Location
  • Uganda
    • Kampala
    • Mubende

Program Details

Language
English
Timeframe
Short Term Spring Break Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Apartment Guesthouse Host Family Hostel Hotel
Groups
Small Group (1-15) Medium Group (16-30) Large Group (31+)
Travel Type
Budget Family Older Travelers Solo Women

Pricing

Starting Price
150
Price Details
What is included in the fees?

Administration costs
Support from Africa Sustainable Tourism Care Foundation staff before arriving
Airport pick up
1 day Orientation ( full local orientation)
Introduction to Ugandan culture
Accommodation
3 meals a day 7 days a week
Program supervision – field guide
24 hours 7 days a week local staff support
In-country emergency support
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Meals Transportation Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare SIM cards Travel Insurance Visa
Jan 23, 2020
Jan 03, 2020
7 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Africa Sustainable Tourism Care Foundation is a registered tourism Non-Governmental Organization that strives for the conservation of biodiversity and development of rural Uganda communities in high tourism potential areas to supplement household incomes through a diverse and holistic, innovative, sustainable tourism practices as a tool to alleviate poverty, fight gender inequality, to empower local communities and in particular disadvantaged groups (women, children, youth, ethnic people), and to encourage the conservation of cultural and natural heritage.

Our Volunteer program runs all year round and offers many possibilities of volunteer service for men and women who wish to devote a few weeks or up to two years of their lives to international volunteer work. We provide an integrated development experience consisting of practical leadership opportunities, International Internships and participation in a global learning environment.

Program Reviews

5.00 Rating
based on 13 reviews
  • 5 rating 100%
  • 4 rating 0%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 4.95
  • Support 4.95
  • Fun 4.95
  • Value 4.85
  • Safety 5
Showing 1 - 8 of 13 reviews
Default avatar
Amy
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

This is a wonderful organization!

My family and I spent more than a week in Lake Bunyonyi, Entebbe, Fort Portal, and Kampala through the ASTCF, and we had an absolutely fabulous experience! The visit was focused on spending time with and learning more about the communities here. From our 9 year old up to our 55 year old, we all learned a lot, had great fun, and felt like we meaningfully engaged and connected with the wonderful, warm, and kind people of Uganda. The programs are worthwhile and important for creating educational value, cultural sustainability, and environmental sustainability as well. From learning traditional dances to planting crops to cooking together with a family to learning how tea is farmed to singing with a group of children we met on a hike by chance, it has been a life-changing and unforgettable visit! We recommend this organization most highly!

What would you improve about this program?
Nothing. Everything was wonderful, from the planning to the travel to the food to the accommodations.
76 people found this review helpful.
Read my full story
Default avatar
Roy
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Time with a Village Bank with Africa Sustainable Tourism Care Foundation

After raising money thru a GoFundMe account to fund the start of a New Village Bank in Fort Portal, Uganda I was able to share my experience as a business adviser, via the teaching of personal finance classes (curriculum was provided to me by ASTCF) to 12 women in the Village so that they could become certified to participate in the bank and micro lending opportunity.

The opportunity to live in the village and connect on a personal level during class time, with these women was very fulfilling. The opportunity to stay in touch and be updated with the results of the lending and savings program gives me great feelings to stay involved going forward and to visit Fort Portal in the future.

I highly recommend any of the various service opportunities that ASTCF offers, as James and Joyce are nothing less than professional and genuine.

I am thankful for my time in service to the Village and to my continuing contact with all in the NGO and the village.

Roy F. Glassberg

74 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Courtney
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Unique and Grassroots Volunteer Experience

This volunteer experience was like no other. You are able to interact with the local communities and work together to support and encourage growth, development and change for the future. The staff are wonderful - you are welcomed with open arms and feel at home as soon as you touch down in the country.

Bring a water bottle, book, sunscreen, small purse for coins and always try and carry small notes.

The program can be flexible depending on what you would like to do, so if you come with an idea of how you would like to create positive change for the community then this will be productive. It is also useful to ensure you raise funds before you begin the project.

