ACCOMODATIONS

ACCOMMODATIONS AT DAGO VILLAGE, KENYA

Karibu (welcome to) Kenya! We are delighted and honored that you have selected to experience our community. Dago is a remote village in Western Kenya with about 3500 villagers. You will be staying on a working farm at the Odoyo residence. The farm has the following animals on it: cows, dogs, chickens, sheep and a cat. You will have private or semi-private accommodations, but will take meals with the Odoyo family. You will feel very welcomed by the whole Dago community during your visit. Expect that many villagers, especially the children, will be very anxious to talk to you, touch your skin and hair, looking for answers as to why you're different in skin tone and also just to know you. It is common for Kenyans to greet everyone they meet with a handshake.

ROOMS

We have six “dorm style” rooms within the Odoyo’s compound. The room has window and doors that can be locked. Each room is equipped with the following:

Bed and linens. There are two beds per room.
Double occupancy but each has their own bed.
Mosquito Net for each bed.
Small table and chair.
Storage for clothing.
Water bucket and wash basin for bathing.
Lantern.

MEALS

Meals will be provided by the Odoyo family. You can expect to be served a lot of home cooked rice, beans, bread, fruit, eggs and vegetables. Tea is a staple in Kenya and will be served with every meal. If you would like coffee, instant coffee is available upon request. When in Dago, you are part of the family and will share the table with the whole family. Clean drinking water will be provided also. We have a water filtering unit and all the water is boiled before filtration. Any special dietary needs will be accommodated. Please feel free to turn down any meal item that you do not like as it will not be offensive to the Odoyos if you do not like or decline to try certain Kenyan foods. Our guests, however, are generally very pleased with the fresh Kenyan foods they are served at each meal.

BATHROOM / OUTHOUSE

We have two common outhouses for all the volunteers to use. One pit latrine and the other is a commode. The commode is flushed by pouring water down it, which is provided in a barrel next to it. There is a separate area for bathing, but you will have to bathe using a bucket, pitcher and water basin. We have a water pump in the family compound that you will learn how to use while there. Solar bags can be provided to warm water for a bath or you will have hot water to shower every morning from the Kitchen.

CHARGING ELECTRONICS

We have solar power in the Odoyo’s compound which should be enough to charge all your cameras, iPhones, laptops, iPods, etc. We also have a small generator that is used as back-up power when the need arises. For the rooms, you will have light and power on the sockets from 7pm when generator is turned on until around 11:30 pm. to read in the evenings or at night.

TRANSPORTATION

You will have escorted ground transportation to and from the airport, as well as to and from the Dago Village.
We ensure that you will have an escort anytime you are not in Dago village.
Dago village is about 6 hours from Nairobi (350 miles). Locally in the village, we use motorbikes and bicycles as the mode of transportation.

INTERNET ACCESS

Volunteers can now access the internet at the Ranen Computer Centre where George is running computer services at a small fee. Alternatively, one can access the internet at either Migori or Kisii, both of which are less than an hour away by public transportation. We find that many guests have internet access using their Blackberry or Iphone bought from the U.S.
Before you leave your country, contact your cell phone service provider to ensure you have a global plan or you will incur large fees using the internet on your phone!
We can make arrangements for travel to either of these locations.

Medication

We recommend you see a medical doctor on the best advice on the medicine to use while planning your trip. This website
http://www.mdtravelhealth.com/
destinations/africa/kenya.php
provides good advice on recommended medications.

What to Bring

We recommend you bring the following items:

Flashlight and/or headlight
Lightweight jacket
Snacks
Camera
Toiletries
Sunscreen
Shower sandals
Sunglasses
Bug spray
Comfortable walking shoes
Skirt to wear to church if desired

NOTE: Women and girls in the community wear skirts or dresses, but you are not required to and they are used to seeing visitors wearing shorts, capris, or jeans. We do ask, however, that you be respectful of the villagers and not wear revealing clothes.

Hat
Wet wipes/hand sanitizer
Journal/pens/paper
Books

Costs

A percentage of your program cost will go directly to the children and people of Dago. We are a not-for-profit organization so we direct as much money as possible to helping the Dago community.

ITEMS NOT INCLUDED:

Airfare
Visa & passport fees
Immunizations
Travel insurance
Entertainment
Extra spending money

Cell Phones

You can purchase a Kenyan cell phone for about $50. When you leave Dago, you can donate it to the volunteers’ mothers, one of the community families, or keep it for your future travels to Kenya. We will also provide emergency contact information/number for your family to have before you leave for the trip.

Laundry &
Room Cleaning

You are welcome to wash your own laundry with a basin and soap. Clothes lines are provided for drying. We do, however, have local women who will wash your laundry for a small fee of $5, which helps our local economy. Ladies will also be available to help with room cleaning if you desire.