An Overview On KVDA


Kenya Voluntary Development Association (KVDA) is an indigenously inspired non-making voluntary organization founded in 1962 and aims at making Kenyans and others aware of developmental problems, supplement formal education with experiential learning to enable those involved to be better members of the community, involve those at receiving end of development programmes in the decision making process, foster peace, understanding and respect of other people’s culture through living, communicating and working together. Our dedication is aimed at mobilizing all-purpose resources within and across international boarders to support community development initiatives in fighting against poverty

International Solidarity
KVDA collaborates with other development partners from North and South to enhance cross - cultural exchange, build a bridge of trust and communication and harmonize human relations through Community Based Organizations.

Every year volunteers are received from various countries with expressed commitment to render services to the poor of the poorest in the society. Work camps have proved to be effective forums to achieve these objectives especially when the local communities are involved in all implementation stages.

Experience has shown that true development derives energy from the people who are masters of their own destiny.

KVDA has a moral obligation to create an enabling environment conducive to the realization of North and South solidarity through inter-cultural exchange programmes.

Development Philosophy
KVDA believes that true development is people centered. The role of outsiders is that of a catalyst that activates the process hence the philosophy “Development Against Dependence”

Other service providers have done a lot in this sector but the challenges are so grave that all concerned parties must re-evaluate their priorities and much possible harmonize their visions. This cannot be achieved in isolation but require community of efforts to overcome the overbearing odds.

KVDA facilitates an all-inclusive process that focuses on community’s needs that are identified through short-term voluntary services that creates opportunities for mid term and long term voluntary placements.

Brief History of KVDA

KVDA was founded in 1962, when the Pan- African movement was at its peak continentally. It was a period of time when Kenya was looking for its independence from Britain and seeking to find its own destiny. “Mzungu aende ulaya ili mwafrica apate uhuru”, shouted the Kenyans by those days.

However, the Kenyans were not the ones that founded KVDA, it was a man from, from Zimbabwe called Cephas Munanairi, a social scientist and teacher by profession that was a legendary figure that played an active role in the liberation struggle from colonialism.
His philosophy was to liberate people’s minds by fighting for their rights.

He arrived to Mombasa-Kenya in 1959, with the Quakers missions and after escaping from the Ian Smith authorities of Rhodesia (as Zimbabwe was then named)
He arrived to Nairobi with the idea of creating an Association that integrated, through the work camps the black and the white. Through “Kenya Work Camps Association”, later KVDA, he wanted to erase the scars from the past and to mobilize resources for sustainable development. The motor force of the Association was “development against dependence”.

However, the Government of the day deported him on suspicion thanks to a liberating streak at a time majority Africans were willing tools of colonialists, thwarted his first efforts.
It was his long ally from Britain Diana Stock that intervened and it made it possible for him to return to Kenya to continue with his noble mission.

In 1964 things had cooled down a little bit, confidence was coming slowly and KVDA was little by little gaining momentum. Mr. Africa (As Cephas Munanairi was popularly known) started working closely with UNESCO and with OAU (Organization for African Unity). He was, little by little, building a strong voluntary movement and gaining a lot of support amongst international organizations. He had organized over 457 work camps in Kenya with over 15, 000 volunteers from 120 nationalities on them.

Together with John Magesi, a Kenyan and Donald Thomas from Britain, currently working in Kenya, they constituted the first KVDA Committee. By 1970 the Association had the goodwill from the Government and many international organizations. Kenyan and international volunteers started to go to the communities to build up roads, schools and to solve health emergencies. The challenge by that time was to penetrate the communities.

In 1980 the link between KVDA and the international organizations became stronger. Organizations as MS-Denmark, Novib in Holland, Concordia in UK, Una-Exchange in Britain, and CCIVS in France became key partners of the Association. They provided not only economic resources for the KVDA but also human, by recruiting volunteers in their countries. Networking was one of the most important issues by that time.
However, at the end of the 80s KVDA felt she were great imbalances in partner relations prompting dictate of external interests that could compromise the ideals espoused by the Association.

The 90s were a difficult epoch for KVDA. In 1994 the founder director died after battling with a leg ailment and in 2000 the KVDA chairman Kiraithe Nyagah died in an airplane crash.

Political changes were also a threaten for KVDA by that time. The State changed from a one party state in the 70s and 80s into a multiparty state in the 90s. Under the one party system the Government was suspicious of the intentions of civil society and NGO s were on the receiving end by Government functionaries.

In the year 2000 the Association started to renew its personal by letting the old ones go and bringing young people with new ideas to become part of KVDA general Council.
KVDA moved its venue from Race course road to Gilfilian House in the Kenyatta Avenue in 2000. Today the biggest challenge of the Association is to consolidate the gains made over the years and to rally the local people to accept the reality of self-reliance and shun the culture of dependence that is buttressed by global imbalances in al facets.

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