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Volunteer Abroad near Kampala Uganda: Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Abroad near Kampala Uganda: Kampala is the capital city of Uganda and lies just a few miles off the shores of Lake Victoria. This is a pleasant, bustling city with a population of about 1 million people. Unlike many capital cities in Africa, Kampala is considered quite safe and clean. Kampala has a few interesting sights, mainly the National Museum, Lake Victoria and Kabaka's Palace. Kampala also serves as a major travel hub for the region with many travelers coming overland from Kenya and Tanzania.

The ABV volunteer house is located 10 miles outside of Kampala in the Wakiso District in Bulenga and Kikaaya villages. These are semi-rural villages with dirt roads that turn to sticky mud in the rainy season and dust in the dry season. The village had a mix of small mud and brick homes and larger homes for those working in Kampala. Most community members struggle to meet their basic needs and strive to put their children in school. Main jobs include brick making, selling fruits and vegetables, small scale animal rearing and other manual labor.

Our programs serve the most vulnerable community members in Wakiso District of Uganda. We offer community development projects including pig and poultry house construction and repairs, home repairs, health/HIV/AIDS, youth and child education, animal rearing, water and sanitation (including well construction),construction of a Volunteer centre, vocational skills development, project planning and management or other skills that can help us transform this community.
With our volunteer program we allow you to discover the wonders of East Africa, while doing meaningful and rewarding community work. This is a great opportunity to explore life in rural Africa, live and work amongst the locals and realize one person can make a difference.

We offer the following programs near Kampala:

 

Program Length: From 1 to 24 weeks
Program Date: Flexible Start & End Date
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8 hour per day
Accommodations:  Shared volunteer house
Meals: Yes, 3 meals a day
Requirements: 17 years or older, an open mind to new adventures. .

 

Children’s Education Program

Volunteers needed for nursery and primary school levels (ages 4yrs-13yrs) to teach English and other subjects. Teaching experience is not required. You can begin working with some children, teaching English and basic math. These are rural schools for the children of the community. The objective of this program is to contribute to the academic development of the school in order to provide the best opportunity for the orphans to receive quality education. Volunteers support the local teachers; encourage students to learn and play and instill pride in their schooling.  School terms vary from year to year but are approximately as follows: February 1 to April 30, and May 20 to August 30, September 15 to November 15.  Volunteers can assist with the physical upkeep of the school; painting, decorating, mending desks etc. Most important volunteers should try to develop activities/programs that can be sustained in the future. Prior teaching experience is not required; volunteer simply need an open mind, caring spirit and a compassionate nature.

Community Development / Building Program

Volunteers are needed for the on-going construction and water building projects in the community. Volunteers needed for manual labor jobs working along side skilled and unskilled local workers.  Some tasks include farming, pig rearing, construction of the volunteer center, expansion, water well building and renovation work. Volunteers do not need prior experience, but skilled workers are very welcome.  This is a very hand on, hands dirty sort of program. Enthusiasm, a good sense of humor and helping spirit are required.  Volunteer can also spend time in the children’s school teaching classes.

Health Care Program

Volunteers with medical experience are needed to work in a community health clinic outside of Kampala. Most clinics are very busy, understaffed; with limited medical supplies and equipment. There is a wide variety of cases but disease such as malaria, HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and syphilis, as well as childbirth/maternity needs are most common. Medical volunteers; doctors, nurses, EMT, physical therapist participate in direct patient care such as diagnosing, injections, IV starts and lab work.  Nursing and medical students are welcome and assist with tasks like dressing wounds, record and immunization chart keeping, helping dispense medications, helping to screen and organize patients and assisting with administrative needs or seminars. *Medical volunteers must submit a copy of their credentials or nursing certificate.

HIV/Aids Prevention Program

Volunteers work with a local organization that is providing HIV/AIDS prevention education and support to rural communities in the Wakiso district. This project focuses on providing culturally sensitive methods of awareness and education with the goal of preventing transmission of the disease and seeks to offer assistance and encouragement to those infected with the virus. Some of the activities for volunteers include: Promoting safer sex through education, assisting with home-based care for victims with HIV/Aids, providing free blood testing for the disease, woman empowerment projects for surviving widows of the community, and most especially rural outreach programs to those in need with food distribution, assistance with activities of daily living and providing words of encouragement. Experience in this field is not required. Volunteers with a strong interest in making a difference are welcome.
Through our education program we teach students about HIV/AIDS, STD/STIs, reproductive health, family planning, decision making, hygiene and so much more. Volunteers have completed two student HIV/AIDS murals and build tippy-tap hand washing stations with students for their schools. The goal is to teach through games, interactive activities, stories and writing and art assignments. It is the belief of the project coordinators that students learn best when they are presented with information in multiple ways, when students have the opportunity to learn through experiences, images, and so much more. With this in mind we work to make our health and empowerment lessons fun and student centered.

Child Care Assistance

Volunteer are needed to help at a rural orphanage outside the capital city. These children have lost parents to Aids, some have been abandoned, and they know abuse, hunger and fear. The orphanage strives to provide a better future for some of the most vulnerable children in Uganda. As a volunteer, you will primarily assist with the daily care of the kids; including bathing, feeding and clothing. You can play games, arrange activities, create arts & crafts projects and share your time and caring with these wonderful children.  Prior experience not necessary, volunteers should have a lot of patience, an open mind and a sense of compassion. The children range in age from toddlers to pre-teens. Volunteer work is 35-40 hours per week, 5 days a week. **Volunteer transportation (not included in program fee) varies between $30-$40 per week for this project. Volunteers will be volunteering at a rural orphanage and need to take public transportation from the volunteer house to the orphanage each day.

Program Includes:

Accommodation provided at the Volunteer House (10 miles outside of Kampala). The Volunteer House has electricity, running water, indoor plumbing and access to internet. All ABV programs, except the orphanage, are within walking distance to the Volunteer House. Three local meals per day are provided. Airport pick up and drop off at Entebbe airport. Our ABV local Project Coordinator will provide orientation tour on arrival, project briefing, an introduction to work placement and local host family.

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