Please reach us at scenicnwso@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Yes! Anyone can volunteer. We will have a job for everyone that wants to come. If you have medical experience or surgery experience, you may volunteer in the clinic or with the surgeries. If you do not have medical experience, we also have a team that is doing community development projects such as painting the school and/or helping build or renovate the clinic and school. We also have projects such as trash clean-up, public education, school education and more! Just fill out the volunteer application and let us know what your skills are. And remember to be flexible, sometimes the team is already full and we may ask you to do something else but we always work together as a team and want everyone to feel that they are contributing to the whole team.
Yes, you can! If you are bringing your family members with you, they will need to be able to participate and volunteer with the group. If your children are older that 14-15 years old, they can also volunteer on the trip. If your children are younger than 15, they can also come! Most other volunteer groups do not let you bring you kids with you but we are different. We know how hard it is to be away from your children and also what an amazing experience and opportunity for your children to experience. If you are bringing your kids, they will have to pay a trip fee (slightly discounted) and we will also need to coordinate who is watching your children during the day.
Absolutely! We have safe transport within Kenya and the accommodations are always verified and safe. While in camp, there are wild animals in the camp (mostly Zebras and some Giraffes) but as long as you don't get too close to them, you are safe. There are guards during the night and also fences around the camp. Our top priority is your safety
We require a trip deposit at least 3-4 months in advance in order to secure our lodging and transportation. Unfortunately this is not refundable because we are required to pay some of the fees upfront. If you cannot go due to an emergency or medical reasons, we will try to work with you about any fees you have already paid but we cannot guarantee refunds.
Dr. Jensen has an active medical license while in Kenya during our trips and you will be covered under her license and with the clinic's license. We may require proof of an active U.S. license and credentialing and we will let you know if that is required.
Yellow Fever vaccine is required before coming to East Africa. You can get a yellow fever vaccine at most travel clinics. This is good for a lifetime but it recommended to get a booster at 10 years. You should be up to date on your other vaccines such as Tdap. You do not need to take Malaria prophylaxis while in Kenya since we are at high elevations and Malaria is not a high risk in these areas. Some people will still choose to take Malaria prophylaxis and you can talk with your PCP about this in more detail.
Yes, Kenya requires you to have a Visa. They offer electronic visas (it takes 3-5 days to process) and you should apply for this at least a week before the trip. The two visa options are single entry and a 5 year multi-entry visa. If you think may come back for another trip, you should consider a 5 year visa.
We would recommend bringing $200 US cash for tips of the staff and safari drivers and also to buy souvenirs. You can also take out cash at the ATMs in the airport. Most U.S. credit cards will work in Kenya but be sure to let your bank know you are traveling.
We recommend that if you want to travel, to arrange that for only after the trip. This ensures that the team is not disrupted and no one gets sick before the trip.
This is not required but may be a good idea. If you get sick or injured while on the trip, there are travel insurance programs that will fly you home. We have lifetime MASA Global for our family because we travel a lot and wanted the assurance that we would be safe. They also offer other benefits such as emergency cash funds and legal advice. Some major credit cards also offer trip protections and emergency evacuation, so you can check those benefits.
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