Welcome!
Kenya
Helping Hands International currently serves in several villages and cities in Kenya, including but not limited to Rakwaro, Nairobi, Kakmega, and Kiwawa! We invite you to join us in sharing the love of God by bring help and hope to hurting people in this beautiful place!
Join us in: Kenya!
Trip Information
DATE: 09/TBA/2023-09/TBA/2023
ESTIMATED COST:
Currently under review but expect $1,200 per person (plus airfare).
Click here for payment schedules
FUNDRAISING GOAL:
$20k
OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES
We are currently finalizing our travel plans but expect the service trip to involve:
- TBA
TYPICAL SCHEDULE
We will distribute an itinerary for the trip as the date approaches but, please approach this with flexibility because our ultimate focus is on relationships.
LODGING & FOOD
Where We Stay & What We Eat
We will be staying in local hotels and eating in approved restaurants.
SUPPLY LIST
What to Bring
- Bible
- Bath: bath towel, soap, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, personal items, etc.
- Clothes: work clothes, one nice (not dressy) outfit for church, jacket and/or sweater (cold at night), work gloves, hat
- Shoes: hiking shoes are preferred (e.g. no bare feet at any time) etc.
- Other: baby wipes, camera, flashlight, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, water bottle etc.
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation consists of land cruiser and/or local trucks and vans. There is also opportunity to walk around the village and local landmarks.
DRESS CODE
- No undergarments showing at any time (guys and gals)
- Dresses/skirts for outreach should be mid-calf to ankle if your not wearing pants
- No tight fitting shirts, tank tops, low-cut or scoop neck (sleeveless is ok)
- Men cannot take off their shirts
HEALTH & SAFETY
Helping Hands International recommends you follow those health and safety recommendations readily published by the CDC and Travel Alert program offered by the US State Department, as well as those recommended by your personal physician. COVID-19 testing varies by Country and may be necessary before this trip departure and before returning to the USA. Please note, if you take prescription medicines, please check with your local pharmacist to ensure the medicines are not considered a controlled substance in the location you are traveling. Finally, please be sure to read HHI's COVID-19 policy, and Consent to Leave the Country (for minors) form, requirements below.
PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS
Please be sure to read specific passport and visa requirements listed here, per the U.S. State Department. U.S. and Canadian citizen (adult or child): Must have a current passport with the expiration date no later than 6 months of your return date, plus an e-visa before boarding an aircraft.
Join us in: Kenya!
Trip Information
DATE: 09/09/2022-09/21/2022 - (Update as of 6/2/22: This trip is full.)
ESTIMATED COST:
Currently under review but expect $1,200 per person (plus airfare).
Click here for payment schedules
FUNDRAISING GOAL:
$10k (these funds are used to pay for the two houses we plan to build)
OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES
We are currently finalizing our travel plans but expect the service trip to involve:
- dedicating two homes built during Summer of 2022 for women in need, namely single Mom (who has been crippled from birth and is unable to walk) and her caregiver);
- participating in a "Day in the Life of a Kenyan" experience (e.g. helping local villagers with daily responsibilities like fetching water, herding cattle, making ropes out of plant, watching children, helping with laundry etc.);
- checking-in on the status of the wormwood plantings and irrigation installation from prior years;
- visiting students at the Mcedo Beijing School (Mathare slums, Nairobi), Bethany Education Centre (Kawangware slums, Nairobi), Destiny Junior Academy (Mathare slums, Nairobi), Rawkaro Village (Rakwaro) and Amati Center for Orphans (Kakamega); and,
- giving Volunteers an opportunity to meet their Sponsored children and share the gospel.
TYPICAL SCHEDULE
We will distribute an itinerary for the trip as the date approaches but, please approach this with flexibility because our ultimate focus is on relationships.
LODGING & FOOD
Where We Stay & What We Eat
We will be staying in local hotels and eating in approved restaurants.
SUPPLY LIST
What to Bring
- Bible
- Bath: bath towel, soap, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, personal items, etc.
