Kenya was the first African country I decided to visit. I planned the trip with my friend Klára for only 22 days. We didn’t want to stay any longer because we had no idea what our feelings towards Kenya and Africa, in general, would be. It was our first contact with this “black” continent. Who would have thought that by the end of our stay, I wouldn’t want to go home at all? And a significant reason for this was also my experience with volunteering in this beautiful country.

HOW I GOT INTO VOLUNTEERING

I’m not 100% sure if I can even call it volunteering. I didn’t go through any agency. Before the trip, I had posted on my social media that I was looking for a way to help anyone, anywhere, and in any way in Kenya. A friend of mine contacted me, saying that he had a Slovak friend, Zuzka, who lived in Eldoret, Kenya, and had been working at a local school supported by St. Elizabeth’s University. I contacted Zuzka, we exchanged a few words, and a couple of weeks later, I was already volunteering at St. Bakhita House of Hope School in Eldoret, and a week later, at the Ushirikiano Center on the coast.

St. Elizabeth’s University

St. Elizabeth’s University of Health and Social Work (commonly known as Alžbeta) is a private college established as a non-profit organization in Bratislava. The founder of the college is Prof. Mudr. Vladimír Krčméry, DrSc., and it was officially founded on September 24, 2003.

Alžbeta has a fairly extensive humanitarian and volunteering activity in many countries, including Kenya. It operates in Nairobi, as well as in Eldoret, and in the village of Msabaha on the coast, among several other places.

St. Bakhita House of Hope in Eldoret

St. Bakhita School, located in the Eldoret slums, is also supported by the grant of the SlovakAid program and includes a training center that offers young girls the opportunity to gain practical skills in fields like tailoring, hairdressing, and computer work. The course lasts for one year, and after completing it, the girls take a state exam and receive a certificate. Reports show that 81% of the graduates were able to find employment in the job market.

The students are divided into two groups: day students, who come to school every morning and leave every afternoon, and the resident students (14 of them that time), who are not allowed to leave the school grounds, except on Sundays when their teacher takes them to church. They are not allowed to have their own phones or computers (which most of them couldn’t afford anyway). They live in very simple conditions, but they are safe. They also have the opportunity to talk to a social worker/psychologist every day.

We spent 5 days and 5 nights at this school, and my form of volunteering was through giving lectures and spreading travel awareness, inspiring hope in the lives of these girls, and highlighting the importance of education and learning foreign languages.

Klára and I gave a presentation about Slovakia, the Czech Republic, India, and my experiences from around the world. We taught them to dance Slovak folk dances. In the evenings, we played cards together, had many conversations, got to know each other, and cooked. The girls even taught me how to cook their traditional dish, “ugali.”

Those 5 days spent at St. Bakhita School were the most intense experience I had in Kenya, and I will lovingly remember the school, Zuzka, her husband Ben, their daughter Anna, and the St. Bakhita girls for the rest of my life…

I hope and believe that these girls have a promising future ahead, as some of them are incredibly talented, intelligent, and goal-oriented.

Ushirikiano Center in Msabaha

After leaving Eldoret, Zuzka gave me the contact of another Slovak, Daniel, who also works with St. Elizabeth’s University and is based on the Kenyan coast, in the village of Msabaha at the Ushirikiano Center. Ushirikiano Center focuses on social-educational activities, providing basic education to children from poor families, as well as teaching and lessons for their mothers and grandmothers.

Since December 2011, the center has also been running an HIV project and collaborates with the district hospital in Malindi in providing HIV healthcare services with a mobile unit.

I stayed in this part of Kenya for another 5 days, but we weren’t accommodated in Msabaha itself, but in the nearby town of Watamu. I travelled to Msabaha by local tuk-tuk or a so-called “bodaboda” (motorcycle taxi). At the center, I had the opportunity to give a lecture about the whole world in English to the little children, and about New Zealand to the mothers and grandmothers. There was also a local man, Jimmy, who simultaneously translated everything into Swahili.

In return, the mothers taught me how to weave carpets and brooms from their traditional grass, gave me a handmade basket, and a beautiful beach towel with zebras, all accompanied by dance and song.

It was another beautiful experience I will never forget.

Daniel’s Special Project

Daniel, who works at the Ushirikiano Center, is also running his own project to help families in need by building new mud houses. The cost of building one house is around 1200 euros, and by October 2025, Daniel had been able to build about 15 homes for 15 families in the village of Msabaha and its nearby surroundings.

And where does Daniel get the money for this? Simply from donations from ordinary people.

So, if you’re interested in helping Daniel build more houses, you can contact him via his Facebook or WhatsApp at +421 908 322 846 and contribute to a good cause.

CONCLUSION

It has always been my dream to volunteer in Africa. And even though I haven’t yet been able to do it long-term and permanently, I believe that these two short but intense experiences in Eldoret and Msabaha, Kenya, are just the beginning of something lasting. I sincerely hope that I will be able to make a positive change in my life, both for myself and for people who need it the most.

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