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“Disgraceful ”

written by joejibber on 02/11/2015

After agreeing to work in a clinic/medical center in Kenya for 2 weeks, I paid the fees and booked my flights. After this was paid, I have been told I would now work for St-John ambulance. I expressed my disappointment and asked if I could therefore do 1 week with St-John and 1 week with the HIV center to which I was told there was no problems. My UK contact confirmed I was being picked up at the airport prior my departure. WHen I got to Nairobi, nobody picked me up. I had to pay for a hotel room which I have been promised to be refunded but it never happened. I got picked up the next day. On my second day, I got told I couldn't work with the HIV clinic as you need to do a 3 weeks course in order to do so..??? WHy have I been told it was fine to do it for 1 week then??? I spent my time wasting my time the first week. On the second week when I got to St-JOhn, they told me there was no work there for me and that they never had any volunteers working for them.. I wasted my holidays for this. I wasted my savings with wasted plane tickets and wasted time there. The whole organisation is completely disorganised. While I was there, a guy arrived and was supposed to do a 2 weeks sports program. On his second day he was told it was school holidays and that he couldn't do it. The kenyan people there made me visit places here and there which were basically a "pitch" to get money. I contacted the UK responsibles and they only tried to minimise my issues saying :" we're sorry that your placement didn't go as you expected" ... What placement? I wasted 6K total for volunteering with them and it never happened. A complete disgrace. And they don't take any responsibility for it. OTher volunteers staying for a long period witnessed many cases like mine. Please pass this along.