The main reason why volunteers and visitors fear to travel to East Africa is because of health and safety. However, Uganda is safer than most of the American and European cities.
The major objectives of the real Uganda are to share the successes and challenges of life in Uganda. And the ways to easily stay safe and healthy while volunteering in Uganda. Read more
No one wishes to experience the landslides in their area but this is life, we don’t have a guarantee or control of what happens in our lives and communities. Landslides are not common in flat areas, they mostly affect a number of people living in mountainous areas like Bududa in Uganda. The landslides have made people homeless, the parents lose their children and children lose their parents. Bududa has so far experienced landslides three times. And the recent one occurred on 1th October this year after a heavy rainfall. It killed dozens of people and the rest were fatally injured.
The landslides stem from failure of materials making up the hill slopes and are beefed up by the force of gravity and when the ground becomes saturated, it becomes unstable hence losing its equilibrium in the long run. And when the landslide breaks loose, people living down the hills become victims of such a calamity unless a fast resettlement plan is done either by civil societies or the central government. Read more
Challenges of living a disabled life in Uganda
Being with so many ethnic groups in Uganda, people have so many superstitions and some of them are incredibly unjust. Imagine thinking of the disabled people to be cursed, with evil spirits, or even perhaps punished by the ancestors for their actions.
There is little understanding that people with Disabilities are also just human beings, equal to everyone else and entitled to the same privileges, opportunities and rights. The disabled people in Uganda totally dependent on others for support. And yes, this is supposed to be because how can a person without arms or legs fetch water, of course there is some assistance required. Read more
Volunteering in Africa for free.
Volunteering in Africa gives you an opportunity to explore this magnificent continent. It does not matter what time you have; whether during your gap year, career break off during your university course, among others. Africa has all kinds of volunteer programs that will suit your interests. It also provides a platform for you to learn more about Africa and its people. Read more
Ways in which you can help the street children.
The street doesn’t own a child or anyone we shouldn’t call them street children but children on the street. They are just children but traumatized, chronically neglected, physically / mentally abused and exploited. The urban population of Kampala is soaring, hence putting the number of children in slums at risk. Almost 27% of children between the ages of 5 – 18 live in slums and they lack access to good infrastructure, better food, and are short of most basic needs of life.
Only awareness and intervention by NGOs and well-wishers can translate into actual change. It is only us who can contribute to their leaving streets, meeting their needs and fulfilling their God given gifts and talents. Here are some of the ways you can contribute to the drastic and positive change of the street children in Uganda.
Talk to them in a positive tone, and inquire about their well-being. Children on the streets go through a number of hustles to get what to eat, put on, and where to rest at night. The community tries to isolate and giving them a bad eye, but when you get a chance to meet them, use a kind voice by asking them their names, back ground and other particulars. Most times what they need is just care and attention of which we can offer to them. You can choose to donate to different campaigns run by NGOs that reach out to street children in Uganda.
Most children resolve to the streets due to miss treatment at home by either their relatives, care takers or step parents. So in case you spot a child who looks distressed then you can inquire about how their parents or guardian treat them; if you find out that the kid is being abused or miss treated, report to the relevant authorities so that the kid is saved, before they resort to streets.
Besides money, your time is the most valuable resource you can gift to the street children. A number of NGOs in Uganda have programs that help street children, like providing education, relaxation, physical-social support and counselling to the street children. This organizations need volunteers that can serve the boys from the street. So if you’re out there wondering what you can do to bring change to the children on the street, volunteering is the best option.
However, donating is the easiest and fastest act of support you can participate in; the equivalent of a cup of coffee or next movie you’re watching can go towards giving a child or two a brighter future. You can also sign up and be part of a NGOs various fundraising initiatives either on social media or in on-ground activities at malls, kiosks and public places.
The increasing number of urban street children has led to the increase of crimes like trafficking and kidnapping. It is fueled by disruption in schooling and lack of parental care. The presence of NGOs is essential in such a scenarios, working with local authorities to ensure that these children don’t find themselves trapped in subsistence abuse or victims of abuse and exploitation.
Without the knowledge of their rights, they experience torture, harassment a well as sexual abuse. Giving in your precious time and work with volunteering in Uganda can bring a difference in lives of these children.
An estimation by the World Health Organization is that 10% of any population is disabled with persons with compromised ability to meet all their needs. The disabled people in Uganda need your support and love, not sympathy.
Disabilities don’t make them fewer people. They also have goals, purpose in life, and long-term dreams no matter the form of disability. Whether physical or mental, age, gender, or location because disability doesn’t mean being disqualified from having access to any aspect of life.
