Educator for the Deaf

Trainees live with Kenyan host families throughout Pre-Service Training (PST). After PST, Volunteers are placed in rural communities in Western Kenya. Housing is provided by the work partner and may be a private structure in a family compound, staff housing at the school or health facility, or a stand-alone house in the community. Structures vary from mud houses with metal roofs to concrete houses with glass windows, but all have facilities for cooking, bathing, and either indoor toilets or outdoor latrine outhouses. Volunteers may have to fetch and carry water from a local water source up to 100 meters from their home and may not have reliable access to electricity.

Volunteers in Kenya live within three kilometers of their work sites and are placed no more than five hours by public transportation from the regional capital, Kisumu, where the Peace Corps office is located. Volunteers ride matatus (minivans) as a main mode of public transportation to and from the nearest county capital to access banks, a variety of shops, markets, restaurants, and guesthouses. Peace Corps Kenya provides an allowance for Volunteers who wish to purchase a bicycle.

Cell phone coverage is not consistent in all communities, and text messaging may be more reliable. The Peace Corps will issue a Kenyan SIM card, and certain staff will be on call 24/7. Internet is available through cellphone service providers, and Volunteers are advised to bring a laptop to complete assignments such as monitoring, evaluating, and reporting activities.

Kenyans regard attention to dress and appearance as demonstrating respect, and Volunteers must take care to dress in a culturally appropriate manner 24/7. In training and on the job, Volunteers are expected to dress in modest, comfortable, business casual clothing. Hair should be clean and neat, with beards and mustaches neatly trimmed. Long hair and ear piercings on men and tattoos and piercings beyond the earlobe on any Volunteer may have a cultural stigma and could impede a Volunteer from building trust with and integrating into their host community. Volunteers with visible facial or body piercings or tattoos will need strategies to conceal them during the process of integration into their communities.

Food availability and variety will vary by community within Kenya. The staple food is ugali, which is made from maize meal and is eaten with cooked vegetables, fish, meat, beans, or chicken, typically with the right hand. Vegetarians and vegans can maintain a healthy diet, but vegetarianism is relatively uncommon and many prepared foods are made with animal products.

Peace Corps Kenya welcomes Volunteers from various backgrounds in the U.S., and staff and currently-serving Volunteers are committed to supporting them through challenges. Because Kenya has some restrictive laws against certain sexual acts, LGB Volunteers in particular must be mindful of cultural norms and country-specific laws and use their best judgment in their communities and host countries. Staff and currently-serving Volunteers will address this topic during PST and identify support mechanisms for incoming Trainees.

Learn more about the living conditions, including detailed information on culture, communications, housing, and health/crime statistics on our Kenya country page. You can also delve into stories about local communities by reading our blog or Volunteer stories.