There are lots of very poor kids in Kenya. The primary focus of our visit is to conduct children’s and youth outreach events, providing a maximum-fun high-energy environment for introducing young people to Jesus. A secondary aim is for members of the visiting team to experience life from the perspective of another culture, giving them a greater understanding of the challenges and difficulties associated with community development work, and encouraging them to take on an on-going role in that work.

Draft Itinerary

Anticipated cost:

$3,500 (includes airfares, accommodation, food, insurance, visa, transport and team activities but excludes injections, passports, souvenirs and personal expenses).

Culture Shock and Team Dynamics

It is quite normal for visitors to the slum areas of Nairobi to experience some degree of culture shock. We do our best to work through this as we go, and team dynamics form a very important part or this. Team members should be aware in advance that they may see some distressing situations.

All participants will be required to participate in a number of training and team-building sessions, which will be conducted in Melbourne in the months leading up to the trip.

Safety Considerations

There is some risk of terrorist activity in Kenya. The US Embassy in Nairobi was bombed some years ago, and a hotel was bombed and a missile attack launched on an aeroplane in Mombasa in 2002. There continue to be rumours of planned attacks against Western interests in Nairobi.

Intending team members should be aware of the dangers of travel to and around East Africa. In addition to the terrorist risks outlined above, there are health risks associated with numerous diseases including AIDS prevalent in the slums, risks associated with travelling in and around East Africa including high incidence of road accidents, and risks associated with sporadic crime and violence in Nairobi including muggings and car-jackings.

In order to minimise risks, we normally stay in modest accommodation, rather than at large hotels which might be obvious targets. To the extent possible, we travel in a group, minimise the amount of time spent in the Nairobi city centre, and minimise the amount of waiting in public places and catching public transport.