The Footprints Adventure @ Mama Kerry's Place!
Volunteer & Visitor Experiences in Kenya
We love welcoming visitors to Kenya and are delighted that you’re considering a Footprints experience.
Whether you’re joining us as a volunteer, supporter, or visitor, we want you to feel informed, prepared, and excited about your time with us. A visit to Footprints is more than a trip — it’s an opportunity to connect, learn, and be part of the story behind the lives we support.
Once your trip has been booked, you’re ready to travel to Kenya East Africa and begin your Footprints experience — a journey we hope will be both humbling and unforgettable, leaving you with memories that last a lifetime.​​​​​​​​​
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​Planning your trip
What to Expect:
From the moment you start planning your visit, our team is here to support you. We aim to give you a clear understanding of what your experience will involve, what to expect on the ground, and how to prepare, so you can focus on enjoying a meaningful and memorable journey.
If you have any questions at any stage, please don’t hesitate to contact us at
experience@footprintsfamily.com
We’ll do our very best to respond promptly and provide reassurance, guidance, and peace of mind throughout your planning process.
Travel & Personal Arrangements
Visitors and volunteers are responsible for arranging and covering the cost of their own:
• Flights
• Required vaccinations
• Comprehensive travel insurance
Getting There & Extending Your Stay
Footprints in Kenya is conveniently located near Ukunda Airport, which is easily reached by an internal flight from Nairobi Airport (approximately one hour).
Alternatively, you may choose to fly into Mombasa airport from where onward transfers to Footprints can be arranged.
Please note that if your flight arrives late at night or in the early hours of the morning, it will be necessary to arrange an overnight stay at an airport hotel before continuing your journey to Footprints the following day.
Your time in Kenya doesn’t have to end at Footprints. After completing your Footprints adventure, you may wish to extend your stay and unwind on the stunning white sandy beaches of Diani Beach, or venture into nearby nature reserves to enjoy a safari experience and witness Kenya’s incredible natural beauty.
Travel Planning Support
While visitors are welcome to make their own travel arrangements, we are happy to recommend Wendy Haines Travel, a UK-based travel agency that so generously supports The Footprints Family.
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Trusted for over 30 years, Wendy & her team can tailor make your trip to include a safari and/or a beach stay or they can just book your flights. ABTA & ATOL protected with a huge range of options from reputable suppliers.
Members of Wendy Haines Travel’s team and ladies from Wendy’s Wanderers (escorted trips for solo traveller ladies) — have visited Footprints and experienced our work first-hand.
You can visit Wendy Haines Travel at Craythorne Courtyard, Stretton, Burton-On-Trent, call 0330 880 7813 or email enquiries@WendyHainesTravel.co.uk
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Any additional travel, accommodation, or activities outside of your Footprints visit are self-funded and should be arranged independently in advance.
Please note that Footprints Family does not arrange or take responsibility for travel bookings. Any travel arrangements made are independent of The Footprints Family Support Team
​​​​Safeguarding & Checks
Safeguarding & Responsible Volunteering
The safety, wellbeing, and dignity of the children and young people at Footprints is always our highest priority. Safeguarding underpins everything we do and shapes how visitors and volunteers engage with our community.
All visitors are required to follow our safeguarding guidelines, which are designed to protect children, staff, and volunteers alike. Time spent with children is always supervised and purposeful, with clear boundaries in place to ensure interactions are safe, respectful, and appropriate.
Volunteers do not replace local staff or caregivers and are never left alone with children. Instead, your role is to support, observe, encourage, and contribute positively within a structured programme that puts children’s best interests first.
Before and during your stay, you’ll be guided by our on-site team, who are there to ensure you feel supported, informed, and confident about your role — while maintaining a safe and nurturing environment for the children.
Safeguarding isn’t a barrier to connection; it’s what allows trust, stability, and meaningful experiences to flourish for everyone involved.
All volunteers are required to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service(DBS) check prior to visiting, or be registered with the DBS Update Service.
If you are travelling from outside the UK, we will require an equivalent safeguarding document from your country of residence, or a suitable reference from your home country.