- Clothes: work clothes, one nice (not dressy) outfit for church, jacket and/or sweater (cold at night), work gloves, hat
- Shoes: hiking shoes are preferred (e.g. no bare feet at any time) etc.
- Other: baby wipes, camera, flashlight, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, water bottle etc.
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation consists of land cruiser and/or local trucks and vans. There is also opportunity to walk around the village and local landmarks.
DRESS CODE
- No undergarments showing at any time (guys and gals)
- Dresses/skirts for outreach should be mid-calf to ankle if your not wearing pants
- No tight fitting shirts, tank tops, low-cut or scoop neck (sleeveless is ok)
- Men cannot take off their shirts
HEALTH & SAFETY
Helping Hands International recommends you follow those health and safety recommendations readily published by the CDC and Travel Alert program offered by the US State Department, as well as those recommended by your personal physician. COVID-19 testing varies by Country and may be necessary before this trip departure and before returning to the USA. Please note, if you take prescription medicines, please check with your local pharmacist to ensure the medicines are not considered a controlled substance in the location you are traveling. Finally, please be sure to read HHI's COVID-19 policy, and Consent to Leave the Country (for minors) form, requirements below.
PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS
Please be sure to read specific passport and visa requirements listed here, per the U.S. State Department. U.S. and Canadian citizen (adult or child): Must have a current passport with the expiration date no later than 6 months of your return date, plus an e-visa before boarding an aircraft.
THE STORY BEHIND THE PROJECT
“With help from the locals, Helping Hands International started sponsoring the Christian Dream School and Child Sponsorship Program in Rakwaro, Kenya (a remote village located in the Northwest portion of Kenya, specifically near the shores of Lake Victoria) around 2016.
Initially, we helped approximately 70 families and over 100 children in this small village.
However, over the past couple of years we extended our Child Sponsorship Program to reach multiple schools in Nairobi, Kenya (e.g. Mcedo Beijing School, Bethany Education Centre, Destiny Junior Academy) and two orphanages - one in Kakamega, Kenya (e.g. Amati Center for Orphans) and another in Andhra Pradesh, India (Bethany Children Home).
We now have over 200 students in the Child Sponsorship Program who receive regular, meals, education and the good news of the gospel, thanks to God and our monthly sponsors.
In 2021, we also started forming a college/trade school scholarship program for students who have graduated from high school and expressed interest in pursuing a higher education.
We invite you to prayerfully consider joining us on a service project in Kenya in 2022 or becoming a monthly sponsor!
– Crissy Christian, HHI Team Leader
Healthy & Safety
COVID-19
Helping Hands International requires each Volunteer planning to travel on a non-US project, or out of State project, to obtain a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours prior to departure, IF you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or may have been recently exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Test results will need to be shared with individual HHI Team Leaders. However, you do NOT need to send results to our main office.
We also HIGHLY recommend all participants receive COVID-19 vaccinations prior to your trip overseas!
While Helping Hands International recognizes that vaccinations are a voluntary decision, we highly recommend all participants receive a COVID-19 vaccination, in large part because we do not want to bring the virus to a small or remote village that has little or no healthcare - the results could be devastating!
Helping Hands International also recommends you follow the country specific health and safety recommendations readily published by the CDC and Travel Alert program offered by the US State Department, as well as those recommended by your personal physician. You can find this information on your trip specific HHI web page (e.g. www.helpinghandsinternational.com/kenya or www.helpinghandsinternational.com/mexico etc) as well.
COVID–19
While COVID-19 requirements vary by location, and sometimes day by day, we will do our best to monitor and keep you abreast of testing requirements for each trip. Please also be aware that some countries may require you to provide a negative COVID test before leaving the USA and entering their country, as well as prior to departing their country to head back to the United States.
FAQ
Q: What if someone tests positive for COVID-19 in a foreign country and cannot fly home?