The chimpanzee tracking and mountain gorilla tracking is an incredible experience.
The local food is amazing, I miss Joyce's cooking everyday :)

73 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Pierre
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Former ASTCF volunteer

Hello,
This summer I went to Uganda to volunteer for ASTCF and would like to share my wonderful experience working in the local communities and helping out the locals there. During my stay there the days were put to great use building various thing in the local villages such as a water well and pit latrines. The place we were staying at was a very secure compound with all basic amneties and some very nice folks working as supervisers. ASTCF is a great place for a long term stay such as a few months since you are get to meet all the locals and are consistently checked up on by the kind hosts and some friendly volunteers. If you're looking for a chance to make a difference for people in local communities while at the same time learning about and exploring a new country, ASTCF is the way to go.

72 people found this review helpful.
Pierre
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Former ASTCF Volunteer

Hello,
This summer I went to Uganda to volunteer for ASTCF and would like to share my wonderful experience working in the local communities and helping out the locals there. During my stay there the days were put to great use building various thing in the local villages such as a water well and pit latrines. The place we were staying at was a very secure compound with all basic amneties and some very nice folks working as supervisers. ASTCF is a great place for a long term stay such as a few months since you are get to meet all the locals and are consistently checked up on by the kind hosts and some friendly volunteers. If you're looking for a chance to make a difference for people in local communities while at the same time learning about and exploring a new country, ASTCF is the way to go.

71 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Leslie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Ratner Family construction of water well and pit latrine

As a family of five, older kids ages 25,22, and 19 years old, we went to Uganda to make a positive difference and to have an adventure. Both were accomplished. Africa Sustainable tourism (AST)is the organization on the ground in Uganda that helped us before, during and after with planning and delivering the kind of experience we were looking for. We had many questions and AST always promptly and professionally answered our questions/concerns. We worked for two weeks on the construction of a water well and then traveled for 10 days. AST were responsible for us from the moment we came out of the airport until we reentered the airport for our departure. They did an excellent job. James, Joyce, Jamilla, Catherine, Abraham, Raymond were all excellent at their jobs. We were extremely well taken of. Great food (we are two vegetarians and one gluten free) very clean guest house, any unexpected needs of ours were dealt with.
The areas that were a bit difficult for us were the following: Getting used to African time. Things get done slowly and sometimes work isn't an entire day. So you need to take initiative to entertain yourself or to make yourself useful in a different way than what you intended to do there. We were a bit disappointed that we weren't successful in completing both construction of the water well and the pit latrine. We completed the water well. The pit latrine was being started at the end of our stay by local people.
We are healthy/relatively strong people that enjoy the outdoors: hiking etc... the people in Uganda are far stronger and in better shape than we were. So our requested hikes were much more difficult and beautiful than we expected. Very steep terrain. We are more accustomed to nature walks (in their interpretation).

Our 10 day tour was wonderful. We hiked a lot, white water rafted, saw a local pigmy community, canoed, visited the Jewish community of Abayudaya and saw many monkeys.

It was an unforgettable experience. We feel changed people from being touched by the lovely, hospitable, appreciative, needy people of Kahangi Parish. Doing the daily living tasks is a very worthwhile experience. It helps you understand and appreciate the hard work and strength the local people have. We loved our unplanned encounters with the school children and teachers across the road. We got to teach them songs, dances and how to do the limbo. We will visit Uganda again.

What would you improve about this program?
Having a good working van
Being able to have the volunteers that work only half a day go to the "village" house and get involved with some other project or have them go to the school to help out.
71 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jakub
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Excellent experience in Uganda!

I spent 7 weeks in Kahangi Village working on the microfinance program. I taught personal finance classes to three separate village groups and we worked together on establishing a village bank account. The experience was incredible! You have the opportunity to make real, tangible social impact. More importantly, the skills and tools allow the community to become self-sustainable.