If we are to successfully bring up a loving and caring culture in Uganda, it must give chance to each diverse human gift to find its place in life. One that doesn’t create any gap for the disabled to regret the things that they are limited to by their form of disability.
Caring and showing great love to the disabled people in Uganda has the power of making them feel special. Probably when someone talks about this, you think of sponsoring them with your money. But this is not the case as some of these people even go to the schools of the disabled.
Pay them visits occasionally. The disabled people also know how to have fun, visit them, spend some time with them. Take photos featuring them, you will see how they also have awesome camera poses that you didn’t know about. Such simple things make the world way so different for vulnerable people.
Donate gifts to them. Not referring to big gifts here, little gifts like toys to the children, clothes, scholastic materials, and others. Remember in the world there are no great things, but little things are done with great love. The little you give in with a great will does much more than the much forcefully done.
Throw them a party. Perhaps they have been visited often by different volunteers in Uganda and they have indeed donated a lot to them. But who has thrown them a party, for example, a Christmas party, or a birthday party? Just for them to eat, sing, and dance, something that they rarely experience in their lives? Wouldn’t it be so amazing for them just to see a staged disco in their music compound all for to enjoy till late?
The world will never be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in. And such things deem to be small, but they speak volumes in the lives of the people that are disabled. They wash away the feeling of rejection that fills their hearts in most cases.
Together as one let’s love the disabled people in Uganda, we can support them, visit and donate to them. That way we shall make this world a better place for everyone to live.
Uganda is a pearl of Africa, it is well known for its striking physical features, safe and peaceful state, and as a bird watcher’s paradise. Unfortunately, it is one of the poorest countries in the world, and the majority of the population lives under the poverty line.
It lacks fundamental infrastructures like education, health care, clean running water, and waste management. Our projects in needy communities allow volunteers to share skills, knowledge, and experience to help others as they experience the cultures and explore the country.
Community development is one of the volunteering opportunities in Uganda. It is done in form of Education, teaching the locals how to write and read. The volunteer must teach the English language in classes, arrange the lesson plans, and among others. This opportunity allows the volunteers to interact with the locals hence learning the cultures of Uganda.
This also enables the unique aspects of the classes in the cultural exchange. Meaning the Volunteers get a chance to learn the diverse cultural backgrounds and understand more of the local culture. If one gets the TESL certification in the previous experience to manage English classes. Then there is a great opportunity for one to participate in the program with ease and gain valuable.
The requirements needed; one should be fluent in English, proof of age (copy of passport). One must be 18 years and above to start attending the appropriate projects with adult accompaniment.
Health care involves assisting the local healthcare team depending on your expertise or interest, this is done through organizing health workshops about HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, voluntary testing and counseling, improving the sanitation and quality of drinking water in the villages. This includes building dry racks, digging latrines, clearing drinking wells, and educating on how to keep a healthy lifestyle, treating the patients.
This is done to Ugandans staying in rural areas. It is very hard for them to access proper healthcare. Rural communities are still experiencing the spread of diseases like childhood illness, measles, parasitic diseases, HIV/AIDS, and malaria.
So as a contribution, we have teamed up with our partner organization on the ground. To support the work of the rural community health clinics, centers, hospitals, and medical teams that run the dental general clinics through volunteering.
The health care program is suitable for volunteers who are medical experts, medical students, or pre-med students. Who is interested to share experiences to help others gain experience providing health service in a rural setting. This helps to educate the rural people on health-related issues. The requirements are fluent in English, proof of age, one must be 18 years and the possible workplaces are the clinics, health centers, and hospitals.
Volunteering in an orphanage is another program in Uganda. So the volunteers in an orphanage are expected to show tender care and love for the kids. Help them out with bathing, feeding, cleaning, and homework, and also treat their minor wounds.
One should also engage the kids in recreational activities like games, music, dance, sports and also teach the kids personal hygiene and moral behaviors. This particular opportunity is suitable for volunteers who love working with the children in a fun and educative way.
The main focus of the orphanages is to provide care, feeding, shelter, and clothing for the children. These children are typically around the age of 3 years to 16 years. And they have been abandoned by their family or some are orphaned.
These homes are the works of the selfless locals who out of their beautiful hearts and out of love and compassion are doing all they can. So that they keep the unfortunate children out of the streets. They are given hope and aspiration into the future.
Volunteering opportunities in Uganda are very many waiting for you to undertake this season. Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving one another.
