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2 Weeks Special Volunteer Program in Uganda

Mukono Region, Uganda

2 Weeks Special Volunteer Program in Uganda

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Trip Highlights

Volunteer to teach underprivileged children in Uganda
Give back to rural community and explore the country on weekends
Enjoy an exciting weekend Safari to Lake Mburo National Park
Take a day trip to Jinja or explore the capital city of Kampala
Volunteer in grassroot level project and make a difference in the community

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Overview Program Requirements Itinerary Living Costs Dates Reviews

Overview

Enjoy our two weeks special volunteering in the Pearl of Africa, Uganda; a country of beauty, splendor, and vibrant colours everywhere. This program lets you volunteer and give back in a rural community as well as explore some of the country’s best kept travel sites.

Volunteers in the program work as a Teaching assistant helping to teach English, Mathematics or languages in a rural school where our target is to improve the quality of Education for vulnerable learners. At the school we not only offer education but shower the little ones with love and care, because some of them do not get to experience it back home.

Visiting Uganda has never been complete without a visit to any of the country’s parks for wildlife and scenery viewing or getting involved in an adrenaline rush activity or visiting the country’s capital and having a firsthand experience of the hustle and bustle of this beautiful city. Uganda is a country with a lot in store for you to explore and enjoy.

Program Requirements

Volunteers must be 17 years or older at the time of joining the project. Participants should have an open mind and flexible attitude for working in a new and different environment. Volunteers need to be flexible, open-minded and have a passion for working with children. You should also be proactive and have the ability to take initiative All volunteers must provide a clean criminal background check report prior to joining the program. A parental consent form shall be required for Under 18 participants joining the program.

Schedule

Day 1- Arrival and Pickup
Arrival and pickup from Entebbe International Airport by one of our in- country staff and shuttled to Mukono, East of Kampala City, the project location. An orientation around your homestay will be made, feel free to have a walk around the area or rest in.

Day 2 - Orientation
Orientation, through our work, what to expect, transport, among others. Getting a simcard for data and communication around, visiting your work base and getting to know the people you will be working with.

Day 3-6: Work Begins
Work officially begins at the school, you will be teaching about 3 classes per day. After school, you can choose to explore the village, get to meet the locals as you walk back to the accommodation.

Weekend, Day 7-8. Safari to Lake Mburo National Park (2 days 1 night).
Have the best of your weekend as you visit Lake Mburo National Park, which is a compact jewel of a pack with a mosaic of habitats that support a wealth of wildlife species that are rare and some instances absent from other parks in Uganda. Lake Mburo is the only park in this part of the country that contains impalas, zebras. It is home to 69 mammal species and 332 bird species that include the legendary shoebill.

Day 9-13
Teaching at the school and helping out with the children as you discover more about the area and the people.

Weekend/ Day 14
Depending on your preference, you can choose to visit either Kampala or Jinja City or even both. Kampala the capital of Uganda has a lot in store for you, from the Bahai temple, Gadaffi Mosque, historical churches to the Kings Palace and Idi Amin’s torture chambers down to its organized chaos. Kampala is a dare to go to place worth visiting.
Jinja on the other hand is a calm beautiful town that boasts of the source of the Nile and numerous adrenaline adventures such as rafting, kayaking bungee jumping, tubing, quad biking, and horseback riding, as well as boat cruise to the source of river Nile all set to help you conquer your feels and with fun enjoy life.

Day 15
Programs ends on this day, you can choose to extend your stay or push on to the next destination. If you need a Taxi to drop you off to the airport, you can talk to any of the coordinators available. Return airport drop can be arranged at extra charges.

Living

As you arrive at the Entebbe International Airport near Kampala, we take care of everything starting right from the airport pick up to the accommodation, meals and local assistance. You will also get a comprehensive pre-departure information booklet and other assistance to prepare you for living in the city. Living options for various projects in Uganda range from host family accommodation, volunteer house, and guest house. All necessary facilities are provided in the accommodation for a comfortable stay of volunteers.