A: Although this scenario is unlikely, it is a possibility we need to be prepared for. If an HHI Volunteer tests positive for COVID-19 in a foreign country, that person (if a minor, with an adult) will need to stay in the country and quarantine for the amount of days required by local authorities (e.g. in some cases this is between 10-14 days.) Helping Hands International will arrange lodging for HHI Volunteer(s) who need to be quarantined, but the expense will be the responsibility of the traveler(s), not the nonprofit.
Join us in: Kenya!
Trip Information
DATE: 06/13/21-06/25/21
ESTIMATED COST: $1,000 per person per trip (plus airfare)
OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES
This service trip will involve:
- a formal dedication of the 2020 drilled well at the Mcedo Beijing School in the Mathare slums of Nairobi, Kenya;
- a formal dedication of the 2021 drilled well for the Amati Orphanage in Kakamega, Kenya;
- a formal dedication of the newly built Christian Dream School in Rakwaro, Kenya;
- checking-in on the status of the shade nets installed, wormwood plantings, irrigation installation in 2019; and,
- giving Volunteers an opportunity to meet children that are part of HHI's Child Sponsorship Program in Rakwaro, Kenya.
TYPICAL SCHEDULE
Below is the tentative schedule for the trip, but we approach this with flexibility because our ultimate focus is on relationships. Please note: Any PDF itineraries attached to this web site (see below) reflect the most current daily schedule and should serve to replace the following bullet points.
- Day 1-3: Travel to Nairobi, Kenya.
- Day 4-5: Visit local ministries and dedicate the new well at the Mcedo Beijing School in the Mathare slums of Nairobi.
- Day 6-8: Travel to Rakwaro village to review local projects, visit with Sponsored Children and fellowship.
- Day 9-10: Travel to Bumamu, Kenya to meet with new friends, review the new well at the village/orphanage, and work on minor projects.
- Day 11-12: Travel back to Nairobi and participate in a game drive at the Nairobi National Park (e.g. safari, Giraffe Center and Elephant Orphanage).
- Day 13: Fly home.
LODGING & FOOD
Where We Stay & What We Eat
We will be staying in local hotels and eating in local villages.
SUPPLY LIST
What to Bring
- Bible
- Bath: bath towel, soap, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, personal items, etc.
- Clothes: work clothes, one nice (not dressy) outfit for church, jacket and/or sweater (cold at night), work gloves, hat
- Shoes: hiking shoes are preferred (e.g. no bare feet at any time) etc.
- Other: baby wipes, camera, flashlight, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, water bottle etc.
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation consists of land cruiser and/or local trucks and vans. There is also opportunity to walk around the village and local landmarks.
DRESS CODE
- No undergarments showing at any time (guys and gals)
- Dresses/skirts for outreach should be mid-calf to ankle if your not wearing pants
- No tight fitting shirts, tank tops, low-cut or scoop neck (sleeveless is ok)
- Men cannot take off their shirts
HEALTH & SAFETY
Helping Hands International recommends you follow those health and safety recommendations readily published by the CDC and Travel Alert program offered by the US State Department, as well as those recommended by your personal physician. COVID-19 testing varies by Country and may be necessary before this trip departure and before returning to the USA. Please note, if you take prescription medicines, please check with your local pharmacist to ensure the medicines are not considered a controlled substance in the location you are traveling.
PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS
Please be sure to read specific passport and visa requirements listed here, per the U.S. State Department. U.S. and Canadian citizen (adult or child): Must have a current passport with the expiration date no later than 6 months of your return date, plus an e-visa before boarding an aircraft.
THE STORY BEHIND THE PROJECT
“Rakwaro is a remote village located in the Northwest portion of Kenya, specifically near the shores of Lake Victoria.
Transportation in the village largely consists of walking and bicycling.
With help from the locals, Helping Hands International has been able to sponsor the Christian Dream School and the Child Sponsorship program in this area, which benefits approximately 70 families and has more than 100 children.
These students receive regular meals, school uniforms and the good news of the gospel.”
– Ron Ashpole, HHI Founder & President