Volunteer in Uganda

Volunteer in Uganda with International Volunteer HQ today. IVHQ’s local staff in Uganda require volunteers NOW! IVHQ Uganda has a wide range of volunteering projects in Uganda, including Teaching, Orphanage Work, Sports Education, HIV/AIDS Work, Medical and Construction and Renovation.

LOCATION OF UGANDA VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

IVHQ has volunteer placements located in and around the capital city of Kampala and also further afield in rural villages and townships throughout Uganda such as Fort Portal, Kasese, Wakiso, Jinja and Mpigi. 

START AND DURATION OF UGANDA VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

Programs begin on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for periods ranging from 1 week to 6 months.

UGANDA VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS

Volunteers must be over 18 years or older at the beginning of the program and have at least a high school education. Volunteers participating on the Medical Placement must have appropriate training and certification (to be presented to IVHQ partner staff on arrival in Uganda). Volunteers on the HIV/AIDS Work project should have a strong background knowledge of HIV/AIDS. All volunteers must provide a criminal background check to IVHQ partner staff on arrival in Uganda.

HOW MANY OTHER VOLUNTEERS WILL THERE BE?

UGANDA VOLUNTEER PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS

ORPHANAGE WORK

Uganda has thousands upon thousands of orphaned children. Most of them have been orphaned as a result of the current HIV/AIDS epidemic in Uganda. The IVHQ Uganda orphanage project places volunteers in orphanages to assist local staff in the day to day running of the orphanages. The volunteers play a key role in ensuring these orphanages can operate effectively. Volunteer activities include child care, teaching, playing with children, organizing outings and games, music, washing of children, eashing clothes, food preparation, making beds and feeding the children.

IVHQ Example Placement: Goshen Children's Home - Located in the Bupagengo village in Kamuli District, this home looks after over 300 orphans with a very limited number of staff. With such a high number of children and small staff numbers, IVHQ volunteers play a huge role in ensuring this home can continue to run on a day to day basis. Key tasks include, teaching, food preparation, cleaning, playing with the children and organizing activities and outings for the children. NB - This is just one of many orphanage placements IVHQ has in Uganda and is used here as an example. It is not necessarily the one you will be working at.

TEACHING

The objective of the Uganda teaching program is to contribute to the academic development of poor local schools, in order to provide the best opportunity for Ugandans from poorer backgrounds to still receive quality education. Teaching at a Ugandan community school is an experience not to be missed. Although their lives have been tough, the local children are extremely, polite, cheerful, friendly and are eager to learn. The presence of a mzungu (westerner) is always a great novelty for them. Volunteers are required to teach children ranging in age from 4-17 years. Typical subjects taught include – English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Art and Physical Education. Schools in Uganda run for three terms a year. Although the school terms vary from year to year, they re approximately as follows: (Term One – January to March, Term Two – May to July, Term Three – September to November). There are short breaks between these terms in the months of April, August and December during which time volunteers can take a break, travel, engage in tourist activities such as safari, take tutorials (holiday classes), or participate in another placement, (for example; volunteers can assist with the physical upkeep of the school such as painting, decorating and mending desks or work on an orphanage project) N.B. Volunteers DO NOT need to be a qualified or experienced teacher. Volunteers simply need enthusiasm, an open mind, caring spirit and a compassionate nature.

IVHQ Example Placement: Bupagengo Primary School – Located in the rural slum village of Bupagengo, this school has over 500 children ranging in age from 4 to 17. Previous to the establishment of this school, many children were not attending school and others were walking up to seven kilometres every day to attend school in a neighboring village. Approximately 60% of these children are orphaned and lived with extended families struggling to provide for their own children. Many Bupagendo children come from broken families in which they are not properly cared for (i.e. inadequate food, lack of basic healthcare). NB - This is just one of many teaching placements IVHQ has in Uganda and is used here as an example. It is not necessarily the one you will be working at.

MEDICAL WORK

The IVHQ Uganda medical program encompasses a number of medical fields and both medical professionals and students are welcome to participate. Our priority health program areas include HIV/AIDS, adolescent sexual reproductive health, and community health (day to day healthcare and mitigation of malaria and other diseases), and building the capacity of rural communities in their efforts/initiatives towards improvement of sanitation and hygiene among others. This project aims to increase quality healthcare access for Ugandan people, decrease the prevalence of endemic diseases and improve village health by providing public health projects and promoting health education.

