Author: Footprint Volunteer Uganda

VOLUNTEER TRIP IN UGANDA

Uganda is a gifted country located in East Africa. Water has covered the pearl of Africa . The green vegetation, the mountains, lake victoria, lake Albert, and lack kyoga.

Uganda is a land-locked country, but that does not stop visitors from coming around to enjoy the natural breathtaking beaches on the lake sides.

Uganda has a tropical climate because of its location on the equator and it has wet and dry seasons. Volunteers that come to Uganda can enjoy the cool air around the lakes and mountains and also tour around the country. 

Volunteering is one of the best ways to help those in need around the globe. There are so many places to volunteer in Uganda that is to say education or youth development, health, community development, agriculture and water sanitation, environmental conservation, and gender equality.

Below are some of the things you should know when planning a volunteer trip.

One should know what are some of the volunteer support does the organization gives. Some of the NGOs offer housing, meals, transport, and medical.

Some just offer housing, meals, and transport and do not cater for medical care. One should contact the country’s embassy in Kampala. The people in Uganda can also help in the shopping, domestic work, and other things. They are welcoming and always ready to help in all ways you just need to be friendly.

The volunteer should read about the history of volunteers, non-governmental organizations of Uganda. Uganda has both international and country or local non-governmental organizations. All these would be in a position to accept volunteers to assist in health centers schools, orphanages, and street children. One should be able to visit the website of the Uganda National Forum to see all the registered organizations.

Get to know the best way you will be able to communicate with your family when you come into Uganda. And the best way would be by phone call or emails as it will take 2-4 weeks for your letters to reach the people you are sending to. The weather changes in Uganda as they change from dry to rainy and from rainy to dry seasons so one should be sure of the weather changes to find the right clothes and shoes to pack.

You should know how volunteering will help you in the future. Volunteering in Uganda will give you a chance to get new skills, you will also be able to know and understand the new cultures on how they operate. Here you will be able to learn flexibility and independence plus tenacity.

One should be able to know how to save money while on your volunteer trip in Uganda. Small amounts of money  can cover housing and meals if you can have local cuisine and traditional ways. But the frequent trips to the biggest cities, expensive foreign meals, and private transport can drain your pocket. One should be able to adopt the savings things instead of spending a lot of money.

On a volunteer trip in Uganda, one should be able to know the best places to volunteer. there are so many community-based organizations and international organizations. You must be able to choose the best organizations to volunteer with as some ask for money to work with them.

One should be able to ask questions to understand the place he or she is going. The volunteer should ask questions like; what type of transport will be available or used the type of weather if it’s a dry season or wet season. How far will it be from the capital or airport? You will be able to know if there are other foreign volunteers in the country as the volunteer if coming.

A person”s health should also be known. As for Uganda per now, COVID-19 has taken up the whole world. Before boarding the aircraft, passengers are required to provide a negative COVID-19 test certificate issued 72 hours. The volunteers are required to be up to date on the typhoid vaccinations yellow fever, rabies and tetanus, and childhood immunizations (hepatitis A&B, Polio).

They should be able to keep safe their things as there are my thieves and reckless driving around Uganda. The volunteer should keep money and valuables hidden in different locations. Staying away from theft of things, you will need a heavy padlock on the house or bedroom door.

 In order to live in the country, the volunteer will need to get a visa. A single-entry tourist visa is valid for three months from the date of arrival and it costs around $134.00 and multiple-entry visa can be obtained and can last for 60 days from the day of arrival. 

In a nutshell, before choosing to volunteer in Uganda, the person should know all the requirements needed on the volunteer trip in Uganda. This is to avoid interruptions when the work has started. 

Uganda is a gifted country with Mother Nature; the lakes and rivers, local markets these and many others attract people to come around and volunteer in Uganda. Volunteer tourism is termed as voluntourism.

Voluntourism refers to a person who travels from one country to another to do voluntary work.

The work is related to agriculture, health care, education, community outreach, and many others. They vary from low-skilled to more professional and high-skilled work with could be for a short time or long time.

Voluntourism in Uganda has something common to giving back to the world. It could be beneficial to the whole world, the non-profit organization, or the community development. Activities range from giving money and goods to schools, medical camps, research and education to the communities, and other technical services leading to community development.

The types of voluntourism in Uganda are

• Teaching
• Work at an animal conservation center or sanctuary
• Cultural immersion programs
• Community support
• Youth development
• Environmental conservation
• Medical
• Research

Expectations of voluntourism in Uganda

• There should be direct contact between the volunteer and the residents working with a trusted partner.
• Involvement of volunteers in physical exertion of the locals or communities.
• Voluntourism in Uganda should empower the local community as the volunteer is learning from the experience.
• Voluntourism is to targets non-traditional venues to benefit both the host community and the volunteer.
• The actual attitude of an individual volunteer should be appropriate meaning its desired for the local community as well as what one can learn from hosts.

What a good voluntourist should keep in mind

• The volunteer should choose a cause that is passionate about and then read and research about it a lot.
• Additionally, volunteers should be led by the strengths but not the weakness. one should not go for teachings if you have no idea about teaching.
• The person should be able to bring about sustainable development in the community.
• The volunteer should be able to choose a charity those partners with local workers instead of taking jobs away from them.

Benefits of voluntourism in Uganda

Voluntourism in Uganda helps one to learn a new culture in the community. You are surrounded by new people and receive first-hand information about the problems faced in the community. You can find solutions to the problem. This widens your mind and your understanding of poverty nature and sustainable development.

Voluntourism helps in boosting the local economy in the community. Volunteers buy things like art and crafts, food, drinks, materials used during their work in the community, and the money used for development.

They provide inferior quality work. volunteers can practice the work she knows best and has skills for. Voluntourism becomes of a large impact on the person doing it and all the people involved in the activity (community).

It causes a long-term impact on the community and the country at large. Volunteers teach English to children, local teachers, and people on the correct use of grammar, reading, and writing hence improving on the teaching skills. The community left with a wealth of knowledge to the current and future teachers and their students can benefit from it.

In the nutshell, voluntourism in Uganda causes a great impact on the communities, people in it, and the country as well but as a result, it is associated with problems of taking up local jobs, unskilled labor that creates more work, and no long term commitment involved.

But still, it also creates an idea of a white savior complex where they think of developing countries and communities are waiting for westerners to come to fix things for them. All this can be solved and worked out