Airport Transfer

Upon your arrival at Entebbe International Airport , our coordinator will pick you up and transfer you to your accommodation. In case you are coming by road or are already in Kampala, you need to inform us beforehand and the pickup will be arranged accordingly.

Accommodation

Volunteers in the program are provided accommodation at a backpacker home/volunteer house run by our local partner team in Uganda.

Located in a humble neighborhood of just few meters away from Kalagi town, the accommodation is nestled away from all the noise of the big city, but close enough to ‘quickly’ get you back to downtown. It is just about 20-25 minutes’ drive from Mukono town on an all-weather tarmac road.

The building also hosts offices of the local coordinators and they will be available in case of any problems.

All volunteers based in Mukono (up to 10 at one time) will live together in a warmly gated home. Delicious meals are provided each day, which consists of local foods, such as matooke (mashed plantain), posho (cornmeal), potatoes and rice or noodles. They are generally served with beef, fish, peas, beans or groundnut sauce. Bread, eggs, vegetables and fruits are available for breakfast, vegetarians are also accommodated.

Volunteers staying at the home are assigned a bed based on capacity, arrival time and length of stay. All beds have good mosquito nets and you don’t need to bring your own sheets etc. Accommodation at this home is in shared dorm styled bedrooms and shared twin bedrooms, accommodating up to 10 people when full.

For volunteers, it is a place to relax after the intense experiences of the day, and to discuss these with other volunteers. From the home coordinators can help in arranging trips and expeditions around the country including wildlife safaris, mountaineering, white water rafting and so many other activities.

Orientation

Our program coordinator will give you an orientation about the placement, local transport, facilities around the accommodation and necessities like ATMs, banks, restaurants, shops, pharmacy, local customs, and practices, Do’s and Don’ts, safety and so on. Please feel free to ask any questions to the coordinator if you need any more information.

Meals

3 meals a day, i.e. breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided from Monday to Friday. Breakfast and dinner will be given at the accommodation whereas lunch will be provided at the program location.

Breakfast includes tea/coffee, bread, jam, fruit and one dish (eggs, porridge, French toast, cereal etc.). Lunch is mostly prepared by local families or community members and typically includes meat (beef or chicken or fish), potatoes and rice.
Our program coordinator may take you occasionally to a local restaurant for lunch. Dinner includes vegetable, meat once or twice a week, rice, maize etc.

On weekends, only breakfast and dinner will be given. For lunch, you can go to the good local restaurants. The program coordinator will recommend the restaurants and other activities to do during the weekend. Weekend trips can also be taken up after consulting the coordinator and your fellow volunteers.

Always be wary of local street food as at most of the times it is contaminated or half cooked or made by unhealthy components. Do not drink tap water directly. Brushing your teeth with tap water is fine. You can purchase packaged water bottles from a supermarket for drinking.

Daily Transportation

Most of the program locations are within a walking distance from the program location and in cases where travel is required, volunteers are picked up and dropped back on either a boda-boda (motorcycle) or a jeep/car. Participants can budget $2-3 for local transportation.

Dates

2024

2025

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June

July

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October

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Past Date

Available

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Filling Fast

Costs

2 Weeks $999

Extra Week $200

Please Note: -An application fee of $229 is charged over and above the program fee as an application payment. (A 5% international banking fee is charged at the time of payment)

What are you Paying for?

Comprehensive pre-departure information
Airport pickup from Entebbe International Airport in Uganda
Round the clock assistance of our in-country coordinator and local staff
Program orientation by our in-country program coordinator
Meals
Accommodation in a Volunteer hostel or guesthouse
Lake Mburo Safari Trip
Kampala or Jinja Day Trip

Certificate Of Completion (Upon Request)

What's NOT included?