Volunteers' duties will vary depending largely on your background and skill. Volunteer work on this project includes assisting with the running of a local health clinic where you will be involved with helping treatment of malaria, tuberculosis and syphilis which are the most common health ailments in Uganda. For example, if you are a registered nurse, medical doctor, lab technician, and paramedic or have a trained medical skill then you can participate in patient care such as diagnosing, injections, IV starts and lab work. If you are a mid-wife then you can work in the maternity ward assisting with prenatal and antenatal care. Finally, if you have an educational background in public health, then you can also participate in this project by helping the staff to record injections or immunizations, helping to dispense medications, beginning a painting or cleaning project, donating supplies, giving educational seminars on nursing skills, nutrition or any other subject that is required in the community you are placed. NB For the medical placement, volunteers need to be training (minimum two years hands on clinical experience) or qualified in a relevant medical field. Therefore, volunteers are required to present a copy of their qualifications and certificates to our program partner on arrival in Uganda. NB Please bring scrubs, glasses, gloves and other protective medical equipment when you come to Uganda.

IVHQ Example Placement: Seguku Health Center - Located in Seguku village in the Wakiso district (approximately 20 minutes from the city center of Kampala), this health unit is the only government medical establishment servicing hundreds of people in the village. Because of this, a lot of the work here is basic first aid, however other work includes outpatient services, maternity services and HIV/AIDS testing and counseling. NB - This is just one of many medical placements IVHQ has in Uganda and is used here as an example. It is not necessarily the one you will be working at.

HIV/AIDS PREVENTION

In Uganda, many areas are severely lacking in sufficient medical services and HIV/Aids awareness. Nearly every family in Ugandan villages and townships has had someone who is sick or has died from HIV. Therefore, education continues as an important weapon in the fight against this prolific disease. IVHQ volunteers work alongside local staff to provide awareness programs at both a community level (to schools, community groups and institutions) and at a personal level (with individual counseling and home visits). The program is divided into four areas and volunteers generally participate on these as they are required and where they have experience/where they feel comfortable – HIV/Aids Education and Awareness, HIV/Aids Counseling Training (TOT), Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) and HIV/Aids Community Outreach. Volunteer duties can include the following; Training members of the community to become peer educators in HIV/AIDS, nutrition and to be counselors; Providing outreach to HIV/Aids sufferers, through counseling, cooking, washing clothes, cleaning and delivering food supplies to those infected or affected by HIV/Aids; Compiling information and assisting in printing HIV/Aids awareness materials such as booklets, handouts and brochures which will be given to the Ugandan communities in which you work to prevent the spread and reduce the stigma of HIV/Aids; Educating secondary schools, churches and other community groups about HIV transmission and prevention. This can also include the provision of free HIV blood testing and counseling to schools and other members of the community. NB Due to the specialized knowledge and skills required for the program, volunteers must have a working in history in an HIV/Aids environment or strong background knowledge on the subject.

CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION

Volunteers are required for the on-going construction and water building projects in the Ugandan communities with whom we work. Volunteers work in manual labor jobs alongside skilled and unskilled local workers to help with the construction work. Volunteer tasks can include construction, renovating, painting and white-washing, landscaping, digging of trenches, refurbishing sports fields, and brick laying. Volunteers do not need prior building experience, but skilled workers are very welcome. This is a very "hand on, hands dirty" type of program. Enthusiasm, strong work ethic and a good sense of humor are required. Volunteers on this program also have the option on teaching in local schools as a break from the physical work. NB The construction and renovation program also attracts a US$5 per day surcharge to cover the cost of materials for this program. This will be incorporated into your fees quoted to you by IVHQ when you apply.

IVHQ Example Placement: Nyanama Primary School – Located in Nyanama village in Wakiso District (approximately 20 minutes from the city center of Kampala). This school has a population of 400 children with only 9 teachers. The school is very run down with a strong need for buildings to be refurbished and expansion required for a growing school roll. NB - This is just one of many construction and renovation placements IVHQ has in Uganda and is used here as an example. It is not necessarily the one you will be working at.

