Went to MombasaKenya last year on a teaching project, beautiful country and amazing culture and people, but not sure where all my money went, certainly not on the project itself, on accomodation or on food.
O arrival I was left to sit at Moi international for over an hour and had to call to find out about my pick-up which I had paid an extra £17 for in the UK. I now realise I could have got myself into a taxi hassle free and got to my hotel.
The hotel you are put in for the first weekend is fine - but not the most comfortable. But I overlooked this given the fact I was going to Kenya to volunteer and not for luxury accomodation. However as time went by and on arrival at the volunteer house I began to think more about how much money I had actually paid to do this, and if it had been going to the project I could've dealt with living conditions....but it wasn't and infact I could be putting money into Kenya's economy if I was staying somewhere else, which would have been better...
Lived in a shared house in Mombasa town with 11 other volunteers, on the 6th week of my project they crammed even more people into each room, and fans were limited! Mombasa is very hot and volunteers are not use to this heat - cramped rooms with only fans is not! I would suggest the upgrade on these projects - where you stay and eat at the castleroyal hotel, which is by far one of the best in Mombasa.
Also my project information was false. Working times were incorrect - and not that I minded putting in the extra time on some days, but with the heat and the length of time it takes to get to projects, sometimes getting back early would've been nice. Also stated was that it would take around 20 minutes to get to my project - this was actually a 25 minute matatu ride, followed by a 25 minute boiling hot walk (good if you want to lose some weight!!). There was also no where to get any lunch. These things would have of course been fine if I had known about them before hand, afterall you would expect this in the developing world, but why did it cost me nearly £2000!? Others loved every moment, but I couldn't turn a blind eye to how my money was not being spent on the projects, and the lack of knowledge from the i-to-i co-ordinators.
Still, there is a lot that can be done off your own back to help, once you can get passed the lies of i-to-i!! It may involve spending a bit more cash and putting in a few hours, but it was worth it. And Kenya has a massive amount to offer - if you can keep your whits about you with the corruption and bribery! There really are some great people, and great sights. I even met my future husband whilst there - and he wasn't another volunteer. So I would not by any means advise you not to go to Kenya or volunteer there - but just NOT with i-to-i!! There really are many other ways of gettting involved.
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Advantages: glossy brochure with nice, inspiring pictures, beautiful countries Disadvantages: not interested in you after you book and hand over the cash
SamFord 13.11.2006 (13.11.2006)
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Review of I-to-I
Advantages: Friendly agency with a personal touch, good links with placement countries and wide variety of programmes Disadvantages: some communication problems over what was included in my prize (a minor quibble)
blinderben 14.02.2001 ·
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Review of I-to-I
Advantages: glossy brochure with nice, inspiring pictures, beautiful countries Disadvantages: not interested in you after you book and hand over the cash
SamFord 13.11.2006 (13.11.2006)
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Review of I-to-I
Sep 27th, 2008
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