Why you should volunteer in Africa
Most people think that in Africa, poverty and diseases are widespread. But the media tends to exaggerate stories and this scares away potential volunteers from coming to Africa. The Media and journalists often focus on reporting the problems in Africa. But they don’t report the positive things in Africa.
If every person judged a location based upon the news, they would probably never travel. The truth is very little media coverage is given to positive stories. Leaving the general public to know less about the realities of a given region. However, it is very important to get the right information concerning any region that one wishes to volunteer in.
The African continent is facing an economic boom that is lowering the rate of poverty. The increasing GDP is contributing to huge strides in education and healthcare. The continent has already seen its per capita income double since the year 2000. And the life expectancy has increased by one year every three years in the last decades. The HIV/AIDS infection rates and malaria deaths are down to 23% and 27% respectively.
The world can help to improve Africa in two ways; either by buying the African products and other is volunteering in Africa and spreading diverse skills. The volunteering programs in Africa are a two-for-one deal; volunteers get to directly support local communities while also helping the overall economy.
The African continent is full of friendly people. And volunteering in Africa will enable you to meet with genuine smiles, diverse cultures, hospitable beings, and a multiplicity of languages.
It is a myth that everywhere in Africa is dangerous and violent and this is one of the top misconceptions about volunteering in Africa. The media plays a big role in spreading this idea. Because often most volunteers are only exposed to Africa through news, social media, and printed materials.
Journalists tend to focus on the top problems and bad news rather than on the positivity. The truth is that violent crimes against Travelers and volunteers in Africa are rare. And cities like Kampala are rated as having the lowest crime rates than more popular tourist cities like Rio de Jeneiro in Brazil.
Africa is a big continent and the second largest on earth. And it is as big as China, India, the United States and some parts of Europe put together; it is ideally too big to generalize, so when you do read about dangers or epidemics in Africa; it is important to check out where it is occurring on the map.
For instance, the Ebola outbreak and other epidemics are so rare in East Africa. Yet the distance from Uganda to Botswana in the South of Africa is further than the distance from California to New York.
Lots of people think that the only way to travel through Africa is on a budget-breaking flight and an Uber-Luxurious safari. This could not be more wrong! Flight costs to and from Africa greatly vary and there are several countries that you can explore on your own instead of participating in a guided tour. Many people find that the best way to experience the culture and people of this beautiful continent is to stay, travel and eat locally. The good news is that this is also very affordable.
Africa is one of the most extraordinary and diverse continents in the world! It is an enormous continent and diverse place that is full of wonder. And a volunteer program in Africa is sure to be filled with captivating cultures, dramatic scenery, and astonishing wildlife. Africa is made up of 54 countries and offers every kind of landscape a volunteer could desire. Hot deserts like the Kalahari and Sahara Deserts, Savannah grassland, Majestic Rivers, lakes and waterfalls, incredible coastlines, and mountains, among others.
Therefore, the reason why you have to volunteer in Africa is that most parts of Africa for decades have been at peace. Filled with friendly people, affordable, inspiring, and diverse continent. Choosing to volunteer in Africa will make your stay more amazing and unique. Because each day is a learning opportunity and as well a chance to share skills with the locals.
In the urge to save the iconic mountain gorillas of Uganda from extinction and also boost the country’s tourism, the Batwa people were forced out of their ancient jungle; Bwindi impenetrable forest, and this brought a dramatic turn in their lives up to date.
Having left their hereditary home with nothing, they have since lived with the consequences of being innocently born in a wrong part of the country. And little has been done to ensure the just resettlement of these less fortunate conservation refugees.
Yes, indeed, the economic situation in Uganda is still bleak and poverty remains rampant all around the country. But the marginalized Batwa seem to live in an enormous magnitude of poverty. Facing many challenges, compared to the meager opportunities from tourism.
Noted among the last groups of short people surviving on earth, the Batwa pygmies are located in the southwestern forests of Uganda and they are believed to be the first inhabitants of this place. They are one of the most marginalized groups of people in Uganda with a population estimated to be only 970 members.
From the time of their resettlement from the forests, Batwa communities still lack good quality education services. So far, only a few schools have been constructed in some communities to provide education to the Batwa children. But still, there is a limited number of skilled and experienced teachers.
Both the school administration and the students lack funding, the students don’t have scholastic materials as well as the school. This has increased the levels of illiteracy among the Batwa with Alice Nyamihanda as the only first Mutwa graduand in 2010 with a diploma in Development studies at Bugema University.