SPORTS DEVELOPMENT

The IVHQ sports development program provides a range of activities and sports for children to participate in that they would not usually have the opportunity to. Different activities such as football, volleyball and netball can be organized on a regular basis and teams and tournaments established. It is a great way to build up a child’s team spirit, and confidence and matches are organized between other local teams in the area. Volunteers are encouraged to help in the coaching and organization of all types of sports. While football is very popular, if volunteers have a specific sport they wish to teach the children, this is always welcomed and received very well by the children. This project traditionally takes place over weekends and after schools. We therefore recommend that the volunteer must also be involved in the teaching project or another project to keep them busy. Once you register please inform your program coordinator of what other placement you would like to be involved in. Please understand that this project, more than any of the others requires you to take the initiative to set up activities. You will need to come prepared with an idea of what activities you want to do with the children in the area, and if possible bring some equipment with you (or be able to buy in Uganda if available such as football equipment).

UGANDA PROGRAM COSTS

One of the strengths of IVHQ is our extremely affordable fees. Click here to see the program cost to volunteer in Uganda and what you receive in exchange for your fees.

ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS

Volunteers are accommodated in a volunteer house where you will live with a local host and other volunteers. Living is basic but the volunteer houses have electricity and running water (most of the time - sometime running water does run out). Some rural accommodation may not have electricity or running water during times of drought. You will be living with several other volunteers in a shared private room and the accommodation is regarded as more than adequate considering the normal standards of Uganda. Ugandan food is tasty, diverse and volunteers can expect to experience a myriad of flavours and meals during their Ugandan experience. If volunteers wish to eat out, there are a large numbers of restaurants and diners to suit all tastes and budgets. If you have special eating needs (such as vegetarian), please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you. However, we need to stress the point that you should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, but also as a volunteer, there is a need to be flexible.

ORIENTATION

Orientation will begin on the first and third Monday of each month and last for approximately half a day. Orientation will be conducted by staff in Kampala and cover everything you need to know for your volunteering placement in Uganda – Introduction to Uganda, Ugandan Customs, Rules and Expectations, Safety, Basic Swahili lesson, Travel Opportunities in Uganda and Introduction to your project and placement. The orientation will also give you a chance to meet other volunteers and swap contact details for weekend travel and socializing. Once orientation is complete, volunteers will be transported to their home stay and introduced to all relevant parties – home stay family members and program placement staff.

VOLUNTEER WEEK

First Day: On the first day of the volunteering placement, the volunteers will be escorted to the project and introduced to the staff at the project you will be working with.

Weekdays: While our programs are flexible and can be fitted to your requirements, an example of a typical day is as follows.

• 7.30AM Breakfast with other volunteers
• 8.00am Volunteer leaves home and travels to the project; the volunteer joins with the local staff. You will be given a duty roster and a plan for your work. There is usually a tea break and a lunch break. Work and hours is dependent on the project and location that the volunteer is participating in.
• 2.00pm-5.00pm Work at the project usually ends. The volunteer at this point is free to visit and see places or do shopping. Usually we will have a guide to take you around. You may also want to hang out with the kids up to around 6.00pm.
• 7.30pm Dinner with the other volunteers.

Weekends: During the weekend, volunteers have spare time and usually just relax or take the opportunity to explore other parts of their local town and Uganda. Long weekends can be taken to travel further afield or to other East African countries. If volunteers wish to volunteer over the weekends they can join local teams and visit local orphanages to spend time playing with and entertaining the children.

Uganda Volunteer Fees

What do my fees pay for?

Registration Fee (Refundable if you choose not to go)* – 24/7 support from IVHQ staff, program marketing costs, information pack, administration costs, travel costs to inspect programs and communication costs with volunteers.
Program Fee – Airport pick up, orientation, program supervision, accommodation and meals during volunteer placement period, In-country 24/7 support and In-country administration costs.

What additional costs will I have?

Visa, flights, travel insurance (mandatory), vaccinations, souvenirs, trips or tours you do while in the country, transfer back to the airport from program, spending money (volunteers in Uganda generally find US$30 to be sufficient for basic weekly expenses).