International/Domestic airfare
Visa fees
Insurance (can be purchased from us at a nominal cost)
Cost of vaccinations
Local transport and personal expenses
Return Airport Transfer to Entebbe

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Frequently asked questions

: It is advised to apply for the projects once the volunteering/ traveling dates are decided as there are limited spots available. The application fee is valid for one full year and can be sent earlier than the desired year of volunteering for timely confirmation of the seat. As soon as you decide the travel dates, we suggest you apply for the program and hold your spot. We abide by the first come first serve policy.
: Usually, it takes around 10-12 working days for the application to be processed and placement to be confirmed. After we review your CV and documents, your booking is confirmed and the booking confirmation is updated in your My Account and you can view the information in your account. The application acceptance depends on the availability of seats in the project as well as the eligibility criteria of the program (age, skills and experience etc.).
: Below are the necessary requirements to participate in the Uganda volunteer projects:
Volunteers must be 17 years or older at the time of joining the project.
Volunteers joining the medical volunteer project must be either Pre-Medical, Medical or Nursing student or possess other qualifications related to medical and nursing field. Medical professionals such as doctors and nurses are also welcome to join the program.
Volunteers need to have an open mind and flexible attitude for working in a new and different environment.
The volunteer should bring energy and enthusiasm to make a difference.
Clean Criminal Background Check Report for participants joining Childcare and Teaching Projects is necessary.
Participants must be in good health.
: Yes, you are welcome to take part in Uganda Volunteer Program as part of a group. We welcome families, friends, high school students, college/university and corporate groups to volunteer together in the Uganda program.
: Yes, most definitely you can as we believe every participant brings something new to the project. If you do not have previous experience, we offer you the opportunity to have a great start with us. We make international volunteering easy – not only are our Volunteer Abroad opportunities rooted in offering you extensive support, but they are also very affordable.
: Yes, we will provide you with the Certificate after successful completion of your program. The certificate is provided on request.
: Volunteering Solutions offers projects placements in the suburban areas of capital city Kampala and in and around the town of Mukono which is around 30 km from Kampala.

Interested participants working in the town of Mukono can also visit Jinja- which is the source of river Nile.
: All volunteers need to arrive at Entebbe International Airport on the program start date i.e Sunday.
Our in-country coordinator/representative will pick you up from the airport and take you to the accommodation. Our in-country coordinator would give you an orientation about the program, placement, accommodation, facilities around the accommodation and placement, local customs, safety etc. Once you get familiar with the accommodation and surrounding area, you can relax for a while.

If you are already in Kampala or arriving in Kampala by road, please provide us with the necessary details like your contact number and arrival time/location, so that we can coordinate/arrange? for the pickup.
: Volunteers usually work for 4 to 6 hours a day depending on their program. You will have weekends off so you can travel on weekends. However, volunteers need to be flexible, open minded and understand that work requirements can change as well on certain occasions.
: All participants traveling to Uganda can obtain Visa by applying at Ugandan Embassy/High Commission located in their country of residence. Citizens of some countries can also get the Visa on arrival. Please consult the Ugandan Embassy / High Commission for more detailed information. Participants can also apply for E-Visa to Uganda. To apply for E-Visa, click here.
: Entebbe International Airport near Kampala is well connected with majority of the airlines from all over the world.

Major airlines flying in and out of Uganda are KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Kenya Airways, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa, Delta Airlines, Air France.
: Uganda is one of the developing countries in East Africa. People in Uganda are very warm and hospitable. In general, Uganda is a safe destination.

You will be given safety precautions and instructions by the local coordinator team during the orientation as well as in your Pre-departure handbook after you become an enrolled participant. However one needs to consider local customs and follow local practices.
: All participants are recommended to consult their physician or travel doctor before traveling to Uganda. To view the general list of vaccinations recommended for your travel to Uganda, click here.
: Yes, for all participants, it is mandatory to have a valid travel medical insurance for their trip. Volunteers have the option to purchase Travel and Medical Insurance at a nominal extra cost from Volunteering Solutions. To provide the best option to our participants, we offer comprehensive insurance coverage in collaboration with a leading insurance provider.

