people interested in development in action, social understanding and global issues, through teaching, practical projects and interaction with street children and their communities

The placements in Kenya are an opportunity to join in the active and successful work of a charity and NGO based in East Africa called Moving Mountains, which supports hundreds of street children and their families, renovating schools, rescue homes and clinics. What is particularly special is the ethos behind the organisation and it sets us apart.

Director and Founder Gavin Bate, after years of aid work, believes that commerce should support charity. He began ‘Moving Mountains Trust’ while living in the slums of Nairobi in the 90’s, and ‘Adventure Alternative Expeditions’ after years working as a mountain guide. Now with four Everest expeditions to his credit, his expeditions and adventure company support the charitable work - 'if my climbs could raise money for street kids then I would consider them worthwhile'.

Now the work in Kenya is very extensive and Adventure Alternative covers the admin costs of Moving Mountains as well as projects like the street kid rehabilitation camps we run during ‘Africamp’.

The aim is to give secure futures to hundreds of Kenyans and you only need to visit the Moving Mountains ‘family’ to see how this is much more than a token gesture towards CSR. Our work promotes long term relations 'where trust is earned by a commitment to mutual understanding, to listening to other points of view, and to accepting that no one country has the monopoly of knowledge and wisdom and that we have much to learn from each other.'

The Adventure Alternative trips encourage you to play a part in this.

‘Africamp’ is a month long trip every summer for students who want to experience what aid work is like and to have a great adventure at the same time. Working on building projects, running summer camps for street kids and orphans, climbing Mt Kenya, going on an overland safari, spending time at the coast: it’s a look at the flipside of life in Kenya and was described as one of the top 5 youth trips by the Sunday Times.

The ‘Moving Mountains Gap’ programme is a bigger and longer version of Africamp, for individuals or small groups, and normally lasts three months (the duration of a school term). You get involved in all the projects we do. Building and renovating and making things that our NGO needs (like libraries, medical wards, shops, football fields) is part of it, but also living in our orphanages, helping out in our rescue centres, training young Kenyans how to use computers, coaching football to our famous Black Cats, working in one of our schools as a classroom assistant, spending time with our counselors in the slums, meeting the mothers and children and really seeing how people get into such poverty.

Our aim is for you to learn from the experience of others around the world, have an awareness of issues facing developing countries, and put that learning into action in order to become active global citizens.

You live locally, with literally dozens of our staff and beneficiaries. It’s no understatement to describe it as a family. Some of the children who Gavin first took off the streets in 1989 are now young adults working for the company and the charity, and with their own children. It is a very sociable experience from the moment we meet you at the airport!

We take only six Africamp trips and about 30 ‘Gap’ people per year. So we are not interested in the big commercialized operation which Gavin considers to be the antithesis of true travel and volunteerism. We want you to contribute to sustainable development through engaging with the community. And help the Kenyans become the architects of their own success.

Application is easy. No expensive training weekends or complicated forms. We talk to people about they want to achieve and what they can offer to a community, whether in a rural or urban setting. We believe it is the right of anybody to help others, and it is our job to provide expertise and safety within that goal.

We can provide you with the breakdown of how your money is spent and how much of it directly pays for projects and how much of it helps to run a really great set-up in East Africa that is seen by the Kenyans as proper aid.

Our users say...

'I firstly just want to say how awesome my experience was in Kenya.....just everything has inspired me to want to make some difference to people who need it in the world. The AA staff were brilliant and it was all very well organised.. I felt that I could always rely on any of them if I needed help or guidance. So a huge thank you to everyone for making this experience possible for me.'- Mona Zaky

'we left for Embu with seven strapping Kenyan lads who comprised the work crew for the "Water Project" at the Primary School (which consisted of digging ditches and laying pipe - which I did right alongside the boys, despite their initial opposition to a girl helping- ahem). I met the AA host, Gilbert, who became one of my new heroes...it began raining, creating streams and torrents and miry bogs of blood red mud for us to slog through each morning on our way to the school and each afternoon back to the Rescue Center. Gilbert introduced me to EVERYONE and EVERY incredible project MM is involved with: from the orphanage, to the street kid's businesses (i.e. running a fruit stand in the local market, shoe-shining, sewing, etc), to the Black Cats soccer team, to the home for children with HIV'.- Shannon Switzer

0845 344 7545

It’s much more than just working in Kenya and Nepal-we want you to live there too! Our own accommodation, transport and full-time back-up staff help you make the most of your visit. Our projects are long-running and we are committed to making them sustainable.