Also, the health services in the Batwa resettlements are at their lowest levels. Even today, the Batwa people still die of simple diseases like malaria, headache, and cough. It was only Dr. Scott and Carol Kellermans that reached out to the lives of Batwa and constructed for them a hospital to treat them as they transited into their new form of life.
Having been forced to migrate from their ancestral homeland, the Batwa people now live dependent lives on the NGOs. And donations from tourists for survival and earning so little from the sale of crafts and agricultural products.
Leaving their traditional land without anything. The Batwa are forced to hopelessly live in houses made from old pieces of cardboard and plastic bags. Only waiting for the merciful donors and NGOs to provide them with food and other basic needs.
The Batwa conservation refugees also suffer from discrimination leading to the increasing cases of women rape in their communities. 57% of the Batwa women are victims of sexual abuse and they have been infected with HIV/AIDS. Because of the local myth that having sex with a Batwa woman cures AIDS and back pain.
Most of the victimized women have lost their lives due to the limited access to good health services and poor feeding. Leaving behind very young poor orphans who are likely to go hungry for days only depending on the handouts from well-wishers.
It is high time that the whole world put into consideration the wellbeing of the Batwa people in Uganda. It’s barely their fault that they were born in the jungles with the endemic mountain gorillas.
Let’s all get up and support the NGOs that stretch a helping hand to the Batwa people. We can also donate to the school-going children scholastic materials like bags, shoes, and books. Most importantly, we can donate food to these communities.
Remember we cannot do great things on this earth, only small things with great love. Be the change by volunteering with us.
Slums are simply heavily populated urban suburbs with substandard housing facilities and low standards of living. Based on the report from the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, 49% to 64% of the total urban population of Uganda live in slums giving a ratio of 1.58 million people to 2.1 million people as slum residents in Uganda.
The areas of Bwaise, Kivulu, Katwe, Kosovo, Katanga, Kasubi, Kisenyi, and many others are the major slums in Kampala city, in addition to others in various districts.
The increasing growth rate of slums in Uganda is majorly attributed to the high levels of rural-urban migration. Urban poverty, lack of urban planning and development control, and the complex urban land tenure system in Kampala and Uganda in general.
Life in the slums of Uganda is a heap of discomfort, confusion, disorganization, struggles, and sorrow. If we were all given chances to choose the lives we live. Certainly no one would choose to live in a slum unless that person has never been in one.
Mercilessly, without even eliminating the young children or women out, the slum life tortures everyone who bumps into its territories. Whether a man, woman, or child, they suffer the same conditions that the parents go through.
People in the slums of Uganda live an absolutely poor life, waking up in the morning with totally nothing to eat and even without hopes of getting any. Young children live half-naked, putting on only a shirt or a pair of shorts without clothes to dress. So the poor woman has to face her kid spending a day with an empty stomach or searching for the leftovers in rubbish pits; so saddening!
Unemployment is one major challenge that most people in the slums of Uganda face. Both the youths and the adults don’t have jobs, simply because they are not trusted just because of their slum origin. And others lack the capital to start up their own business.
Women in the Ugandan slums have consistently faced the problem of rape and sexual harassment. Young girls and women are raped almost daily and nothing has been done to stop this. We are all giving a blind eye and deaf ear to the victimized girls in the slums of Uganda. Poor girls are innocently getting infected with AIDS and other STDs yet they don’t even have money for treatment. They are becoming young struggling single mothers with nothing to start with.
Violence is another struggle that you cannot miss in any slum in Kampala. The fact that the slum residents have already gone through a lot. The unemployment, absolute poverty, rape, and other dejected situations, they are just angry with the world. They feel the world has not been fair enough to them. So anything that tampers with them can immediately cause violence.
Also, suicide cases are rampant in the slums of Uganda. People here totally become hopeless, thinking that life can’t move on any further. With no one and nothing to look up to, they feel all alone in a world that rejected them and they end up killing themselves.
Drug abuse is becoming a culture in the slums of Kampala Uganda. One can say it’s a mandate for every grown-up youth to start taking drugs. Young boys of fourteen are now already drug addicts with no one guiding them on how to live developmental lives.
In addition, slums are breeding grounds for crimes. We can change them to cheerful places because even their inhabitants are all working towards better lives.
You can choose to volunteer in Uganda’s slums, come visit the residents of these congested urban settlements, engage yourself in the extension of piped water to these areas, or the construction of a school, or even just to spend some time with the children in the slums.
Still, you can donate to the men, women, and children, whether food, clothes, school fees, or school requirements, just choose any form and we transform the lives of the people living in the slums of Uganda.