Go Volunteer Africa

Hello, I am Todd and my partner Eve. We are both Dental Hygienists from Toronto, Canada. We volunteered in Uganda with Go Volunteer Africa from 15th- May – 2025, up to 30th – May– 2025.

Before leaving for Uganda, Anna at Go Volunteer Africa answered all questions in a very timely manner. We felt slightly un- prepared for what to expect when we arrived but I think it was mostly due to our last minute decision to go.

The airport pick up was excellent!! We arrived late as our flight was delayed but Jacob was still there waiting to great us!! We didn’t have to wait at all. The placement was fantastic. As dental hygienists from Canada we had the opportunity to take part in/see things we wouldn’t normally get to experience at home.

Tororo General Hospital is extremely busy at all times it is fast paced environment but all the dentists that were there are ecstatic to have the extra help! We wish we had had a better idea of what to bring supply wise. We brought gloves, masks, gauze, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.

Toothbrushes and toothpaste was exactly what they needed. We also would recommend to future volunteers to bring floss, interdentally aides etc as they are nowhere in Tororo.

Our home stay family was amazing!! Living with a true African family forced us to learn the language, culture etc. that we most likely wouldn’t have done otherwise. Food is another experience all together, Eve is a very picky eater and she was pregnant when we arrived so she battled nausea, stomach problems and the wet foreign food was a challenge.

However there were plenty of “westernized” cafes in Tororo that helped us through our cravings and sick days. The highlights of our placement were the very diverse things we got to see at Tororo General Hospital.

As dental hygienists in Canada don’t have the opportunity to see jaws being wired shut or flap surgeries being done and we had the opportunity to assist here! We also got to extra teach the dentists how to properly clean teeth or sharpen instruments overall just being able to help those who needed help was our highlights!

Living with a family such as Winnie’s was amazing and unique. We also got a brief few minutes to go to an orphanage, which was unique in the sense that you timely get to see firsthand the poverty and seventy of some unfortunate situations.

Safari experience at Queen Elizabeth National Park was amazing. We got to see as many animals we wouldn’t see normally. It’s worth to get a 3-4 days experience!! We would also recommend to other volunteers going to the Murchison Falls as we heard amazing things about it and regret not doing it!

We would definitely recommend this volunteering experience at Go Volunteer Africa to others. It’s a great experience however you have to have an open mind and a” go with the flow” mentality. Winnie in Uganda was amazing. She was helpful and reliable.

I traveled to Uganda, to volunteer with Go Volunteer Africa for 2 weeks. So the first thing I can say is that always apply for more weeks, if you really want to experience the Ugandan culture, and also to enjoy what Uganda has to offer.

It was the best experience I have had in my life so far. My experience was very authentic and valuable to my profession as medical student.

I at some point stayed with other volunteers at the Volunteers’ house but most of the time stayed with a sweet host family in Mukono. The Country Manager, Isaac was so incredibly warm and welcoming. Although I didn’t see him often, but he was always available, when we needed him, he knows every bit of his culture and he is a good resource.

The truth is nobody is prepared to come to Uganda until you come but believe me, after you are ready for everything and you will never want to leave!

I am incredibly grateful to the entire Ugandan team and Go Volunteer Africa for making my experience so rich. Overall, this was a very humbling and realistic way to experience Uganda and the rural culture and healthcare system. Thank you!

Pre Departure: Anna always got back to our team very quickly and answered all our questions that were great and really comforting.

Arrival/Airport Pickup: Isaac in Uganda was there even though our flight was late and that was very good. Isaac was a great driver and stopped for us to get water.

Placement: I really enjoyed working 2 projects, they were both very different but all of the staff members were very welcoming and allowed us to work with the children in the best way possible.

Home stay/host family & meals: The group got to stay together under one roof so we felt really comfortable. The host family was wonderful. The Ugandan family were very friendly and welcoming.

Highlights of your placement: Getting to know the children and teaching my own class at Hope Children’s Academy was really interesting and rewarding. The kids at Mukono were always full of joy and Isaac was fun to be around.

Any unique experiences?: Learning a bit of Luganda, waking up and seeing children waving Mzungu, waking up to roaster crowing, walking the streets by ourselves, and getting to know the wonderful town of Mukono. We saw a lot of animals and the trip was great.

Would you recommend this program to others? Yes, I will let others know about these programs and recommend they go to Mukono. It is beautiful there and the people are wonderful. Thank you so much for everything. I will cherish this experience always and I hope to return someday soon to work with the organization again.

Thank you.

Go Volunteer Africa team led by Anna did such a great job, communicating with us via email and gave us the encouragement we needed to take this step with our family. Thanks so much.

It was great to have Emily at the airport to meet us. The school and Head teacher Moureen - all were excellent. Thank you for being so flexible with us and providing such a fantastic experience for our family.

We will remember it for the rest of lives! Gorretti does a good job cooking for us and taking great care of the house. We felt very fortunate to be well taken care of.

We look forward to keeping in touch with them and the projects they are helping. We are now in Uganda, working on a construction project and we shall also share our volunteering experience.

Our children are involved in tree planting project, very amazing experience so far and they love it, and every day is great.

I decided to volunteer abroad as every now and then I like to do something that puts me out of my comfort zone, so I chose Uganda as I wanted to go somewhere that I had never been before and somewhere I didn't actually know much about, so I would be in a situation that was unfamiliar to me.

I decided to come here after leaving college as I believed the experience would help my confidence and independence for going to university – I figured that if I could go to a foreign country by myself and live with a family I had never met before, then moving out and studying for a degree shouldn't be a problem!

I decided to come with Go Volunteer Africa because of the support that was given. Even before I had made my mind up at to exactly where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do, they were on hand to answer any questions that I could think of.

I have been part of the 4 week special placement, which I have really enjoyed. My host family has some of the nicest people I have ever met. They have made me feel so welcome and comfortable and the food!

The first week I was here felt like a crash course in getting to know Kampala and its history, as it included visits to places such as the Mabira rainforest and source of the longest river in the world- the Nile.

I got to visit and work at the children’s center which many of the children attended. Those children displayed a tremendous amount of energy and love, attaching themselves to you at any opportunity! I definitely felt like a piece of my heart was left behind there.

I am already planning my next trip to Kenya now with Go Volunteer Africa, but it might be more wishful thinking seeing as I am about to become a student! But my advice to those thinking of volunteering is not to think about it too much, obviously planning for your trip is important but try not to get too caught up in what might or might not happen when you're here – just go for it, you won't regret it.