Community Volunteering in Korogocho
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
VALUING VOLUNTEERING - KENYA COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERING IN KOROGOCHO 2014 VSO at a glance VSO is the world’s leading independent international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries. VSO brings people together to share skills, build capabilities and promote international understanding and action. We work with partner organisations at every level of society, from government organisations at a national level to health and education facilities at a local level. IDS The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) is a leading global organisation for international development research, teaching and communications. The Valuing Volunteering project is being conducted in partnership with the IDS Participation, Power and Social Change Team. The Valuing Volunteering research has also been made possible by the generous contributions of Cuso International and Pears Foundation. Credits Text: Dr Simon Lewis Research: Dr Simon Lewis and the Korogocho community research team Editing: Katie Turner and Ken Moxham Layout: marcomadruga.com Cover photo: Dr Simon Lewis Photography: Dr Simon Lewis Copyright © Simon Lewis, VSO Jitolee and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) 2014. Unless indicated otherwise, any part of this publication may be reproduced without permission for non-profit and educational purposes on the condition that Simon Lewis, VSO Jitolee and IDS are acknowledged. Please send Simon Lewis, VSO Jitolee and IDS a copy of any materials in which Simon Lewis, VSO Jitolee and IDS material has been used. For any reproduction with commercial ends, permission must first be obtained from Simon Lewis, VSO Jitolee and IDS. Cover image: volunteers participate in International Volunteer Day celebrations in Korogocho in December 2012 Acknowledgements Abbreviations This report was written by Dr Simon Lewis. APHRC African Population and Health Research Centre The research is heavily indebted to the hard work of the local CBO Community-based organisation volunteer researchers who made up the affectionately titled ‘Team Koch’. Their enthusiasm to learn new approaches and dedication over CHEW Community Health Extension Worker the course of a long research process was exemplary. Members of the CHW Community Health Worker team included Lucy Wjeri, Miriam Enane, Ruth Njoroge, Kevin Maina, Keziah Kenga, Evelyne Odhiambo, Meshack Odede, Fred Sadia, Joyce CVD Cardiovascular Disease Mwchala, George Odollo and David Nahashon. FBO Faith-based Organisation Two members of the research team deserve particular praise. Firstly, Meshack Odede was instrumental in helping to set up the group GBV Gender-based Violence and then in facilitating sessions and identifying opportunities. His professionalism, enthusiasm, can-do attitude and approachable IDS Institute of Development Studies manner brought so much to the research and ensured that it avoided the pitfalls that so many research projects fall into in communities ILO International Labour Office such as Korogocho. Secondly, the project is indebted to the hard IVD International Volunteer Day work, perseverance and passion of Fred Sadia. Fred acted as the local coordinator of the team and made sure that the momentum was KRC Korogocho Residents Committee always maintained. Without Fred’s efforts, the research would not have achieved anywhere near as much as it did. Ksh Kenyan Shillings A very special mention has to go to Progressive Volunteers, the local KSUP Korogocho Slum Upgrading Programme CBO that hosted the lead researcher over their two-year placement. The warm welcome and continuous support showed great kindness MAKWK Maendeleo Afya Kwa Wote Korogocho and it was most appreciated. MPI Multidimensional Poverty Index Internationally, the research benefited greatly from the support of NGO Non-governmental Organisation the four Valuing Volunteering lead researchers in other countries: Sandy Picken in Mozambique, Val Clamonte in Ghana, Lizzie Hacker OPHI Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative in Nepal and Jody Aked in the Philippines. Within IDS, Danny Burns, Joanna Wheeler and Erica Lopez provided valuable and reassuring PSAR Participatory Systemic Action Research advice on methodological approaches and tools. In the VSO UK office, the research is grateful to Katie Turner for her support and answers PSI Participatory Systemic Inquiry to many queries. Thanks must also go to Hannah Treacy, who was a SILC Saving and Internal Lending Committee continuous source of support and was always willing to help in any task, from facilitating to writing up notes. TAK Tuungane Amani Kenya Lastly, but far from least, the research owes a debt of gratitude to the UNEP United Nations