A visa application must be completed online ahead of your visit. Once your flights are confirmed, we will provide you with the relevant information to support you through this process.
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Footprints Family Adventure Donation
We ask for a contribution of £650 per person for a 10-day Footprints Family Adventure, pro-rated for shorter stays.
✔ What Your £65/day Covers
Your program includes:
• Airport transfers both ways (often an extra cost with many organisations)
• On-site accommodation for the duration of the visit
• Full board meals prepared locally
• A full planned programme of meaningful activities
• A personal host/mentor (someone who looks after volunteers and helps them settle in)
• Opportunities to engage in education, community projects, cultural experiences, and extracurricular activities
Your contribution directly supports the running of Footprints and the children and community projects you’ll be part of during your visit.
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Fundraising Before You Travel
If possible, we kindly encourage volunteers to take part in fundraising ahead of their visit. Fundraising not only raises vital awareness of The Footprints Family among friends, family, and colleagues, but also provides much-needed support for the children and communities you’ll meet.
If you’d like ideas or guidance on fundraising, just let us know — we’re always happy to help.
Every effort, big or small, truly makes a difference.
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You’ll Stay With Us
On arrival at The Footprints Family, you’ll be given a guided tour of the school and grounds before being shown to your on-site accommodation, affectionately known as Little Monkeys.
You’ll have time to settle in and will be provided with a welcome pack for your stay, including your itinerary, daily programme, and menu.
Accommodation at Footprints is simple, comfortable, and located on-site. It includes:
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• One triple room
• One twin room
• One single room
• Shared bathroom facilities
There is also a shared kitchen area where you can make tea, coffee, or prepare your own snacks during your stay.
Food & Dietary Needs
You’ll be catered for on a full-board basis, with meals freshly prepared using local cuisine and, where possible, homegrown produce from Footprints.
Please let us know in advance of any dietary requirements or allergies. We will always do our best to accommodate individual needs, although this may occasionally be limited by local availability.
You will have the opportunity to make a real difference
Your Daily Programme
You’ll receive a full daily programme designed to give you a meaningful and well-rounded experience. This will include opportunities to:
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Engage with children across all age groups within the Footprints school.
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Support learning in outdoor environments.
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Observe and assist with educational activities.
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You’ll also help with extracurricular activities for boarding children, which may include art, dance, reading, and outdoor play.
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Engage with the support staff in the kitchen cooking food for 180 children and staff every day.
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Help on the ‘shamba’ farming projects and if you are a handy person, help the repair and maintenance team.
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Cultural & Community Experiences
As part of your stay, you’ll take part in a cultural morning, offering a hands-on insight into everyday Kenyan life. Activities may include feeding the chickens, extracting coconuts, learning how local produce is prepared, and trying your hand at cooking traditional dishes using the same tools as the local community — no electrical time-saving gadgets, just authentic, traditional methods.
Your itinerary will also include time spent in the local community, where you’ll see first-hand the impact of our home-based care programme and dignity packs. This experience highlights how Footprints works alongside families — and how your support helps make a real and lasting difference to the lives of children and their communities.
You’ll have the opportunity to inspire children’s learning and play an important role in their development, while being humbled by the simplicity of life at Footprints — a lifestyle that brings immense joy, purpose, and stability to the children in our care.
Through your experience, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the importance of self-sufficiency and the environmental challenges faced by the Footprints community, and how sustainable solutions are woven into everyday life.
You’ll also meet former pupils who are now transitioning into adulthood and following their chosen career paths — some even working within Footprints Academy — all of them guiding and encouraging the younger children as they begin their own Footprints journey.
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​Why It Matters
Every moment you spend at The Footprints Family has a lasting impact. Your presence, support, and contribution help provide more than food and education — they offer safety, structure, guidance, encourage and warmth the foundations every child needs to truly thrive.
Above all, by volunteering your time, you’ll feel the power of being part of something bigger: a family, a mission, and a movement of people walking and working together to change lives, one step at a time.
You don’t just witness change — you make it happen.