VACK aims to inspire youth in particular to actively participate in the development process through skills development, empowerment and support for the implementation of local initiatives as a result we hope this will help in addressing the social inequalities that affect the lives of the target communities. Our services are realized through voluntary exchange, leadership development, development cooperation, intercultural exchange, community service, non-formal education, empowerment programs.

Volunteering in Kenya is a unique blend of community service and cultural submergence as Kenya is a conglomerate of different culture, languages, traditions and people.

Founded in 2014 as a development organization, VACK has been guided by three basic principles: go where the need is greatest; support local initiatives by Kenyans in conceiving and implementing projects; and integrate activities across sectors.  VACK seeks to find durable solutions to development challenges facing our communities.  With our operations in over ten counties, VACK supports more than 20 projects.  Projects have historically been in the areas of education, health and HIV/AIDS, agriculture and food security, humanitarian and emergency assistance, water resources, peace and conflict resolution, as well as democracy and governance, education and micro-enterprise development.  VACK also has always sought to increase public awareness and understanding of Kenyan development strides in the international sphere.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

To encourage young people to acknowledge the importance of their civic engagement and of their prospective role as main actors of social change, therefore promoting a process of empowerment that shall lead to a more active participation of youth in the life and the decision-making processes of their communities.

OUR GOALS

  1. Promote a more inclusive learning process that integrates contents non conformant to the dominant culture, thus fostering the development of a bigger respect for cultural diversity
  2. Advocate for a world where peace, intercultural understanding, pluralism, non-discrimination, justice, equal opportunities and solidarity prevail
  3. Create and provide tools and opportunities in order to help youngsters in their personal and professional development, fostering consciousness in individual capabilities and developing competences increasingly required by the labour market, thus striving to achieve higher rates of youth employment
  4. Encourage young people to acknowledge the importance of their civic engagement and of their prospective role as main actors of social change, therefore promoting a process of empowerment that shall lead to a more active participation of youth in the life and the decision-making processes of their communities
  5. Promote strong synergies of cooperation between the public sector, the private sector and civil society through capacity-building, lobbying and advocacy processes in order to ensure socially responsible management and the participation of youth in policy-making
  6. Build a structure of support to youth organizations that stimulates international cooperation for development through the transfer of knowledge and exchange of best practices whilst facilitating reflection and debate at a transnational level

VISION

VACK aspires to be a premier Kenya-focused organization working in partnership with community initiatives to build sustainable, healthy and productive communities, and a leading voice in Kenyan development and policy issues.

 

MISSION

VACK works to improve the quality of life through sustainable service interventions of the local communities’ initiatives in Kenya.

Through this we hope to have a society in which the dignity of every person is safeguarded and promoted, in which each individual person may enjoy fundamental liberties, have access to resources and services, have the possibility to live in a healthy environment and improve the quality of life in all aspects; a global society in which every single individual and all communities have the right of self-determination consistent with the cultural rights of other peoples and every man and woman on earth.

OUR PROGRAMS

We promote sustainable community development through:

  1. Gender & Cultural awareness

The program examines social and cultural understanding of gender concept. Through empowerment, capacity building, awareness and advocacy, we create learning opportunities for the youth and adults on the crucially important role a society and its culture plays in the construction and maintenance of gender norms & sexual practices.

Areas of focus: Gender, Sexuality & Cultures: examines the makings of masculinity, femininity and sexuality through typical representation of gender in a multicultural society. Sexual & Gender-Based Violence Prevention: focuses on primary prevention; in particular, changing social norms and behavior through empowerment and intervention programs. 

  1. Youth Development and Empowerment

The aim is to not only recognize the sheer abundance of potential within the youth, but to actively provide them with basic human rights such as safe environments to learn in and the opportunities to grow educationally, physiologically and social, regardless of social or economic circumstances.

