Go Volunteer Africa

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.

Before leaving for Uganda, I was told by many friends and family that I was about to have the 'experience of a lifetime'. Truth be told, I thought this was an extremely cheesy expression and I didn't seem to share their enthusiasm because at that point I was beginning to question why I was about to put myself through this - at only 18 years old, I was VERY nervous to travel to another continent alone and speak in a different language.

My nerves were instantly put to rest upon arriving in Uganda. The Local Coordinators were there to pick me up and I was instantly greeted with the Ugandan atmosphere - welcoming and so much fun! I can say in all honesty that during this first trip with Go Volunteer Africa, I did not feel homesick for one moment of the two months that I spent. In fact, I was devastated to leave.

When I first met my host family I was keen to see where I would be staying and who with as I had no idea what to expect. I couldn't have imagined a better family and other volunteers to have stayed with during my trip. I found all the local people that I met to be so light hearted friendly and generous, and my host family were no different. I also had two other volunteers staying at the house with me, with whom I became and remain close friends!

I arrived at the house at dinner time, when I was introduced to both my house mates and the local food. Having never eaten a real “organic” meal in my life, it was difficult at first to get used to, but within a very short space of time I was an expert and loved the healthy dishes!!

My daily routine began soon after arrival which for me consisted of a morning at a local hospital and an afternoon spent at a children’s centre. This, I was able to combine two of the projects available and therefore share my time. I loved this as it was two completely different experiences and let me meet so many people.

At 18, I was hoping to go on to study medicine, so the time spent in the hospital was a valuable learning experience and something that was fantastic for my future CV. I was able to help in some tasks and saw many procedures carried out.

The staff in the hospital were really friendly and so keen for me to try what I could. I also visited many different schools with the medical coordinator to tell the children about the importance of brushing their teeth etc. and to help if we could with any ailments they had. This was a great experience as the coordinator was keen for me to learn and even provided me with details of some of the common diseases seen there.

Overall, I think it's obvious that I was incredibly impressed with Go Volunteer Africa and I have since recommended them too many friends. I had a fantastic time in Uganda and in terms of my placements, my host family and the social aspect, they couldn't have been better.