If you can spare a month or 2, The Real Uganda has volunteer work with projects based in south central and western Uganda. The organizations we work with provide primary and secondary education to needy children, youth mentoring, community outreach and counseling.

All of our partner organizations need volunteers who can bring new ideas, work with minimal supervision, and have a positive, self-starting attitude. The organizations we work with do not need just young volunteers, but older people with business skills and experience as well. They need those who can sort out bookwork and apply for grants. Just as these organizations try to help all members of society, they need all ages of volunteers to help them function.

We do not place volunteers in group settings. We do not “plug” volunteers into pre-planned activities. Your job is to decide what you want to get out of this experience. Tell us what are your skills and interests in Uganda. We then schedule you into a compatible placement.

Our headquarters are in Mukono Town. We work with six schools and a youth group there. We also place volunteers with 17 village-based organizations in Mukono, Jinja, Wakiso and Masaka Districts. Please read ahead about the types of programs you can join. 

MUKONO TOWN PROJECTS:

TEACHING

There are many schools in Uganda that educate, house and feed needy children and orphans. You can teach primary classes, including academic subjects and life skills, and organize sport and art activities for the children. Let us know what you’re interested in teaching and we’ll get you into the best school for you. School terms vary annually but are likely to be: Feb 1 to April 15, May 20 to August 20, Sept 20 to November 30. We also work with village-based boarding schools. So, don’t feel limited to Mukono town!

Teaching needy and orphaned kids has serious challenges and needs volunteers who are open to local teaching methods but still able to bring creativity and fun into the classroom. You are the outside world to these kids. Schools have a basic curriculum, but you’ll be planning your own lessons daily. Know that traditional education in Uganda is based on memorization and passing exams. While there is a language barrier, by volunteering you can introduce creative writing, drawing, debate, and life skills into the classroom.

All volunteers teaching in Mukono Town (up to 6 at one time) will live together in a large flat. Esther is there to take care of you. Moses is there to keep you clean. The building is within a locked compound, with an indoor (bucket) shower and an outdoor latrine. There is no running water, but Moses takes care of that. There is a gas cooker and Esther will cook for you, but you can always help out and cook for her. You will be given 3 meals of local Ugandan food per day. This consists of matooke (mashed plantain), posho (cornmeal- like polenta), potatoes and rice. Since we have so many vegetarians in our midst, we generally serve these with beans or peas. You’ll be happy to get fish or meat once a week. Bread, eggs and fruits are served at breakfast.

YOUTH OUTREACH

However, if you’re into something less structured that includes camping out and mentoring youth around Mukono District, perhaps you’d like to work with a Mukono based youth group. We work with an organization that promotes grassroots development in Uganda. Volunteers work alongside Ugandan counsellors in a variety of programs, directly benefiting 10 rural communities, which can include the following:

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: fundraising, sourcing markets for handicrafts, strategic planning, report writing and file maintenance.

As none of the Youth Outreach activities 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 share a 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.

VILLAGE PROJECTS:

The Real Uganda also places volunteers with community based organizations that provide counseling, care, and education for rural people and orphaned and underprivileged children.  

Each village placement provides a totally different experience, but main activities involve working with local children and youth. You decide if you want to teach nursery, primary, secondary, vocational education, or if you want to be involved in a more free form work arrangement placed with an organization that provides community outreach services.

Since teaching placements have been described above we won’t dwell on them here. But you should know that you’ll living at your school. You’ll have the opportunity to really get to know your kids as many of them also live at your school.

As far as community outreach activities are concerned you’ll have to decide just what you’re into. We work with organizations that provide health care, public health education, HIV/AIDS prevention and AIDS care, HIV testing, life skills counseling, youth mentoring, women’s rights education, and small business development. Let us know and we’ll figure out a good placement for your skills and interests.

A village placement is appropriate for you if you have great ideas and a seriously flexible nature. Expect your schedule to change daily with no notice. Expect big cockroaches in the latrines. Expect to have time to relax. Expect to become a part of the village forever.

Each village based organization will house you and feed you. They will fetch your water and wash your clothes. They will love you and take you places. Your village home will be secure enough for your stuff, but won’t have running water or very much electricity. Your toilet and (bucket) shower will be outside (but fully enclosed). Your food will be local Uganda food, and will be served at weird times.

You are welcome to come and stay in our Mukono town flat with other volunteers on the weekends. You may want to share your successes and challenges with others.

 ABOUT MUKONO TOWN

Whether you volunteer in Mukono town or in a village, you’ll likely use Mukono town as your base for services and meeting other volunteers. It’s located on the Kampala-Jinja highway about 20km from Kampala. With a population of about 35,000, Mukono has 3 internet cafes, a major university, a bunch of restaurants and drinking spots, supermarkets, and a luxury hotel with a swimming pool and gardens. It’s easily accessible from all village placements by public transport.

By public transport it takes about 40 minutes to get to either Kampala or Jinja, which are good places to get specialized services or have some western fun.

HOW TO APPLY

Please email us your resume or a list of your skills/interests, and a Statement of Interest telling us why you want to come live and volunteer in Uganda. Our program is pretty popular, so try to apply well in advance of when you’re traveling.

You must arrive around the 1^st or 15^th of the month. We have a 1 month minimum and a 3 month maximum. If you want to stay longer, we’ll work it out if the space is available.

You need to be at least 18 years old, speak English, and be in relatively good health to volunteer with The Real Uganda.

THE COST

The cost to volunteers through The Real Uganda for one month is $650USD. Your second and third months are $600USD each.

In order to secure any placement we require a $150 non-refundable deposit. This is wired directly to our bank account. The deposit is applied to your total program fee.

The fee covers support while you prepare for Uganda, airport pickup, first night hotel, transport to your placement, food and accommodation while volunteering, supervision, and a donation to the organization with which you are working.

The fee does not cover airline tickets, visas, vaccinations, drinking water, leisure activities, or medical services. You’ll likely need $20-$40 a week to support a basic life which includes drinking water, internet, transport, and a few western treats such as coffee and chocolate. Safaris and white water rafting are a bit more expensive. Check out a Lonely Planet or Bradt guide on Uganda for details about that.

To find out more about us, please click here.

To find out more about Uganda, please click here.

 CONTACT US

Mailing address:
The Real Uganda
P.O. Box 637
Mukono, Uganda
East Africa

Telephone: 256-782-513-140
Email: therealuganda@hotmail.com