be found below, by consulting YOUR UNIVERSITY:

The student assumes the management and payment of transfers to the intervention site, and must inform the reference university of the project about the date and time of arrival at least 15 days in advance.

The round-trip airfare costs between 500 and 700 euros, depending on when it is contracted. In addition, Kenya requires a visa which costs $51. On the other hand, life in the Village is quite austere, you should not need more than 150 € per month, not counting gifts or souvenirs, and only for personal expenses. However, if you plan to travel afterwards, keep in mind that tourism in Kenya is much more expensive than living in a local community. It is advisable to find out about destinations, activities and their cost beforehand. 

Comillas Pontifical University (Carlos Prieto Dávila).