THE RESTART VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME

Volunteering at Restart will show you the authentic Kenya, in all its vibrancy and energy, as well as the often gritty realities of Kenyan life. During your stay with us, you will learn a great deal about the country – and perhaps also about yourself. Our volunteers tend to come for one- or two-month stays (although shorter and longer visits are possible), and spend most of their time with the children and helping the staff.

Like all children, ours are lively and energetic, with a variety of enthusiasms, and need to be occupied. They love sport, music, singing and dancing; there are many keen artists among them, and others eager to improve their English. Whatever your own interests or area of expertise, you will surely find a child who wants to learn about them from you.

Our children respond to kindness, care and attention – all of which have been almost completely missing from their lives before coming to Restart. They particularly enjoy our volunteers, who come from the UK, the US and all over the world, and they enthusiastically welcome new ones. Many volunteers keep strong links with the charity and return again and again. Perhaps we should warn you that, once visited, it’s hard to stay away.

VOLUNTEER ACCOMMODATION

We have our volunteers living in apartments within the Restart Centre. Both your safety and the children’s safety is paramount to us, so the compound is gated and guarded at all times.  Each apartment has two beds, a kitchenette, a bathroom and a sitting room. You will eat all meals with the children at the Restart Centre, but you are welcome to buy your own food from town to cook in the apartments, and there is a nearby farm shop for some home comforts!

WHAT YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

Restart offers you the opportunity to get involved in a wide range of activities which benefit the children and (for our younger volunteers of student age) could also benefit you in your future lives and careers. If you are thinking of teaching or working with children, or indeed already do, Restart is a great place for you – but if your interests and talents lie elsewhere, we have plenty of other activities, projects and work you can get involved in.

You will be based mainly at the Restart Centre by day, where we hope you will take part enthusiastically in our daily life. The staff will appreciate your help with cooking, cleaning, laundry, repairs and caring for the babies and toddlers in the nursery. You can also help out in the nursery classes, in our IT department, on our farm and herbal projects, in the library and in maintaining our lively Facebook page with a daily entry. Abdi, our volunteer coordinator, will talk to you about your skills and interests before you arrive, so that we can plan your time with us.

Whatever you do, we hope you will throw yourself into the charity, learn from the experience and – of course – thoroughly enjoy it.

Sport

With over 100 children at Restart, all with plenty of energy to burn, sport is hugely important. It not only keeps the children fit, but also teaches them about teamwork and fair play – two vital lessons which may have eluded them when living on the streets. Many of the children are natural athletes, and we organise regular tournaments for them, giving plenty of opportunity for volunteers to coach, motivate and participate.

Arts and Crafts

As part of its aim to benefit the wider community as well as its children, Restart runs a workshop employing local women with beading and sewing skills. They produce beautiful beaded and printed bags and accessories, and stunning jewellery, much of which is sold around Kenya and worldwide. We warmly welcome creative volunteers to help support our workshop in their designs, work and marketing.

Music

Music is a big part of Restart life. The Sanata Choir is our choral group for keen singers of all ages – these children perform at nearby events and often sing welcome songs for visitors. Even our tiniest learn songs and participate in musical events. We have a well-equipped music room – our latest and very popular acquisition is a donated drum kit. Any volunteer who can sing or play an instrument would be a huge asset to the Centre, so please come and make music with us.

Farming and agriculture

Our organic farm produces delicious and healthy vegetables for the children, with any surplus sold locally to benefit the Centre. Then there’s our beautiful herb garden, where we grow indigenous plants for therapeutic use both locally and beyond. Both projects would welcome any green-fingered skill and expertise.

Finally…. We really want you to enjoy yourself too! There will be plenty of opportunity for you simply to be with the children and give them love. Every day there is downtime between classes and lunch, when you can play with the toddlers and nursery children. When the older children come home from school, there are two hours to fill before supper when you will be in huge demand for games and sports, or simply chatting and enjoying each other’s company.

If you decide you would like to volunteer at Restart Africa, please email our volunteer coordinator at volunteer@restartafrica.org.

For more information, you can download our:

• Volunteer information pack which gives lots of useful information.

• Fee structure which outlines the cost per week of volunteering, along with Restart’s bank details

• Requirements for volunteers to learn more about the procedure for joining Restart.

WHAT OUR VOLUNTEERS SAY

Here are some testimonies from recent volunteers at the centre talking about their time with the children in Gilgil and what it meant to them…

Georgie Ellon

I first came to Restart in 2023 during my gap year and was instantly greeted with love and kindness from everyone. I have a plethora of fun and heart-warming memories from my time at Restart, but my consistently favourite times would be the weekday afternoon homework sessions with the nursery kids. Spending one on one time with each individual child as they dedicated their time to learning phonics and numbers up to 50 was always particularly enjoyable, and over the weeks you see how far they have come in their learning – I often experienced a proud big sister moment! The children at Restart truly embrace going to school and all the other activities they are provided, with swimming being an overload of excitement and energy, and they take every opportunity they get. Being at Restart makes you more grateful for life generally and makes you slow down to realise the beauty that life brings.

