A volunteer refers to a person who offers to take part in an organization with little or no pay. Footprint Volunteer Uganda is an initiative project to reach out to the various needs within our society. And these include; vulnerable people, wildlife, water and environment, Agriculture, human rights.
Volunteering involves providing a safe health environment that could accommodate life and any kind of living. Various programs are currently running under this project among which include; Elderly program, Childcare/Orphanage program, Widows program, Disabled program, HIV/AIDS program, Youth program, Water and sanitation, Healthcare program, Human rights, and Community development program. The major objective of the footprint is an opportunity for everybody out there that has the zeal of changing and transforming a society positively basing on the mentioned needs.
Discussed below are the programs carried out in Footprint Volunteer Uganda.
Childcare/Orphanage program
is a volunteer program set up to render support to orphaned, poor, and marginalized children of Uganda who have not acquired parental support and have faced several challenges in life.
A local orphanage based in Kalagi-Mukono [Uganda], founded by the late Emmanuel MacMillan Kitumba in 2012 to rescue and restore hope to the vulnerable children in most war, epidemic, poverty, HIV/AIDS affected areas. The orphanage shelters around 20 children around the age of 3 to 15 years. This program is based to show love and restore hope to the orphans around Uganda.
These children have encountered a lot of problems that make it hard to trust anyone so easily. So a trained team on grounds specialized in children trauma healing education. Some children are sexually abused by their relatives so volunteering in Uganda works with Love Uganda Foundation that connects to the police
Health care program
its aim is (To improve health in rural communities through educating and engaging people in health programs.) Medical volunteers or interns can join our Public health & medical care project and sustainably change the health, and hygiene of Uganda’s rural people.
The medical volunteer program takes you to rural hospitals, clinics, small communities or orphanages, sub-urban medical centers to provide checkups. Basic medical care, early intervention provide services for infants and toddlers less than three years of age who may have or be at risk of developmental delay.
Family planning-provide information about birth control methods to help in planning the number and spacing of children, when to become pregnant and provides to improve the health and well-being of children in their care.
Treatment of malaria, tuberculosis, and syphilis are the most common health ailments in Uganda. For example, 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, lab work. If you are a midwife then you can work in the maternity ward assisting with prenatal and antenatal care. All the activities are under the supervision of professional doctors, nurses, and support staff.
Education/teaching program
is also a program undertaken to equip the orphans and the community to attain education at all levels. The volunteer project involves teaching primary school children using dedicated one-on-one sessions to help bring them up to required standards. The aim is to give certain students extra attention as they have fallen behind the rest of their peers. The education volunteer will help children learn the correct use of English words, master English grammar, encourage writing, reading, and comprehension skills. This will let the children practically learn the language and may be able to improve their verbal skills.
Volunteers are also to work in government and public primary schools located in and around the areas to teach children. Volunteers mainly teach children aged between 4-16years. Subjects to be taught include English (Conversational and Written), Math’s, Geography, Religious Education, Entrepreneurship skills, General Knowledge as well as Physical Education a sports program in schools. They teach for approximately 4-5 hours a day, five days a week. They may be alone or with the help of other teachers.
Community development/ empowerment
involves work alongside local people on community development programs. This includes education, women’s empowerment, environmental monitoring, income-generating activities, health management, and mapping.
Women empowerment is one of the programs under community empowerment that works towards better welfare and social development of women.
Empowering women to improve basic hygiene and health care, to fight high rates of infant mortality. The answer is to educate girls. Volunteering in Uganda therefore, understands that the future of many communities lies in the hands of empowered female leaders. Women may share their knowledge in the community’s best interests.
Equal opportunities are what we aim for in Uganda. volunteers have a chance to assist women by boosting literacy and health education, providing income generation tips and microcredit loans education, rights, and life skills.
saving and credit – micro-credit through cooperatives, income generative skills training, women health, and maternity education. Teaching the English language to young women, help with small business skills.
We see the rise in quality of life for the women as fundamental to positive development for Uganda as a whole. By providing women with the tools to be at the head of their own future successes.
Lastly, youth empowerment concludes then community programs.
The percentage of unemployed youth in Uganda both skilled and unskilled stands at 2.44%. Covid-19 made the matter worse companies closed and some lied off workers due to limited funds. (UNICEF generally defines youth as being between the ages of 15 and 24 years old). Some youth also have negative views on certain jobs so they are unwilling to take them if offered a position. Youth unemployment poses a serious political, economic, and social challenge to the country and its leadership. It’s difficult for Uganda to break out of poverty.
Volunteers help in sensitization of the youth through sharing, success stories experimentation with different case studies, acquisition of some important skills such as leadership, at times even a financial push where needed.
Youth are also encouraged to take part in community activities like Leading and attending Events for example arts and crafts, games like group games, non-competitive games, and puzzles and quizzes. Youth advisory programs, Aid work in remote parts of the country Elementary and high school clubs’ and Development of projects.
In a nutshell Footprint volunteer, Uganda offers a platform for people around and outside Uganda to volunteer in all areas to help the orphans, the vulnerable women in rural areas to develop skills, support financial support, health care to develop social development hence reducing poverty, the dependence of women on men and stopping domestic violence.