Volunteer with AIDS orphans in Uganda

Our partner in Uganda has projects based in Mukono, Jinja, Wakiso and Masaka Districts. All projects are aimed at providing primary and secondary education to needy children and community outreach and counselling to youth and adults. Most projects have little or no resources, so foreign volunteers with different ideas and experiences are highly valued. Please note that all projects require volunteers who are self-starters and can conduct their daily activities with minimal supervision. Specific daily schedules and activities will be determined between volunteers and their coordinator upon arrival. 3 meals are provided each day which will consist of local foods, such as matooke (mashed plantain), posho (corn meal), potatoes, and rice. They are generally served with beef, fish, peas, beans, or groundnut sauce. Bread, eggs and fruits are available for breakfast. Vegetarians are also accommodated.

Village Projects:
Our partner works with a number of small community based organisations that provide counselling, care, and education for rural people and orphaned and underprivileged children. Some of these placements focus exclusively on teaching primary or secondary school. Others include both teaching and community outreach components. Please inform us of which activities you are most interested, so we can best choose your program.

Village teaching placements can include arts and crafts, structured play, music/singing, sports, health, and academics. The main focus is to provide children with a loving, creative environment in which to flourish.

Village community outreach placements can include youth mentoring, HIV prevention and AIDS care, home visiting, sanitation and hygiene, public health, women's groups focusing on vocational skills and women's rights, and teaching modern organic farming methods. For volunteers with a medical background, placements can include working with health-based organisations.

A village placement is particularly appropriate for volunteers with great ideas and enthusiasm for grassroots development. This is a real opportunity for deep cultural exchange.

However, if you wish to work in a very remote area with HIV affected orphans, our partner works with a project in Masaka district in western Uganda. This is the area where HIV/AIDS most devastated Uganda. The organisation is focused on bringing aid, education, and love to the orphans of the area, many of whom lost their parents due to AIDS related illnesses.

Volunteers help with feeding, organizing play, arts and crafts, hygiene and HIV/AIDS education appropriate to the childrens' age level (3 to 12 years). Volunteers may be asked to help with administrative work such as budgeting, updating paperwork, writing proposals, and maintaining personal files on the children. (Please note: there is a significant language barrier between volunteers and the children. Local teachers will have to help you with translation.) This is a challenging but amazing program for volunteers with experience organising children, such as camp counsellors, day care workers and people who love children. Bring your games, songs, and enthusiasm to the village!

For all village placements, accommodation and daily meals will be provided within the village of placement, and will range from private apartments to rooms in private homes. No more than 2 volunteers will be placed together in any village placement.

Mukono Town Council Projects:
Primary Schools:
Our partner works with four private primary schools in Mukono town that cater exclusively to the education, housing and feeding of needy children and orphans. Volunteers are involved in arts and crafts, structured play, music/singing, sports, health, and academics. The main focus is to provide children with a loving, creative environment in which to flourish.

All volunteers working in Mukono Town Council (up to 5 at one time) will be housed together in shared accommodation in a large apartment in Mukono Town, a semi-urban area.

Mukono Youth Project:
This is a project promoting grassroots development in Uganda. Volunteers work alongside Ugandan counsellors in a variety of programs, directly benefiting 10 rural communities, which can include the following activities:

Youth Mentoring: Public speaking and mentoring of youth and youth leaders respecting HIV/AIDS, public health/hygiene, family planning, condom use, creativity workshops promoting small business development, the importance of basic education, and women's rights and empowerment. This is the most important and most common activity undertaken by volunteers.

Community Outreach: Includes home visits to elderly, disabled, and persons living with HIV/AIDS to keep company, offer relief, and assess needs. This is a good opportunity for volunteers to see the daily challenges faced by marginalized groups in Uganda.

Administration: Budgeting, planning, fund-raising, and handicraft marketing.

Vocational Training: Teaching computer skills, hairdressing, and tailoring.

As none of the Mukono Youth projects are full-time, volunteers take part in a flexible schedule, which includes some or all activities offered by the program. The exchange of ideas, experiences, and culture is encouraged. This project requires walking long distances in the sun. Volunteers are encouraged to bring a sleeping bag, and protective clothing and shoes.

Volunteers will be given a private room at the Mukono town headquarters of the organization as their home base. As most work is done in surrounding villages, volunteers will be billeted short-term at various villages during their stay.