Dream Children's Home - an Orphanage in Kenya

Volunteer

Life in Dreams as Volunteer

Dream Children’s Home is located on a hill between Ngong and Matasia. You can easily reach Ngong with a Matatu within 10 minutes. From there you also have the possibility to take a bus to Nairobi (takes around 1 ½ h, depends on traffic).

In Ngong you can get all essential things. There are hospitals, pharmacies, small restaurants and a mall with a big supermarket.

But it is not certainly necessary to go to Ngong. Down the road are pharmacies, small shops and a small supermarket as well. There is also a shop where you can buy and refill your water.

Now you got a short overview about the life in Dreams. If you still have some questions, you can also easily reach us through the Instagram page, which is always run by the current volunteers.

We recommend to stay at least for 3 months. In the beginning it will take some time to get into everything. In addition maybe you do not want to stay the whole time only in Dreams and want to explore other areas.

Duty Allocation for Volunteers in Dreams

• Helping children brush their teeth every evening. [Those staying at the home].
• Use creative games music or others to stimulate learning how to build their self esteem, confidence, self discipline, organization and responsibility.
• Resource mobilization – help the home in raising funds. We rely on donations from organizations and well wishers. We have many projects to do. E.g. food, swings in the school, stationary, uniforms, shoes and utensils, farming.
• Write letters requesting for food and other needs from organizations e.g. Local and international organizations.
• Draw different charts in the school.
• Help in the school programme e.g. Computer classes, with the help of a teacher.
• Provide children with basic life skills that will broaden their concepts about life and themselves. Language may be a barrier but we hope it will work out.
• Helping in sorting out and arranging clothes in the boys\girls store.
• Helping in polishing shoes in the school.
• Sorting out cereals.
• Help the children to make good decision and communicate effectively.
• Helping in hanging clothes –every Monday [morning]and Friday [afternoon.]
• Arranging and sorting out books in the school library, also assist the small children read story books in the school library, and issue out books.
• Any other duty one may be assigned to do by the management.
• Your own ideas are always welcome

Volunteers Guide and Rules for Dream Children's Home

Volunteers are always welcome to Dream Children’s Home to share their talents and resources with the less fortune children of the centre. We believe in creating a lasting relationship with all our volunteers at various levels wherever they may be.

Our services to these children demand that we work within the government guidelines and regulations of Child Protection and Safety. Therefore volunteers to Destined Children’s Centre MUST abide by the following rules and regulations for the BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILDREN:

1. All volunteers MUST sign a volunteers agreement form with the director of the home.
2. No volunteer should use inappropriate language to the children or staff working at Destitute Children Centre.
3. Volunteer should always avoid any form of inappropriate touching of children. (NB. Some touching may be culturally construed to be inappropriate)
4. Volunteers dressing code while interacting with the children should be modest and respecting the culture of the centre (no shorts, exept they reach the knees).
5. No volunteer should smoke cigars/cigarettes in the presence of the children or come to the centre while under the influence of alcohol.
6. Volunteers should not develop “favourite” or “special” relationship with individual children as this will always work against our policy on equality and fairness for every child.
7. Volunteers willing to make cash donation or in kind for a particular child must do so in consultation with the director, social worker.
8. Volunteers willing to adopt or foster a child of Destined are welcome BUT must follow the government rules on international adoption or foster care.
9. Volunteers rooms should always be locked and children are NOT ALLOWED TO ENTER for respect purposes.
10. Volunteers are not allowed to give money to any child as this will develop indiscipine, nor buy them items like mobile phones, radios , these gadgets will distract the children from studing.
11. Volunteers are not allowed to give the children their mobile phones as they will use them unwisely or even loose them.
12. Male volunteers are NOT ALLOWED in the girls domitory and vice versa.
13. Volunteers are not supposed to take children to their private houses for those who reside in dream home. For that is their private house and for respect purposes.
14. Love relationship is NOT ALLOWED with the children who RESIDE AT THE CENTRE.
15. If a child is to be taken to the hospital by any volunteer the child MUST BE IN COMPLETE SCHOOL UNIFORM INCLUDING WEEKDAYS.
16. Volunteers are NOT ALLOWED to go outside the gate with any child without permission of the director or social worker.
17. Anytime a volunteer wants to take the children to a public place or event a staff member MUST accompany them.
18. We recommend the volunteers who reside outside dream to get rental houses in Ngong town for security purpose.
19. No jewelery should be given to any child or no permanent mark should be drawn on their bodies, as this is against the home rules and regulations\ilegal.
20. No child is supposed to borrow you ANYTHING e.g. money ,lotion, phones, spray.