Volunteer in Kenya.
Learn, contribute and grow alongside a local team.
Join Better Me in Kisumu for a hands-on volunteer experience supporting locally led education, youth, sports and community programs. Live with other volunteers at our Dome Home, contribute where your skills and interests fit current program needs, and experience Kenya beyond the tourist trail.
- Kisumu, Kenya
- Minimum stay: 2 weeks · flexible start date
- Accommodation + 3 meals/day included
- Airport pickup + project transport included
- Registered nonprofit
- 4.9/5 from 94 Volunteer World reviews
What is the Better Me Volunteer Program?
Better Me is a nonprofit organization running youth, education, sports and community programs in and around Kisumu, western Kenya. International volunteers join work that is coordinated locally, supporting Kenyan staff and partner organizations rather than replacing them.
This is not a single fixed placement. Your schedule can combine several activities depending on your interests, experience, the school calendar and what our programs and partners genuinely need during your stay. Our team helps match you to roles where you can contribute responsibly and keep learning at the same time.
Who is this experience for?
Our volunteers come from many backgrounds: students and graduates, teachers, social workers, coaches, athletes, creatives, professionals on a career break and people who simply want to learn through meaningful cross-cultural experience. Formal qualifications are not required for many activities. Roles involving specialist or sensitive work are matched to relevant experience and supervised by the local team.
What can you do as a volunteer in Kenya?
Most volunteers take part in more than one activity. We build your schedule around three things: current community needs, the skills or interests you bring, and the time you have available. Specific activities cannot be guaranteed every week because schools, partner organizations and local programs set the schedule.
Education, Creative Arts & Practical Skills
Support locally led learning activities such as English, reading, creative arts, music, computer skills, physical education and, when scheduled, swimming. Activities can take place at Korando Educational Centre and through selected partner programs around Kisumu. You may work with different age groups and help local staff create smaller groups, more interactive sessions and additional opportunities for practice.
Sports & Football Coaching
Join local coaches in football and other sports activities with children and young people. Volunteers can support drills, teamwork, games, tournaments and confidence-building activities while local coaches remain responsible for the program. Opportunities can include the Nyalenda Young Stars and other Better Me community and school-based activities.
Life Skills & Youth Development
Support interactive life-skills sessions in schools and youth settings using Better Me's existing materials and local guidance. Topics can include communication, stress management, problem-solving, self-confidence and other practical skills. Depending on your experience, you may help facilitate small workshops, group exercises or larger school sessions alongside the Better Me team.
Community Support & Your Own Skills
Other opportunities can include reading and mobile-library activities, supervised community outreach, wellness or recreational sessions, support for local events and carefully designed workshops that draw on a volunteer's own skills. New ideas are welcome when they respond to a real local need, fit safeguarding requirements and can be delivered responsibly within the time available.
Not sure where you fit? That's normal.
You do not need to choose one role before applying. Tell us what you are good at, what you want to learn and how long you plan to stay. Our team will discuss the best fit with you during the application process.
Start My ApplicationVolunteer responsibly. Follow local leadership.
Good intentions are not enough. Ethical volunteering means joining work that already exists, listening before acting and making sure the needs of children, communities and local partners come before the volunteer experience.
Local teams lead
Better Me's Kenyan team, teachers, coaches and partner organizations define the priorities. Volunteers support their work rather than arriving with a ready-made solution.
Skills are matched to real needs
We consider your experience and interests, but placements also depend on what is useful at the time. A preferred activity is never more important than program quality or safeguarding.
Safeguarding comes first
Work involving children and vulnerable people has clear boundaries and supervision. Volunteers are not placed into professional roles for which they are unqualified.
Continuity matters
We favor activities that fit ongoing programs and can continue after an individual volunteer leaves. The goal is to strengthen locally led work, not create projects that depend on one short-term visitor.
All volunteers must:
- Complete identity and appropriate criminal-record / background checks
- Sign a child-safeguarding code of conduct
- Complete safeguarding orientation before any contact with children
You are here to contribute — and also to learn. Cultural exchange, humility and respect are part of the program, not side effects of it.
What does a typical volunteer day look like?
Every week is different, but weekdays usually combine shared meals, project time and free time at the volunteer home. The exact schedule changes with project needs, school calendars, travel time and the activities you join.
Start the day with the volunteer group and team over breakfast.
Join your scheduled activities, with a lunch break during the day.
Return to the volunteer home, rest, spend time with the group or join informal activities.
Share dinner and wind down together.
This is an example, not a guaranteed timetable.
The Dome Home — a community base unlike anywhere else
The yellow Dome Home is not just where you sleep. It is the beating heart of the Better Me volunteer experience — a one-of-a-kind building on the grounds of Korando Educational Centre that has captured the attention of international media and tens of thousands of people on social media.
What's at the Dome Home
- ✓ Shared bedrooms
- ✓ Shared bathrooms
- ✓ Communal social / chill area
- ✓ Open communal kitchen
- ✓ Wi-Fi and electricity
- ✓ Hot water
- ✓ Meals prepared as part of the program
- ✓ Group living with other international volunteers
The Dome Home was built using local materials and includes practical sustainability features such as solar-heated water, energy-efficient lighting, natural ventilation and grey-water reuse for the surrounding food forest.