I had a great time getting to know the village members, and working with the staff at ASTCF. The food was fantastic, the company was great, and the location was gorgeous. You also experience real Ugandan culture from the food, the environment, the transportation, the night life, etc. In my time off I was able to visit Kampala and do hikes around the Fort Portal area. There is lots to see and do.

ASTCF is well-structured and organized. The staff is with you every step of the way and they are happy to support you in every way they can. This was a fantastic experience and I highly recommend this as an option to conventional tourism.

82 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Aaron
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing People Make the Difference!

The volunteer experience my partner Jenny and I had with ASTCF was everything we hoped it would be. If you are looking for a genuine, meaningful volunteer experience in Uganda, you should consider ASTCF.

From our initial application through to the time we had to say our goodbyes, our hosts, James, Joyce, and Jamilah, were nothing short of amazing, and we will always be grateful for their hospitality and friendship.

ASTCF was very thorough during the application process, ensuring an appropriate fit with their programs. Communication during this process was excellent. Dr. Isa, the program director, and all-around incredible person, was careful to answer all our questions and always responded in a timely manner. They went over-and-above by helping us organize weekend safaris and trekking adventures, and made sure we had the African experience of our dreams.

Now I should mention that I was a novice traveler before arriving in Uganda and had never been to a developing country, so I can tell you how relieved I was to see our hosts' smiling faces upon landing in Uganda! James and Joyce went out of their way to make sure my partner and I felt welcome, and took great care to ensure we were safe. They made our transition into the country much easier. We are so grateful they were with us every step of the way.

Uganda is a beautiful country, with beautiful people and amazing natural beauty. During my time with ASTCF (about 3 weeks), I had the pleasure of staying at the volunteer house in Kahangi Parish, which borders the protected area of Kibale National Park, about thirty minutes from Fort Portal. Instantly I saw why Uganda is referred to as the “Pearl of Africa”, as we were surounded by lush green hills, tropical forest, with frequent visits by several species of birds and monkeys! I would highly recommend spending the extra money on a weekend safari to Murchison Falls National Park – this was an experience I will never forget.

It's true that the volunteer house has no running water, but this doesn't mean you won't have everything you need. Jamilah, the hospitality manager, made sure my partner and I had plenty of hot water for showers and laundry. Fresh, filtered water from the ASTCF community well is not only refreshing, but perfectly safe to drink. Despite this, I would still recommend bringing plenty of bottled drinking water.

ASTCF offers a real 'African experience'. This means, hand washing laundry and dishes, bathing with a basin, preparing meals over the fire (we also used propane stoves), fresh garden vegetables, frequent power outages, using a latrine, and most importantly, meaningful human interactions. Some of this can take some getting used to if you've never been to a developing country, but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

ASTCF Volunteer Programs are flexible enough to allow you to apply your strengths and skills to whatever projects are happening during your stay. Projects are based on the immediate needs of the community, but emphasize sustainable economic development and empowerment. ASTCF is making a real difference in the community, and I saw this work first hand during my time at Kahangi. Their Youth and Women's empowerment projects are particularly inspiring, and offer plenty of opportunity for volunteers of all experience levels. I felt privileged to contribute to the Environmental Conservation program, and was grateful to James for matching my skills to their community needs.

Overall, the volunteer program at ASTCF offers exceptional value. The meals alone are worth the price. Joyce and Jamila are fantastic cooks, and always made sure we had plenty of delicious food to eat. I especially recommend the chapati!

I will never forget my time in Kahangi, nor will I forget the amazing people I met there. The world would be a much better place if everyone were like James, Joyce, Jamilah, and Dr. Isa. I thank them all from the bottom of my heart for the opportunity to be part of such an amazing team. If you are looking for a meaningful volunteer experience, I would highly recommend ASTCF.

What would you improve about this program?
I think we would have appreciated more detailed information about our roles / responsibilities as volunteers beforehand, specifically as it pertained to our volunteer programs. I only mention this because my partner and I felt a little under-prepared once we began our work. I feel we could have made a greater impact had we been better informed.
69 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers