New Program Links Students to Village Families

Sylvia P. is a bright college student with dreams of becoming a Community Development worker in Kenya. She gave up her comfortable apartment in Mombasa for three months to live with a family of nine people in their compound of mud huts in Vitengeni, in the Kilifi district, one of the poorest districts in Kenya.

She is the first student in a new project being launched by Strengthening Community Empowerment and Partnership (SCOPE).

“The Mentorship Project” is a SCOPE initiative which is geared towards bringing volunteers and interns with different professions and expertise from different fields to enhance cultural sensitivity and family management issues at household level as well as community level.
“In addition to giving the student real social engagement at the village level, the program was conceived to influence positive change for the host family, to help children with their education and provide a positive role model for the family,” according to Jasho Bomu, Technical Director and co-founder of SCOPE.

The volunteer may also help the family improve their business practices and financial literacy to establish more successful income generating activities.

When she first arrived in Vitengeni for her three month commitment, Sylvia wondered how she would survive. “The compound was filthy, the kids were shoe-less and dirty, and meals were limited to umena and ugali, not enough nutrition for growing children,” she said. Family and friends helped scrub the compound clean and a new toilet was constructed.

Sylvia taught basic nutrition, as well as new recipes that added fruits and vegetables to their diet. In addition to helping the seven children with their studies, she has taught the family about hygiene and health issues, such as HIV/AIDs, STDs and sexual issues.

“They accepted me as their own,” she says, “and I will be sad to leave. While they have very little, they find joy in every day.” says Sylvia P.

SCOPE has 36 families in the district who would welcome a student volunteer for a minimum three-moth commitment. Volunteers pay a nominal fee to help offset the host family costs of feeding and housing the student, as well as SCOPE administrative costs. For additional information visit the SCOPE website, www.scopekenya.org.