The experiences of pure joy and happiness Restart fosters meant I returned to the UK with a more positive outlook on the world and recognition of how precious life is. I continually reminisce about my time at Restart and certainly shall return again and again!

Archie Turner

Helping the kids learn to read was up there with one of the best moments. Watching their commitment to learning despite struggling was inspiring! Education is so important at Restart and to be able to be a part of the kids’ learning and development is such a rewarding thing to do. I will be back!

Bela Jones

“I volunteered at Restart in the summer of 2019 during my gap year before starting my degree. The two months I spent in Kenya were absolutely amazing and I fell in love with both the country and this amazing charity.

The kids at Restart are brilliant and the experience you have volunteering to support them is like nothing else. They are kind, caring and eager to learn and no matter what you do they will leave a lasting impression on you. Mary and everyone who works at the centre puts so much time and effort into these children its admirable and the work they are doing really is life changing.

Your days at Restart really can include anything from helping prepare meals in the kitchen to having your hair braided by four of the nursery kids at the same time. Or from helping with maths homework to going for a walk round the local paths with the older ones. You can guarantee that no two days will be the same.

I have since returned in 2023 and it was honestly just like coming home. There is nowhere quite like Restart. I will be back!”

Susie Dowdall

‘I had always wanted to volunteer in Africa – but life sped by, I had a full-time job, too much to do, too little time. So I put it to one side – until, in 2014, after 20 years in journalism, I was lucky enough to be given a sabbatical for three months. I asked around, heard about a place called Restart, took a deep breath, signed up and flew to Kenya.

Within days at this extraordinary charity, I knew I would have a lifelong connection to the place. I was quickly swept up by the children, guided by the dedicated staff, and immersed in Restart life. On a typical morning, when I wasn’t helping out in the office, I would sit under a tree covered in several toddlers, wipe noses, apply sticking plasters, draw aeroplanes, read stories and give Scrabble lessons.

I experienced moments of pure joy in my three months, and returned to my old life with renewed energy and perspective. I would recommend this experience to anyone in need of a challenge and a fresh way of looking at the world.

The Restart children are an inspiration to us all, with their resilience, joy and huge appetite for life. Anything you can do to help them rise above their painful beginnings and realise their full potential will be hugely appreciated and have a lifelong effect. The real possibility that you can change lives is a powerful and compelling reason to come. Bring your experience, knowledge and love to Restart – you will never regret it.’

Cullen McHale

‘Volunteering at Restart Africa has been the most beneficial experience of my life so far. I am grateful for the opportunity it gave me to put aside my own concerns and provide genuine affection for children who need it more than anyone. Interacting with the children every day was such a rewarding experience, and I could never have imagined how close I would become to them all.

The charity encourages you to put serious time and effort in to helping the children, and I really believe you get out what you put in. So I took my personal passion of running and created a daily running club. After just a few weeks, I had over sixty keen members, from the age of six upwards. It was incredibly rewarding.

The volunteering experience has also really changed my perspective on the world. Living in rural Kenya allows you to see a completely different way of life, and you become immersed in a culture that can teach you so much if you’re open to it.

I learned so much from working alongside the amazing staff, who are very welcoming and hard-working people, dedicated to improving the lives of the charity’s many children. I also came across people from a variety of backgrounds and places I would never have met had I not come to Restart.

I appreciated every single one of my days there, and will never forget the experience. It was incredibly difficult to leave the place and the children, but I’m confident I will come back again and again.’

Ben Morgan

‘Restart has never left my heart. I had my first visit back in 2017 for 5 months and it was an experience which was second to none. My time there varied so much from giving music lessons, playing football and making chapatis, to facing some harsh realities about life in Kenya.

I have since been back in the summer of 2019 for two months and again in May 2023 and was so thrilled to be back. The staff are so welcoming and friendly and you always feel looked after. The kids welcomed me back with open arms and I can truly say it felt like coming home.

Restart is a wonderful place and if you come volunteer in Gilgil it won’t be long until you are booking your next flight out!’

IF WE’VE CONVINCED YOU…

Please fill out this volunteer application form to register your interest! Our volunteer coordinator, Abdi, will then get in touch to start your Restart journey!

• Volunteer Application Form

If you would like more information on volunteering then please get in touch with Abdi at volunteer@restartafrica.org, or if you would like to talk to someone with first-hand experience of volunteering at Restart, Abdi will gladly put you in touch with one of our previous volunteers.