Where in Kenya is the volunteer program based?
The volunteer home is based at Korando Educational Centre, around 20 km outside Kisumu in western Kenya. Kisumu sits on Lake Victoria and has its own airport, making the program accessible by a short domestic connection from Nairobi and other routes.
Korando Educational Centre was founded by Mama Dolfine, a local woman from this community who started with just five children. Our founder Torsten Kremser found her here in 2012 — that encounter led him to establish Better Me in 2015. Today, it is educating over 300 children, and it is the heart of everything we do.
- Country Kenya
- Nearest city Kisumu
- Languages English and Swahili are official languages in Kenya
- Currency Kenyan Shilling (KES)
- Time zone East Africa Time (UTC+3)
Korando through the years
Every classroom built, every dormitory opened, every child enrolled — made possible by donors and volunteers. This is what sustained commitment looks like on the ground.
2012
Where it started
2016
The Dome Home is finished
2020
The new school building opens
2025
New dormitories and dining hall
What can volunteers do on weekends?
Weekends are generally free for rest, time with the volunteer community or independent travel. Around Kisumu, volunteers can explore Lake Victoria, Kisumu Impala Sanctuary and the wider western Kenya region. Longer weekends can make trips farther afield possible, depending on your schedule and travel plans.
What is included in the volunteer fee?
The program fee covers your stay and the local support required to run the volunteer experience, while also contributing to Better Me's charitable programs.
How much does volunteering with Better Me cost?
Minimum stay is two weeks. The longer you stay, the lower your weekly rate — and the more time you have to actually settle in and contribute.
| Stay | Total program fee | Approx. weekly equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 2 weeks | €840 | €420/week |
| 3 weeks | €1,085 | ~€362/week |
| 4 weeks | €1,330 | ~€333/week |
| 5 weeks | €1,575 | €315/week |
| 6 weeks | €1,820 | ~€303/week |
| 7 weeks | €2,065 | €295/week |
| 8 weeks | €2,275 | ~€284/week |
| Each additional week | +€210 | €210/week |
Weekly equivalents are approximate. Total fee is the source of truth.
Where does the volunteer fee go?
We're a registered nonprofit. The figures below are real averages — they shift with group size. Whatever isn't spent on hosting a volunteer goes straight into our programs on the ground.
Percentages are approximate.
What do past volunteers say?
"In the beginning, I wasn't sure whether going to Kenya to volunteer was the right decision. But from my very first call with Tom, I felt a strong sense of trust and warmth. I was welcomed with open arms and soon felt part of something meaningful.
Learning about the children's experiences, participating in community outreach and speaking in schools made the journey deeply meaningful to me. Throughout my stay, I felt safe, supported and well cared for. I can wholeheartedly recommend volunteering with Better Me."
"My time in Kenya was truly unforgettable. Caro and I arrived with curiosity and a desire to contribute, and we left with hearts full of memories and gratitude.
From supporting lessons and organizing activities to sharing joyful moments during swimming sessions, every day brought new experiences. The warm welcome from the team, the energy of the children and the meaningful conversations we had will stay with us for a long time."
"My experience with Better Me has been life-changing. I have returned for the past two summers and hope to continue coming back because of how meaningful the experience has been.
The people I met were incredibly kind and supportive, and I was inspired by the children's personalities, ideas and determination. Some of my favorite memories are the everyday moments we shared through reading, swimming, painting and other activities. These experiences allowed me to build meaningful connections while learning so much from the children and the local team."
"Volunteering with Better Me was a truly life-changing experience. The local team was professional, supportive and deeply committed to its mission. From day one, I felt welcomed and guided while still having the opportunity to contribute meaningfully.
The activities were well structured and shaped around locally identified needs. I especially valued the emphasis on teamwork and respectful collaboration with local staff. Beyond the volunteer program, Better Me provided excellent support with logistics, cultural orientation and opportunities to explore Kenya. I always felt safe, cared for and part of something meaningful.
I would highly recommend Better Me to anyone looking to contribute, learn, grow and connect across cultures."
Don't just take our word for it
Read independent reviews from past Better Me volunteers on leading volunteer-abroad platforms.
Think this could be for you? Tell us a little about yourself and we will take it from there.
Start My ApplicationStart your volunteer application
Tell us who you are, when you would like to come and what you are interested in. The first step is designed to help us understand whether the program is a good fit for you and where you could contribute.
How does the application process work?
Fill in your name, email and phone number. You'll immediately receive access to our preparatory ebook and the full application form.
Read through the preparatory ebook, then complete the full application with your preferred dates, length of stay, interests and relevant experience.
If the initial fit looks right, we arrange a WhatsApp or video call so we can get to know each other, discuss the program and answer your questions.
If your application is accepted, the team helps with practical preparation. Your placement is confirmed once the required volunteer fee has been paid according to the program terms.
Frequently asked questions about volunteering in Kenya
Ready to volunteer in Kenya?
If you are looking for more than a packaged volunteer trip — and you are willing to listen, learn, contribute and work alongside a local team — we would love to hear from you.