If you’re looking for an activity to do this summer then the Kuwait for Kenya (K4K) project by LoYAC might be one to consider:
The K4K trip will take place in Mombasa, Kenya as usual. The duration of the trip will be 3 weeks, from 02 July 2011 to 23 July 2011.
The objectives of this year’s trip will be slightly different from the previous years. We’re looking at 2 projects to conduct during the trip; an agricultural project in Barani community and starting the infrastructure for the MYCC (youth center) building.
During the trip, we will have two weekends, which we’ve planned a safari trip and a rafting trip respectively. Both should be plenty of fun.
For those of you that are interested in joining us, please keep in mind that the age criteria is 18-28 years old. Also, the trip will be self-funded with an estimated total cost of KD 800 (excluding Safari and Rafting activities). Interested volunteers should review the pre-field manual, to be aware of the trip’s process and risks.
If you’re interested then you can contact Aisha Alsayegh ([email protected]) or Sara Al Ansari ([email protected]) for more information. Here is a link to the K4K website with info and picture of their previous projects [Link]
56 replies on “K4K Project 2011”
Thank you for posting about us (again) and emphasizing the importance of volunteering.
On behalf of K4K, we really appreciate it.
Wow… this is amazing… i wish there are more volunteering events like these…
hats off to you guys… if could i would join you guys… may be next time… keep up the great work.
I wish to Volunteer this Kind of events.
But Its Expensive.
How about Palestine or some other Arabic country? Or it doesn’t sound fancy enough for a summer trip, some photos and a short film there?
Probably because people in Kenya need it more than “some other Arabic country”.
Really!
lol, would be nice to see all the hummers, iphone 4s and blackberrys being hauled down for this trip.
God bless Kuwait…
shy 7lo!!
3ad mawa9eekom nafs kil marra !! take dozens of pictures for the poor kids and insult their dignity by posting those pictures all over.. oh and make sure they smile to camera
many people are doing extraordinary things for africa yet we don’t hear about them but when you guys go and hand in couple of old toys to the children there, you have to post, blog and make sure the whole world knows how kind and generous you are and its making me sick how you post the kids pictures and tell them to smile and laugh to camera
try going this time without your cameras !! if you really want to do “charity”
What is the matter with you?! They’re just trying to find volunteers for their projects of helping the infrastructure on an impoverished African nation, how do u find volunteers?……ADVERTIZING
Instead of being an internet warrior why don’t u get off ur ass and do something good with ur life like these fine individuals.
Read what I wrote down for mark
I don’t need to tell your what good I did for the world, I’m not the kind of person who does things just to show humans how good I am and I don’t need your judgment for that
its between me and God, what ever good deeds I did won’t be published in public places like facebook or youtube
very true.
that is one of the worst arguments I have ever read on the blog. How is LoYAC going to get people to participate and help if they don’t tell anyone about it.
Stop being shallow, what kind of reward do you think LoYAC might get out of this? THey end up getting more volunteers and so more people get helped in Kenya? And that’s a bad thing right?
Mark
I’m not judging their ads here!!
If you looked at the pictures from previous trips you’d know what I mean
there is nothing wrong in collecting money or advertising so as to raise as much financial and human support possible but I’m against what they’re doing AFTERWARDS
As I said many organizations are keen on helping people but they don’t swamp the whole internet/facebook/youtube networks with their pictures smiling with cameras!! that’s not what charity is all about , You don’t need to brag about the amount of money or hard you spent and write your company name all over the places you’ve been
As a doctor myself, Many consultants whom I respect and cherish have been part of charitable event to help people around the world , yet none of them posted picture on their facebook account with them helping a poor child to survive!! That’s the most offensive thing you can do to a poor kid
people have dignity !! don’t take it away just to show your hero-like character
I hope its all clear now
Yap I agree.
do you even know what kind of work they do? i know a couple of amazing people that went, and they did much much more than ‘hand down a couple of old toys.’ shame on you, and so very sad that you insult and criticize when you have no idea what went on. Maybe next time you should sign up and work with them before throwing out the insults.
And have you ever considered that maybe these photos and videos is making people more aware of the situation, or maybe to try and raise more volunteers to help? Think about that.
LOOOOOL SOOOO TRUE! !!!
i agree with Wicked here & i’m glad someone pointed it out. The charity didn’t need to publicly humiliate the poor as with the picture above (donkey ears?? monkey face?? come on, the latter is borderline racist)
BUT at the end of the day, these guys ARE contributing & helping the poor, possibly for the wrong reasons, but if you’re a believer of “the end justifies the means” then you’d have no problem with what they did.