If you already have a valid Travel and Medical insurance, you can email us a copy of the same. It is also advised to bring along the Insurance documents during your trip.
: Volunteers in Uganda are provided accommodation with either a host family or at a volunteer house (subject to availability).You may let us know your preference and we will try our best to accommodate you. It is shared accommodation. The accommodation has all the basic facilities which ensure a comfortable and safe stay to our participants.

In the Orphanage Project, accommodation is can be provided in the project premises as well.

Participants are provided with 3 meals a day, i.e. breakfast, lunch, and dinner, from Monday to Friday. Breakfast and dinner would be at the accommodation whereas lunch would be provided at the program location. Breakfast includes tea/coffee, bread, jam, fruit and one dish (eggs, porridge, French toast, cereal etc.). Lunch is mostly prepared by local families or community members and typically includes meat (beef or chicken or fish), potatoes and rice. At times the program coordinator may take you to a local restaurant for lunch. Dinner includes vegetable, meat (once or twice a week), rice, maize etc.

On weekends, breakfast and dinner would be provided at the accommodation. For lunch, you can try out some local restaurants. The program coordinator would be happy to guide you to the restaurants or food joints. If you go for a tour, then you can have lunch at a local restaurant there.

Always be wary of local street food as most of the times it is contaminated or half cooked or made with unhealthy components. It is not advised to consume tap water directly, however for cleaning purposes like brushing your teeth, tap water is fine. You can purchase packaged water bottles from a supermarket for consumption.
: Yes, however, you must inform us in advance and also mention about any dietary requirement in your application form.
: Your program coordinator or a member of the local coordinating team will take you to your placement and introduce you to everyone after giving you a basic orientation about the program, its surroundings and other facilities around the location. There will be an assistant program coordinator present at the program location.

If the program location is within walking distance from your accommodation, then you need not ?worry about transport. In case the program location is a little further away from your accommodation, then you will be commuting to and fro by a car or boda-boda (motorcycle).
: Depending on your project placement, you will get evenings and the weekends free, to travel and explore the place.During the free time on weekdays, you can venture out for a walk to the main market and explore some of the good restaurants. However, we would recommend not to stay out after 7 pm.

On the weekends, you can go for the weekend trips like Source of the Nile at Jinja or a visit to Entebbe Zoo or a trip to the Equator. There are safari tours as well. Please contact our travel desk for more information and book the trips.
: We recommend bringing comfortable clothing like T-shirts, sweat shirts, jeans, skirts etc. Since the region is near to the Equator, light showers are pretty common, and the nights are little colder so carrying a jacket would be a good idea.The main idea is to be dressed comfortably and modestly.

The country has a different set of customs and traditions and it is always a good idea to be respectful towards their beliefs and follow the local customs. Sports shoes or sandals, basically comfortable footwear must be included.
: Your program fee does not cover your personal expenses. You will need to provide for yourself your personal expenses, such as bottled water, local transport, telephone, shopping, sightseeing etc. However, you should carry around $40-$50 per week for your basic personal expenses. This amount can vary and you would need a higher amount if you choose to go on weekend trips out of town. The return trip to the airport is approximate $40-$50 depending on your location.
: You can change some money upon your arrival at Entebbe Airport. You can also change money at any of the banks near to your accommodation or program location. We recommend not changing a large amount in a single transaction. Instead, we recommend you to change money after 3-4 days as per your requirement. There is a very good network of ATMs as well.
: You can get a local SIM card from the local market. You can get it from a company store or from any shop selling prepaid SIM cards. You need to show your passport. Airtel and MTN are the leading telecom operators. There are internet/cyber centers in the main market if you wish to browse the net.
: We encourage volunteers to get in touch with former Volunteering Solutions program participants and also other program participants joining our projects. You are recommended to join the Volunteering Solutions Facebook Page or Facebook Group to communicate with other participants.

To read alumni interviews from past participants, visit ?the Meet a Volunteer section on our website.