Well, after a month or so of not knowing exactly who I would be working for in Kenya, that's finally been sorted out with
Action for Children in Conflict offering me a volunteer position working with them. So what happened to Unite for Sight? Well...
A month or so ago I received an email from Jennifer Staple, the founder and CEO of Unite for Sight, informing me that they were suspending their Kenyan program until further notice due to a "security situation". This obviously came as somewhat as a shock and a bit of a setback to my plans as you might imagine, and was doubly disappointing in that no other person or organisation that I have since been in contact with in Kenya (including a very close friend) have reported anything out of the ordinary at all. But unfortunately, the decision was not mine to make, despite my urgings to reconsider. So despite having already purchased my flights, and collecting around 200 pairs of glasses, I was suddenly left without a volunteer position for next year.
So the hunt was on, searching for any new opportunities, looking back through the responses I had got previously... I came across an email I had received from an organisation called Action for Children in Conflict, in reply to my initial enquiry for a role with them. They had initially informed me that they were not looking for someone for next year, but as their work interested me I thought I'd take a chance and email them again... and thankfully they were now looking for someone, and it seems I fit the bill in some way!
So, what will I be doing? Well, they are involved with a variety of projects, from children's rights and protection, to support for children and their families with schooling and health provisions, as well as the creation of livelihood projects to help enable families to support themselves rather than rely on handouts. From the sounds of it I'll be helping out in a variety of different areas, and helping to network with local businesses and sourcing reduced rates for required supplies and the like. Sounds like right up my ally, a bit of getting out there and trying to get some help from others in the local community. Definitely looking forward to the challenge. And along with what I can do immediately, I am hoping to learn a lot from their legal aid and human rights work they're doing, exactly the area I want to move into long term.
So, all go once more after a little concern about what was happening, though I was quite prepared to arrive in Kenya without anything sorted out if necessary. Rather that than arrange something with the wrong organisation. There were a few who seemed more interested in my money than anything else I could do for them...
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