Unfortunately, we live in a very superficial society (i can’t believe i’m using a George Costanza quote in the context of charity work!!)
i understand that they need to advertise what they’re doing, but to touch on someone’s dignity in the process is inexcusable. Do it in a respectable & respectful manner. Did the poor Kenyans agree for their photo to be shown publicly like that? Whatever happened to autonomy?
Money comes & goes, but once u lose your dignity, it’s gone gone gone.
Perhaps i should give them the benefit of the doubt, but at the end of the day, only God knows what was really going on in their thoughts, so it’s not up to me to judge.
Agreed!
to be honest thats just full of crap… how in gods world would doing charity be funded by ur own money!! We as dentists abroad have a charity running called Work the world https://www.worktheworld.co.uk/blog/dental-outreach-in-ghana-the-plan-for-2010_1517
We get funded by the company and through sponsors and by doing charity events like bake sales or talent shows and all money is put so that dental students go to countries like Kenya, Ghana and a few years Zanzibar to help them.
But here they expect u to pay 800 KD to do charity work … I doubt that the Kenyans will see half of the money!!
This really makes me sad to see that all companies think of is money .. even when they’re pretending to do charity work!! :@
Instead of people putting their own money and time to help a charity you instead want the charity to pay people to come and do charity work?
The whole point of being charitable is to put in your own time and money to help people out, I can’t believe you actually want to get paid to help..
Not getting paid… u missed the whole concept… the Idea behind charity is actually putting the effort, instead of paying the 800 and this is only covering ur travel costs, they should of made charity events and all the money collected is used get all the stuff to give to the Kenyans, here what the hell are they gonna do?! Atleast what we’re doing with the money collected is buy dental supplies and materials to provide primary dental care and educate them about oral hygeine… but I guess people like u are so ignorant!!
u have to pay when you apply for worktheworld. Its like 2000 pounds iil safra. I’ve done that with them.
@wicked
Well said. I second that.
Dear Wicked,
I usually try to stay respectful of the points of views that are not in line with mine, but your’s is so ridiculous that I just can’t
First of all, the largest and greatest charities of the world all post pictures of their work (See UNICEF, Red Cross) There are many reasons for this:
1- It increases awareness of the problem. This in turn encourages people to donate or even volunteer themselves
2- It also helps attract sponsors for future endeavors
3- It gives hope to other people living in this difficult situation (Unlike you I have attended presentations done by this great organization and I have seen testatements to their great work by Kenyan charity workers and the people getting the aid and I was shocked at how much people appreciate what they have done and the value they have added in the little time they spent there)
These people (who you assume are doing this for the cameras) got their hands dirty by building schools, and they impacted these struggling peoples’ live more than many other people can.
I don’t know if you are Kuwaiti or not, but we Kuwaitis tend to think of charity as throwing money at the problem. I applaud these brilliant young adults who made the effort to go to Kenya and make an impact with their own hands, and you should too.
Rather than criticize some people behind your computer screen, why don’t you attend one of their presentations or volunteering sessions, you might see what I’m talking about
And the last point about these childrens “dignity”, I’d say the smiles in those pictures (and videos which I don’t know if you have seen) are pretty genuine and they truly appreciate what these wonderful young adults have done for them.
I don’t want to assume anything about your respective self (whether you volunteer or not and how you have helped others), but I know that rather than criticizing this organization you should be applauding their efforts, whether or not you agree with the way they go about their charity work
Whether I have convinced you to reconsider your stance or not, I know this, Kuwait (and many other countries) would be a much better place if we had hundreds or thousands of more people like these brilliant young adults
Faisal
Dear Faisal
You don’t need to show me how many events you’ve taken part in, I’m not the kind of girl who is impressed with such behavior
and you don’t need to assume that i don’t do charity just because I haven’t posted it on my facebook account 🙂
Furthermore, It’s ridiculous that you’re questioning my nationality just because I’m against what LoYac is doing.
I am aware of the great work kuwaiti people are putting in this area, but my point is not all of them come back with picture and videos about what they did
so if you are sincere about your charity work.. and you’re doing it for God, or for humanity -in case you’re atheist- Try just once, please TRY to go to kenya without taking any photos or videos .. And get your hands “dirty” to build up some schools there without painting your company logo on it .. maybe then we can a rational argument !!
but until then,,, please don’t compare yourself to me.. and don’t try to convince yourself that your better than any other person on this planet..
