Thank you for your interest in volunteering with us at Sadhana Forest Kenya!
Please read the following important information carefully and print to bring with you on your journey.
We look forward to meeting you soon!
Our Aim
Sadhana Forest Kenya is an International NGO working to establish food security through indigenous food forestry and water conservation with the Samburu people. To read more about the Samburu people and our role in Samburu County click here. For more information about our project in Kenya please read the “Kenya” section on our website.
Sadhana Forest Kenya is a very long-term sustainable development project. We are not involved in short-term relief work or providing immediate aid.
Be prepared to work very hard, be flexible and have fun!
Our Volunteers
Our experience with volunteers in India and Haiti has been very positive. Volunteers from all over the world create a dynamic community atmosphere. Living and sharing in a communal atmosphere brings us in harmony with nature and with ourselves. One of our volunteers put it very nicely in her letter to us when she left, “May there be many forests to grow people.”
We are happy to welcome volunteers here any time of the year and always have plenty of work and space for them.
In addition to planting/monitoring trees and water conservation works, we have projects within our campus such as cob construction, permaculture-designed demonstration plots, and developing appropriate technologies. Also, we have daily support tasks such as cooking, cleaning, compost toilet maintenance, and general upkeep of our campus. Your tasks will also depend on the season and the skills that you will bring with you. Please be prepared to help wherever needed.
Being part of Sadhana Forest also means that you are not only doing your daily work, but that you are also part of our community. So, you should bring an interest in living with other people and doing selfless service (Seva) for the community. Our daily schedule looks like this, but can change according to the season or the tasks to be done that day:
- 5:45am Wake-up call
- 6:15am Morning circle (organizing first session of volunteer tasks)
- 6:30am First Seva (first session of volunteering)
- 8:00am Breakfast
- 8:45am Second Seva (second session of volunteering)
- 12:30pm Lunch and afternoon relaxation
- 3:30pm Third Seva (third session of volunteering)
- 5:30pm Dinner
In general, we live very simply here sleeping in either tents or small earth huts. We have wind and solar generated electricity and clean drinking water. The campus is surrounded by beautiful landscapes, wildlife, and friendly Samburu communities.
Our campus is in the “bush” of Samburu County with only small villages around. The closest major town is 32kms from here, so it is important that you know how to keep yourself busy and that you can enjoy a calm, peaceful environment.
If you are a committed person, who likes to work with trees and people, doesn’t mind getting their hands dirty, and can identify with our community values, Sadhana Forest Kenya is the place for you!
Our Way of Life
Volunteers will not smoke cigarettes, use drugs, or drink alcohol, inside or outside of our campus, during their entire volunteer period at Sadhana Forest Kenya!!
This guideline helps us stay always fully aware of our behaviour, and maintains our personal health, safety, and security.
Please consider this guideline very seriously and only come to Sadhana Forest Kenya if you are 100% sure that you are able and willing to completely respect this!!
Volunteers who do not respect this guideline are asked to leave the project immediately, if they have not already done so.
We practice an eco-friendly way of life including whole-food veganism, alternative construction, renewable energy, biodegradable toiletries, compost toilets, and conscious consumption. Volunteers are expected to be mindful of their purchases and avoid generating waste in order to fulfill our goal of being a zero waste community.
As well as being a drug-free vegan community, we practice non-competition, gift economy, and un-schooling.
(http://www.holtgws.com/whatisunschoolin.html ).
Our Work
The work will include tree planting and distribution, cooking meals, cleaning, and maintaining the camp. Be prepared to chip in wherever you are needed!
Our Meals and food contribution
We enjoy 100% whole-food vegan meals. We do our best to source organic/local food where possible.
Sadhana Forest Kenya is a non-profit ecological project that does not generate any income. Therefore, we unfortunately cannot afford to provide free food for volunteers. The total cost of food per person is 700 Kenya Shillings (KES) per day, around 7 USD.
Please bring with you 700 KES x number of days that you wish to stay plus a 2000 KES refundable deposit. We can occasionally accept USD or Euros; Please check ahead.
At Sadhana Forest we are very concerned with peaceful living and sustainability. We find that a vegan diet and lifestyle best supports these ideals. This means that, inside of Sadhana Forest, we only eat foods that are not from animals or animal products. That means no: meat, eggs, milk, cheese, butter, curd, yogurt, honey, or any other foods that come from animals. The consumption of animal products is the largest contributing factor to deforestation in the world and we don’t want to reforest with our hands while we are deforesting with our mouths!
Processed foods may not be peaceful either so we don’t bring these onto our campus. Examples of foods we would not like here are foods with refined sugar or refined flour in them such as cookies and biscuits, soda, packaged juice, and any other heavily packaged or processed food. Also, we avoid drinking coffee or tea inside Sadhana Forest. Herbal ‘tea’ is permitted.
Each of these foods has a serious environmental or social impact or may impact upon your personality. We want the food we eat here to reflect our vision of a better world.
Some examples of foods which are okay to bring inside of Sadhana Forest are fresh fruits and vegetables, dried fruits and berries, vegan whole grain bread, nuts, and natural nut butters.
Visa
Our volunteers have found that the most convenient visa arrangement for visiting Kenya is a “Tourist Visa”. For “object/purpose of journey” our volunteers suggested to enter: “Tourism”. Kenya requires visitors to apply for an “E-Visa” before arriving. Click here:http://evisa.go.ke/evisa.html
Insurance
Sadhana Forest Kenya requires all foreign volunteers to have valid travel and medical insurance including international air evacuation for the entire duration of your stay with us. If your insurance does not include air evacuation please purchase one from AMREF Flying Doctors insurance online at the following link: www.flydoc.org . The AMREF evacuation insurance is 16 USD per month or around 30 USD per year.
If you need the air evacuation insurance up to one month you can purchase a Maisha Tourist Plan here: Maisha Tourist Plan
If you need the air evacuation insurance for more than 1 month you can purchase the Maisha Annual Plan here: Maisha Annual Plan
Sadhana Forest Kenya will not be able to accept and host you if you do not have valid travel, medical, and evacuation insurance. You will need to email us proof of this insurance coverage before your arrival to Sadhana Forest Kenya. Please be aware that if you have a medical emergency, Sadhana Forest Kenya will not be able to cover any of your damages, medical, or transportation costs.
Internet Connection
‘Safaricom’ is the service provider with the best reception on the Sadhana Forest Kenya campus.
For internet access with your smartphone you would purchase a SIM from Safaricom, load the SIM with Airtime, and then purchase a Data Bundle according to your requirements. Safaricom staff will help you to do this.
If you require a fast and reliable internet connection for a laptop we recommend you either use your phone as a ‘Hotspot’ or purchase a USB internet modem (Dongle) in Nairobi. You can purchase a USB modem at a Safaricom shop in Nairobi. The price should be about 2000 Kenyan Shillings plus extra depending on which internet plan you use.
One Safaricom shop that is close to the Manyatta Backpackers guest house is located at I&M Towers, Ground Floor, Kenyatta Ave, Nairobi.
Also there is a small Safaricom booth at the arrivals area of Nairobi’s International Airport.
Please note that to purchase a SIM card for your phone or USB internet modem you will need to present your passport.
Electronics
We have the ability to charge standard 220v AC, USB chargeable devices and any electronics with a car adapter (12 volt, cigarette lighter charger).
We DO NOT encourage bringing too many valuables. (Electronics or other)