Environment Programme people of Korogocho who so freely and willingly gave their time to talk to the local researchers and provide the research with such rich UNV United Nations Volunteers insights. If the findings from this report help to improve their lives, even in the smallest degree, then it will be considered a success. USAID United States Agency for International Development VIO Volunteer-involving Organisation VSO Voluntary Services Overseas YIKE Youth Initiatives Kenya 4 Valuing Volunteering - Kenya Contents Executive summary 6 3.4. Competition between and for volunteers 40 1 Introduction 11 3.5. Volunteer exploitation and wellbeing 42 2 The Korogocho context 13 Community suspicion and a lack of trust 42 3 Methodology 17 A lack of adequate compensation: 43 being ‘out-of-pocket’ The Korogocho research 18 Security risks 43 The Korogocho research team 18 Not having a say and a lack of recognition 43 Research methods 19 Recognising the right people 43 4 Findings 20 Volunteer exploitation 43 1. Community perceptions of volunteers 20 and volunteering 4. The interaction between top-down programming 45 and bottom-up community needs 1.1. The impact of national perceptions 20 of volunteering 5. Dependency and sustainability 49 1.2. The critical importance of community trust 22 External NGOs disincentivising 49 in volunteers local volunteering 1.3. Increasing community trust and receptiveness 23 The negative impact of a cycle 50 to working with volunteers of financial dependency Persistence and a long-term approach 23 A lack of local ownership, community trust 50 and commitment to local development More engagement with ‘genuine’ volunteers 24 Community pride and the potential 52 Accurate information and clear processes 24 for volunteering Stipends and allowances 24 6. The gendered dimensions to volunteering 54 and poverty in Korogocho Trusted local networks and relationships 24 The gender dynamics of volunteering 54 2. The types and roles of local volunteers in Korogocho: 26 and volunteer roles formal and informal volunteering Gendered social expectations in Korogocho 55 Formal volunteering 26 and their impact on volunteering Informal volunteering 29 Gender and the risks posed to volunteers 56 Youth volunteering and the changing nature 31 The gendered dimensions to poverty 56 of volunteering in Korogocho 3. The motivations and wellbeing of volunteers: 34 7. Partners 58 motivations, competition and exploitation 5 Reflections on the process 62 3.1. Non-monetary volunteer motivations 34 The value of the process 62 Being active agents of change: 34 improvements in wellbeing and empowerment Consequences and challenges of the research process 62 Witnessing impact as a motivating factor 35 The lead researcher’s positionality with regard 63 to the research site The role of religion and passion 35 in motivating volunteers 6 Conclusions 65 Personal and professional development 36 7 Recommendations 69 The complex influence of gender stereotypes 36 8 References 70 A sense of solidarity in informal networks 36 9 Appendices 71 3.2. Monetary volunteer motivations: 36 Appendix A: Specific Research Methods 71 the impact of stipends and allowances Appendix B: Korogocho field interview guide 74 3.3. The realities and balance between 38 motivating factors Community Volunteering in Korogocho 5 Executive Summary Valuing Volunteering is a two-year global action research project aiming at better understanding how, when, where and why volunteering affects poverty. The project has been taken forward in partnership by Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). Following an initial literature review in 2011–12, VSO long-term volunteers were recruited and used to facilitate fieldwork as lead researchers in a number of countries with VSO operations. Fieldwork lasted from 2012 to 2014 and focused on research in four countries: Kenya, Mozambique, Nepal and the Philippines. This report represents one of three in-depth case studies produced by the lead researcher in Kenya. Korogocho is an informal settlement located in north-east Nairobi Recommendation 1 and is made up of nine constituent ‘villages’. It is characterised by Volunteering-for-development organisations need to ensure poor living standards and high levels of crime. Over the course of that their understanding of and approaches to volunteerism two years, a team of local volunteer researchers were recruited and, integrate national and local perceptions and contexts. following training in participatory methods, empowered to steer the Working definitions may have to be continually adapted over research process. Falling under an overarching participatory systemic time as perceptions change, or varied geographically so as to action research methodology, local researchers were encouraged to be relevant to the communities being worked