I can provide you with a list of hundreds of kuwaiti physicians who have taken part in helping people around the world, And I Can make another list about the works I’ve done as a physician myself .. But I’m not .. because its not up to you to judge me .. its between me and God
not media !
We Came back photo-less, Video-less .. Can you do the same ??!!
Wicked,
What you do on your own personal time shouldn’t be flaunted-agreed. But this is a committee. A committee that needs funding to continue doing amazing things in Kenya. A committee that’s making a difference. Let it be.
Just out of curiosity, why did you come back photo-less and video-less? Who pays for all the work you doctors do? Is it people who donate? or companies? Oh, and what do you do there? I’m asking, so don’t worry, you’re not flaunting and posting pictures 🙂
Oh and FYI, you said it right, its not up to you to judge me. To each his own right? You’d think someone who volunteered, in any way possible, would understand and motivate others. But, sadly, no.
Why NOT come back photo-less or video-less!! I don’t need to take a picture for some poor kid receiving medical care just to show how much effort we’ve done!! have you ever thought about their feeling!! They don’t have any money, place, food and some don’t even have families !! now we add insult to the injury by taking pictures and posting them on social networks ” look guys i helped this kid how-cool-awesome-i-must-be-an-angel”
From an ethical point of view.. that is offensive
from a religious point of of view god said ” {إِنْ تُبْدُوا الصَّدَقَاتِ فَنِعِمَّا هِيَ وَإِنْ تُخْفُوهَا وَتُؤْتُوهَا الْفُقَرَاءَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ} [البقرة: 271]
so why are you people afraid of doing charity in a low profile manner!! or are you doing it just to show off in media!!!
I just gave you a simple challenge .. if you can’t do it.. just say so
oh and we didn’t get any payment for doing our job there .. many go with expeditions from mosques imams who collected money to buy medical equipment .. and we spend our own money to get there. no company is paying us off !!
You totally didn’t answer my questions, just argued. But that’s your call.
The reasons you have for not showing pictures and videos (ie. showing off) have nothing to do with the reasons I’d have for showing them. No need to criticize the reasons I find appropriate just because you don’t agree.
What you gave isn’t a challenge. But whether it is or not, i wouldn’t take you up on it. Definitely not when it comes to volunteer work.
Oh and I never said you got paid.
You have your opinions and I have mine.. and there is no point in arguing anymore..
However I want to make a couple of points clear.. as I attacked your point of view and not you as a person..
1 – I didn’t know you were a girl.. so no I am not trying to “impress you”
2- Nowhere in my post did I assume that you did not do any charity work
3- I never compared myself to you
4- I didn’t go to Kenya
All i was saying is you might have your style of doing charity work, and other people have theirs
Flaunting is never good but I believe they are marketing their work very well to get more sponsors and volunteers
Now that I know a bit more about your background I applaud K4K’s efforts and yours as well as you both give back to others
You might have different styles but that doesn’t take away from the purpose behind your actions
People !! People !! these guys ae contributing their one drop to an ocean that is required to help these people.. An Agricultural Project and A Youth Centre is better than nothing. Dont put them down for trying to do something. Contribute something of your own towards that ocean and then may be you can have the right to make fun of them…….
Ok.. After reading comments and replies to Wicked’s, I think I need to clarify a few points from my perspective and not as a defense to Wicked:
Kuwait has a long established history of volunteerism and charity work. That history has been full of genuine, humane, and altruistic acts for the help of humanity. Yet, the problem arises with sub par, cliche ridden, media coverage that usually accompanies such campaigns.
I’ve seen campaign after campaign media coverages marred by obligatory slogans hung around the scenery, exchange of plaques and “symbolic” gifts.. And the dreaded group photo culminating the work that was done.
Take another look at that group photo and notice the juxtaposition of the poor clueless children with the overly enthusiastic, this-is-so-going-to-Facebook gestures of the volunteers… And draw your own judgement
To make long story short; we as Kuwaitis should continue and sustain our tradition of charity, but we should keep it low profile or support it with better PR.
