Review Volunteer Keith Russell in Uganda Bulenga at the Orphanage and Community program
How was the local ABV Coordinator and the support provided in-country?
Excellent. Derrick, George Mike and their team have been excellent.
What was the most surprising thing you experienced?
At the program: The friendliness of the kids and teachers
At the accommodations: Lovely verandas to sit out on in the evening with a glass of wine
About the country: The lushness - the friendliness of everyone
What was the most difficult to experience?
At the program: lack of infrastructure, broken windows and no electricity at the school.
At the accommodations: no storage for holding clothes (used my suitcase)
About the country: very little or lack of recycling, left plastic all over the city streets
Any tips for the future volunteers (clothing, donations, weather)
We brought light used clothing to work in and that could be left behind.
Other things volunteer should know:
Bring a head lamp for sure
Personal Paragraph
The ABV program was excellent and rewarding. We had a chance to make a real difference to a very simple school. We arranged to water proof the roof and then we painted it inside and out with help from the local contractors.
How would you describe your accommodations, meals and security:
Security felt good, never an issues, meals were good, and the accommodations were basic.
What was the favorite memory of this trip?
The kids holding my hand and following me around.
Visiting Bwindi and trekking to spend time with the gorillas. Unforgettable.
How was the ABV USA support prior to traveling?
Communication: pretty good. most of my emails got answered quickly.
Website: good
Information: good
Are you willing to speak to other potential ABV volunteers?
For sure : )