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Introduction

Elective Abroad is the leading organizer of educational and experiential trips to Africa. Our programs are carefully designed to provide a unique means to volunteer, learn and experience culture in safe and secure programs abroad.

Founded a decade ago, we started as a healthcare programs facilitator, focusing on trips for medical and premed students, but have since expanded to include other programs. Whether for volunteering in gender issues, governance or women empowerment,  our programs have one common theme: to provide a rare opportunity for Hands-on learning experience, volunteering, and cultural immersion even as you have some fun!

Our Gender equity, Governance & Women empowerment program is currently based in both Kenya and Arusha and  mainly targeted towards high achieving students with a serious and documented interest in the legal/ governance related  professions, looking to gain a unique, diverse and transformative experience abroad. Such experience also helps our applicants be competitive and stand-out in their school applications. The program is equally a great opportunity for volunteers from diverse backgrounds who have documented commitment in these areas.

Key highlights of the program

• Early and close exposure to Governance for those considering it as a profession
• Significant volunteer and community service in selected projects
• A unique way to demonstrate seriousness of intent in Law and governance school application –several of our past participants have proceeded to join law school and we have offered application recommendations
• Opportunity to see Legal offering in a different setting
• Cultural exchange and appreciation of other cultures, including a Safari to the famous Maasai Mara and a visit to a Maasai village
• The program is based on wide variety of projects, partnerships, and serious and professional human rights organizations, associations and Architecture firms:

Areas of involvement include

• Food security
• International Law
• Improving situations of the poor, repressed and
• Small business development
• Healthcare
• HIV / AIDS
• Environment awareness and conservation
• Women’s issues
• Mediation and conflict resolution

Your precise role will be determined by your background and level of interest in specific areas. Interns work under the supervision of the local staff and will be involved in a variety of issues. Themes of involvement include:

Tasks and involvements include:

• Field trips to various areas of legal importance in Kenya
• Legal research on a variety of on-going local human rights issues and cases
• Contribute to human rights education
• Implementing human rights projects
• Policy research and fact finding missions
• Research and producing briefs
• Communication tasks including helping to translate press releases and statement letters
• Fundraising and networking
• Writing proposals in English and filling out grant forms
• Sitting in court proceedings
• Case assignments
• Raising awareness in rural communities
• Preparing leaflets, posters or educational tools
• Running training programs
• Planning promotional campaigns
• Mediation
• Attending a local leader / chiefs mediation project
• Mentoring high-school student considering Architecture as a profession
• Internally displaced person
• Refugees and asylum counseling
• Promoting legal society activism
• In addition to project and field based work, volunteers also help with general office work and administration.

Projects:

The core of the project is the immense Hands-on clinical experience that gives medical students a rare opportunity to practice their clinical skills. The program can either be rural or urban based depending on your preference

In addition to the core clinical project / component, all our programs have a volunteering component as a way to give back to the communities we work in; depending on the location / camp where your program is located, participants get involved in a wide range of volunteer projects, depending on their interests

• Community development, especially on healthcare and educational issues
• Wildlife conservation
• Environmental conservation
• Marine conservation
• Sports development
• Some past volunteer projects have included orphanage visits, teaching kids how to swim, visiting elementary schools and making essential donations such as books and pencils. See gallery

Adventure

Depending on location, participants have the option to get involved in a wide variety of adventures, over and above the clinical and volunteering components. There are separate and optional activities that will need to be reserved separately

• Mountain trekking at Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Kenya and Mt. Meru)
• Gorilla tracking
• Beach time
• Biking
• Scuba diving, white water rafting, and various other marine sports
• A walking tour of Nairobi or Mombasa
• A walking tour of Kibera Slums

Please click to download: General Programs Bronchure (769.66 kB)

More info: please send us an inquiry if you need more program questions or need more info, if you are ready to apply, please go ahead and apply at www.electiveabroad.com/apply