THE most amazing experience of my life! You might see the pictures and the videos, but you never really know what goes on until you’re actually there. It’s a beautiful, rewarding experience. We benefit just as much as they do. They taught us lessons we might have not learned sitting at home, reading blogs, and criticizing other peoples work. I don’t think you’d understand how the volunteers and the children and adults in Kenya feel after such an extraordinary experience by just seeing the pictures, so please, don’t judge.
I hope to see more and more youth from Kuwait reliving what I lived there. It was 3 weeks that I wished could last a lifetime.
Best of luck and a whole lot of support to the 2011 volunteers.
Wicked, shame on you. These people are not flaunting what they did, they are simply spreading awareness and giving people who don’t know where to put their time and money a chance to volunteer in a community development program. I’d love to explain in detail what K4K have done over the past few years, since you didn’t take the time to research it. Please feel free to send an email to any of the two volunteers mentioned above if you need any clarification on our projects, which fyi do not involve any old toys. I guarantee we WILL change your mind and you WILL take back your unnecessary comment.
Good job LoYAC, amazing work and keep it up 🙂
Wicked, theres nothing wrong with photos and videos. They make great memories and motivate others to do the same. I get it that they should not hold the child and tell him to smile at the camera (that would be fake, pointless, and pretty annoying). But, don’t you think the child himself might actually truly be smiling? Or that maybe he’s enjoying smiling and having photos taken of him? Plus you just said that charity is between the person and God. Therefore, God would judge whether the person is actually doing what he’s doing for charity and to help the poor or if he or she just wants a new facebook picture with lovely comments. So let God judge them and their intentions, not you.
VERY well said. Thanks for your support L xx
It’s a great work , but a little bit childish . Charity photo with a funny cool face/pose = Facebook charity trip album here i come !
Am not judging I think it’s a great thing these kids doing and they are better than me , but there are Many Many kuwaities doing that AND MORE than that for more than 30 years , with No midea/blog/Facebook cool photos ! Abdulrahman Al-summait ?! Anyone knows about him? Only some old ppl in diwannya Knows .
I don’t see why its a right or wrong situation. Why does taking pictures mean facebook albums for the sake of showing off? Maybe they would be in your case, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it is in every other persons.
Of course everyone knows him, there’s a reason for that. And it’s great that everyone does.
Hi everybody!!
The objective of this post is recruiting volunteers for this year’s trip and its respective projects. Comments irrelevant to the objective, questioning our methodology and approach, is just that; irrelevant.
Thank you for your interest (or lack thereof).
Aisha
Sara my dear.. I won’t change my opinion, don’t think that I don’t know you or met you in person.. I have!! on several occasions .. Along with faisal al failakawi.. Moreover I am well aware of your agenda as 3 of my best friends joined your trip on 2009.. What I say and believe didn’t come from thin air .. It was developed after I got to know your project in detail .. So before naming and shaming don’t assume that I have no idea who you are and what your committee is doing.. As much as you are passionate about your ‘type of charity’ I’m am too.. But in a different way that doesn’t involve photographing innocent humans to support my case .. If you need more suggestions on how to do marketing with involving people in your videos and photographs .. I’m happy to help
As much as I enjoy the title internet worrier given by the funny guy qster , I have to admit that my opinion was stated in public places other than the web and supported by ethical arguments and premises .. I think that ‘ shame on you’ is sentence to be directed for you not me ..
M. You must be one of those people who posted their photos on FB .. I am amused by ur defense keep it on lol
L and all other people using the “let god judge my intention” card .. I won’t ! Not when innocent people are involved .. I can’t stop and applaud when you’re doing something un-ethical like this .. Especially when a kid told me in person how much he hates watching his fathers pictures receiving help in local new papers.. Just because those people are poor doesn’t mean they have no dignity !!
@internet warrior Wicked
If ur married i feel sorry 4 ur husband.
If he gets u flowers i’m sure ull dig up a whole conspiracy behind his action.
One final word
Tara al diyana zaina bas e5ty entay ma9a5teeha.
Hahahahaha! well said.
With = without involving
Wicked,
How about we agree to disagree? you have your opinion and we have ours, and let’s keep this respectful.
I am a doctor as well, and as far as I’m concerned UNICEF, MSF, Red cross, Red crescent, Al-Summait, Oprah Winfrey, K4K etc etc all do amazing charity work for a good cause. In order to be able to get people involved, raise awareness and money for people in need, it needs to be publicized.