We create an environment where youths are treated with respect and have the opportunity to build skills and knowledge to empower them and pave the path to a successful life. We are proud of our contribution in fostering a generation of motivated leaders, full of passion for education, culture and respect to others. The youth are given the tools they need to actively sculpt their futures, allowing them to live up to their potential without limitation of their backgrounds or economic conditions.

Areas of focus: Social Entrepreneurship: it aims to equip youth with entrepreneurial skills to address the challenges of social, economic and environmental nature, and provide them resources for practice. Sustainability Leadership: aims to equip youth with leadership skills that guide them in scaling impacts of their social ventures towards growth and sustainability.

  1. Environmental sustainability

The program examines the social understanding of the sustainable development and endeavors to equip youth with an understanding of the current and future social, economic and environmental issues; developing an open mind on challenges to sustainable development and foundational knowledge, skills and attitudes within this field.

Areas of focus: Environmental Awareness: focus on challenges to social, economic, and environmental development; developing actions which lead to sustainable resolutions. Environmental Skills & Attitudes: focus on resolving environmental issues and enhancing youth's knowledge, skills and capacities to improve and maintain environmental quality.

  1. Peace building & Conflict transformation

The program examines social, cultural and individual understanding of peace building process and improves youth perception on how to transform conflict without resorting to violence. Further, focuses on addressing challenges of violent conflicts, discrimination and youth knowledge gaps in the field of Peace & Conflict Transformation.

 Areas of focus: Peace-building: focuses on activities aiming at promoting a culture of peace by reducing or ending violent conflicts and averting the outbreak of violence. Counter Violent Extremism: focus on generic prevention; create initiatives aiming at identifying youth influencing factors & behaviors, reduce risks & strengthen protective measures.

  1. Career Development & Mentorship

We prepare young people to be healthy, productive, and engaged citizens. We believe that educated, employed, and engaged young people possess the power to solve the toughest challenges facing communities.

Under this program we have career guidance and exploration, job preparedness, skills matching, mentorship, entrepreneurship and life skills development

VOLUNTEERING

Volunteering gives everyone without exception the opportunity to get involved in humanitarian activities that they’ve never tried before, cultivating new technical and social skills as a result. Particularly for (though not limited to) students, this allows them to develop aspects of their character that are often overlooked in the classroom, making new areas of their personality come to light

Volunteering places you in unfamiliar environments, forcing you to learn how to quickly assess situations and adapt to different scenarios; these skills are a valuable asset for any direction that your life will take you. In addition, you are given the chance to develop more nuanced problem-solving skills and teamwork abilities, because when carrying out a project or event, obstacles are sure to pop up. How well you and your team overcome these challenges is largely dependent on how well you communicate as a team and the creative solutions you can come up with to relieve the situation.

Volunteers are placed in different projects across the country to assist in service delivery. Volunteer assist in service delivery, skills development, knowledge sharing, capacity building and intercultural exchange towards building a strong community that can be able to implement community initiatives capable of addressing the socioeconomic needs of the society. Under this program, volunteers are placed in the following project areas:

  • Teaching programmes: we have active projects in Nairobi, Diani and Ukunda where volunteers are actively involved in the development of the local children
  • Environmental conservation Programmes: we engage volunteers in Kwale, Malindi, Kaya and Ukunda in enhancing environmental sustainability within our communities in the coastal area of Kenya
  • Social service/childcare programmes: Volunteers are involved in projects in Nairobi, Diani, Mombasa, Ukunda and Mtwapa
  • Community healthcare programmes: activities are implemented in Diani, Nairobi and Shinyalu
  • Capacity building projects
  • Special needs programmes: Volunteers are engaged in Diani, Nairobi and Limuru
  • Youth/Women empowerment programmes: Activities implemented across Kenya to build the skill capacity of the youth in enhancing their inclusion in the development process
  • Educational tours: Volunteers have an opportunity to visit some of our parks to view our wildlife and engage with the local community.

Volunteers work closely with local community members towards implementing these initiatives. We recruit volunteer both locally and internationally who are interested in working closely with our community development initiatives.