Volunteer in Orphanages in Uganda

Child Support Uganda (CSU) (formerly Orphans for Christ in Africa) offers volunteer opportunities for individuals, families, groups, and teams from schools, organizations, churches, and companies, to visit Uganda and volunteer in orphanages and children homes and youth projects in Uganda. Volunteer placements are both short-term (2 weeks - 3 months) and long-term (6-12 months), but can even be longer, depending on the volunteer's time frame, and are organized throughout the year. Placements are in orphanages and orphan schools and community projects in Kampala, city and Tororo town in eastern Uganda, and projects include helping in Orphanages and children's homes, teaching in orphan schools and computer training centres and working with youth and widows in community projects.

During this period, volunteers help with caring for the children at the orphanages, teaching ICT skills at CSU Computer Centers, teach at orphan schools, help with building projects, organize out-of-school kids programs, hold community outreach medical clinics, and conduct counseling sessions for HIV/AIDS women and children, organize youth sports programs and community outreaches.

Why Volunteer? We always need volunteers to help in our orphanages and youth community projects in Uganda. Not only is it a great chance to give something back, but it is an opportunity to learn more about the country and see how people live in Uganda, experience first hand the life down here and make a difference in the life of a needy child. It's a welcoming atmosphere over here with different people donating their time and skills to help do something that impacts the life of someone in need!

You don't need any experience or special skills – just love and passion to help! Send us an email at ocauganda@gmail.com, or fill out an online volunteer form at http:www.childsupportuganda.org, and tell us your interest, possible dates of coming to Uganda and time period, and whether you are a group, family or just an individual.

Volunteer Roles:
CSU welcomes volunteers with or with no skills. We are looking for people with an interest in helping out in anyway they can. However, we are seeking team coordinators and volunteer mobilizers:

Team Coordinators:

We need those who will help coordinate teams in their countries/communities, churches, organisations or schools. Their role involves mobizing and recruiting potential volunteers, advertising, making travel booking arrangements with airlines, following up and making confirmations with potential volunteers, making travel timetable, etc, acting as the group coordinator for the team.

Before you Travel: Make sure you have a valid travel document: Valid Passport and valid Ugandan visa, from the Ugandan consulate in your country (although you can also get visa, upon arrival at the Entebbe Airport. You will also need enough change of clothing (mainly warm weather clothes), working shoes, gloves, hiking shoes, and personal hygiene kit.

Our ground arrangements are as follows: We make booking reservations with the appropriate guesthouses and/or make arrangements for an appropriate accommodation facility for you prior to your arrival and upon getting confirmation from you. 2. We make ground transport arrangements and our welcome team meets you at Entebbe Airport upon arrival. 3. We make arrangements for a cab, van or bus to transport you and your language from the airport to the guest house. 4. We do take care of any other matters that you may need.

Health Matters: Medical facilities are readily available here, but we recommend that you also get any necessary vaccination (Malaria, TB, Yellow fever, etc,) ahead of your travel. In addition, pack any necessary off-the-counter medical supplies as you may need. A couple packs of mosquito repellants, sun-burn creams, etc, will be handy. And any other personal effects will be wise. This does not mean that we expect you to fall sick, but just in case, considering the change of environment and weather, prevention is always far better than cure.

Local Costs:

Airport Transfer: Upon arrival at Entebbe Airport, a shuttle bus or van will transport you and your language from the airport to our guesthouse in Kampala. This costs $50. This is repeated on the day you are leaving to go back.

Accommodation: If you plan to volunteer for just a few weeks (2-4 weeks), we recommend that a local guesthouse would be most ideal accommodation arrangement.
If you plan to volunteer for longer time (3 months and longer), we recommend that the most appropriate accommodation arrangement is renting an appropriate house (with electricity, running water, etc), in a secure environment close to the project site where you will be working. This is cheaper and more cost effective when you are staying for a few months or several months.

Living with Host Families:

We do recognize that some volunteers would prefer living with a host family, where they can better learn the culture by observing how families live together in a traditional Ugandan home. This is our third accommodation option, but considering the challenges of possible culture shock and local families adjusting to accommodate a guest from a different culture for several weeks, this option is considered on special case-by-case individual basis only. If this is your desire, please let us know and we can see if we can make arrangements with a host family to host you.

Ground transport: Daily transport is by public means using the 14-seater minibuses that transport people back and forth from one part of the city to another. Normal daily city area transport by public means is about $2, but can be less or more depending on where one is going. Traveling long distances to the countryside usually costs more depending on the distance, but ranges from $5-$15. For example traveling from Kampala to Jinja (which is 1 ½ hours journey) costs $5 one way.

There are also cars for hire (salon cars) commonly known here as Special Hire Taxis, which one can hire at a fee. This costs $10, in and around Kampala, and more when traveling long distances, say to the countryside. The other means of transportation which is readily available here is the Motorbikes, (commonly known as 'Boda-boda'), which are used as single-passenger quick means of transportation. This provides a quick means of getting to places where the minibuses normally don't reach or when traffic jam is too much. This costs from $2.5-$5 depending on the distance. Otherwise most of the movements will be on foot within short distances.

Internet and Phone Communication: CSU has internet in the office and at the Computer centre which you can use for daily communition with your family and friends back home. Public Internet Cafés are also readily available in almost every corner of the city, at a small fee. Thus you can keep up communication with your family and friends back home. Cell phones are another major communications medium here. Cell phones are readily available at reasonable cost. But you can bring your Iphone or blackberry phone along with you or any other cell phone.

If you are interested in volunteering with CSU in Uganda, please contact us.

You can contact us by email, phone or by post at our mailing address below:

Anthony Onyango Yakobo, Deirector, Child Support Uganda (CSU) P.O. Box 28454 KAMPALA - Uganda Tel: +256 782 691 159. Email: ocauganda@gmail.com. www.childsupportuganda.org