Thank you for going abroad and giving medical care for ill people in need, we need more people like you who are generous enough to do so, and I would like to do the same in the future. You are raising the argument about publicizing charity, when it’s sometime unnecessary, and here you are talking about how charitable you are (in secret) in one of the most popular Kuwaiti blogs. And then you go on insulting people who are trying to help others. You’re contradicting your own words by saying that God is the only judge.
So you keep doing your line of charity, and we’ll keep doing ours. Let’s just work for the cause.
Qster
Immature people like you will fail to understand that it’s ok to disagree with someone in opinions without attacking the person himself
you fail to provide a decent argument therefore you resort towards attacking people pretending to be funny .. That’s a weak man’s way of defending his views
If you can read, I suggest you read back my replies and understand The argument or point of view I’m trying to prove as it DID NOT involve any conspiracy theories ..
one final note
don’t you have high school finals to study for ?? I suggest you and your cheerful elf bliss start paying attention to your studies
Yes i do have finals in the beautiful state of Oregon in the USA! For a bachelors degree 🙂
and yes i am immature and proud of it!
You however are a cynic someone who takes the darkest aspects of someones actions and criticizes it. People go and travel hundreds of miles and risk their health and spend their time to help others and what do you do you devote your time to criticize their actions. I might be immature but thank God i can see the light of peoples actions and can actually think optimistically!!
24
thank you for understanding my point of view .. I did not insult any of the volunteers .. I was criticizing their actions.. and I do apologize if they felt insulted about what I said ..
Also I did not talk about the charity work I’ve done until I was attacked by faisal and many others who thought I wasn’t doing anything except talking about them ..
thank you again and I appreciate what you said ..
wicked ma3alaich minhom, i agree 100%, i completely understand where your coming from
What I didn’t like about the picture was the Kuwaiti flag… mo 3an shay… bas mala da3ee being so patriotic in another country doing charity work. Charity has no nationality or color…and I wish this charity represents the true essence of charity rather than promoting their name and country
@wicked,
I don’t know who you are, but your words and rhetoric made my day (and my weekend, too for that matter). You said what ought to be said.
Sadly -and inevitably- the times are a-changing and we are living at a time when our national “pride” is being symbolized by cup cakes and fashion stunts.. Which is why I can see how media portrayals to campaigns of this sort seem much more purposeful in comparison.
seeing charity coming from kuwait is ridiculous. we should just focus on the
luxurious lifestyle and expensive living in kuwait which kuwait is known for and for severely underpaying cleaners and laborers.
I don’t mind what they’re doing, but less patriotically… it’s individuals and an independent private company….no need for Kuwaiti flag
@ Khajoor And I agree…we need to focus on Kuwait, because every year we are becoming more superficial and spend more on ourselves, while we neglect and treat expats worse and worse. It would be nice to see organizations such as Loyac focusing on those street cleaners, etc…. we’re a small country, we can make a difference in their lives, as well as try to change the laws regarding their working conditions and salaries. It would have been a much bigger difference than going to Africa imho. But I guess the reason this is more interesting and “life changing” is because it’s abroad.. that is why I hate seeing the Kuwaiti flag in situations such as these… if the charity was for something in Kuwait, I highly doubt half as much people would have been interested and there definitely would not have been such marketing and advertising.
@ wicked-
The point of K4K is to help a society in need. The goal of this blog is to get more people on board, (particularly the youth of Kuwait) so that more hands can help and more hearts can be touched. It is true that the Kuwaiti youth tend to be more spoiled and do not know what it is like to be in need like these people. That is why it is beneficial not only for the people in need, but also for the youth. It is an eye-opener. In a world backed and run by media and campaigning, the best way to reach the youth is through visuals such as pictures and videos. It has more of an impact. Also, people do enjoy getting their pictures taken. People want to look back and remember the faces of the little ones they grew so attached to in Africa. The pictures are not taken to insult them or make fun of them. IT is mainly to show the differences between their world and ours and to humble people when they see it. It is inspiring to see the smiling faces and to see the accomplishments that k4k has seen. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. I don’t see why you could be so offended when in the long run, so much good has come from this program. Everyone who goes doesn’t go to be commended for it, they go to help and to learn. The picture that was selected was perhaps not the best choice, but if you go through the albums on loyac.org you will see the volunteers hard at work. I just found myself insulted by most of what you said, and cannot believe you targeted Sara. I know her as well and Sara is a great person. One who truly cares for this program and these people and who just wants to see a change in the world. I suggest you stop being so negative on a blog that was meant to bring positive feedback and hopefully more volunteers.