Make a REAL difference in Uganda with Love Volunteers!

Name: Make a REAL difference in Uganda with Love Volunteers!
Brand: Love Volunteers
SKU: 21348
Rating: 5 (4 reviews)

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5.00 Rating

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Location

Uganda
- Kampala

Length

2 to 4 weeks

Project Types

Childcare Street Children Community Development Education Teaching ESL Health Medical

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Program Details

Language

English

Age Min.

Timeframe

Short Term Spring Break Summer Winter Year Round

Housing

Host Family

Groups

Small Group (1-15) Medium Group (16-30) Large Group (31+)

Travel Type

Budget Family Solo Women

Pricing

Starting Price

399

Price Details

Love Volunteers registration fee, plus program fees from just $339 for 2 week.
Program fees cover airport pickup, orientation, accommodation, meals as noted, program coordination and 24/7 support.
The Love Volunteers registration fee covers lifetime alumni membership

What's Included

Accommodation Airport Transfers Some Meals

What's Not Included

Airfare SIM cards Transportation Travel Insurance Visa

Last Updated: Sep 18, 2024

Last Reviewed: Jun 22, 2021

Wish List

10 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

There is a desperate need for volunteers in Uganda. Love Volunteers works with a local NGO to provide childcare services, healthcare, and various other services to communities in and around Kampala, Uganda. There are a number of ways to contribute during your time in Uganda, visit the Love Volunteers website for more details. Volunteers stay with a host family while they're volunteering for a complete immersion experience!

Current Love Volunteers Programs in Uganda:
- Childcare & Development
- Education Support
- Medical Internship

Don't just be a volunteer...join us in Uganda and be a LOVE VOLUNTEER!

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Consider your impact: Volunteering abroad can be a rewarding experience for both volunteers and local communities, and at Go Overseas, we believe all volunteers should have the resources to make informed decisions about the type of volunteer project they want to partake in. However, despite best intentions, some organizations offering placements in orphanages may unknowingly place children in danger. You can read about the potential dangers of orphanage volunteering here. Learn more about how Love Volunteers is promoting ethical volunteering.

Video and Photos

Volunteer in Uganda with Love Volunteers

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Program Highlights

Support community development in Uganda by participating in education, healthcare, and social empowerment projects.
Work alongside local NGOs to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families through education and healthcare.
Participate in programs such as Childcare & Development, Education Support, and Medical Internships.
Explore Uganda’s breathtaking landscapes, from the lush rainforests to the iconic River Nile, while making a meaningful impact in local communities.

Popular Programs

Childcare & Development

This program’s mission is to care for the at-risk and impoverished children of Uganda. Volunteers will be placed at one of three different Child Centers in Jinja, Mukono or Pallisa. The Childcare centers include a primary school, secondary school, special needs unit, vocational school and clinic all in one. The schools cater to the children and also the local communities.

Education Support

On this essential education program, volunteers are placed in a school in Uganda which has high levels of staff shortages as a result of limited funding and inadequate resourcing. These schools are also usually attended by orphaned and underprivileged children. The teaching which volunteers in Uganda undertake is very varied and can cover one or more of a wide range of academic subjects, as well as practical vocational skills.

Medical Internship

This program plays an essential role in supplying quality medical care to the people of Uganda. Currently, volunteers are placed in Mukono HCIV. Mukono Health Center 4 - This health center provides both outpatient and inpatient (admission) services. In this clinic, volunteers will work alongside doctors and nurses with outpatients, inpatients, lab, malaria/TB /HIV testing, ART clinic, Labour and Delivery (maternity), Family Planning, and childhood immunizations.

Program Reviews

5.00 Rating

based on 4 reviews

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Rating Spread Volunteer

5 rating 100%
4 rating 0%
3 rating 0%
2 rating 0%
1 rating 0%

Impact 4.5
Support 4.75
Fun 5
Value 4.75
Safety 5

Showing 1 - 4 of 4 reviews

Where do I even begin? This program has been one of the most influential experiences of my life, which is why I went twice and hope to return several more times. I volunteered at a government hospital in the labor ward and am now currently an L&D nurse in the US. It was more than the patients and healthcare workers that stole my heart; it was living in a village, submersed in the culture, hosted by two amazing individuals and their family that made my time there precious. In fact, I wasn’t ready to return home when my stay ended.
The hosts Bazil and Alice are incredible. They work extremely hard around the clock & sacrifice their own family time to ensure that each volunteer is comfortable and well taken care of. On a side not, you’ll actually come to find they take care of practically the entire village, too. While you are planning your trip they will be sure to answer any questions you have promptly and provide you with information to make the arrival process seamless. Great for individuals, groups, couples, families. There is something to be found for anyone of any age!!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?

Please remain open minded in all that you do and I promise you will have the best time. Uganda’s culture is different than many others and sometimes it takes people time to get past that. Sometimes things run on “African time” and events or meet ups may be delayed several hours. They always say “you wear the time, but we have the time.” It’s about being laid and not stressing, in fact sometimes neighbors or passerby’s will tell you that you’re walking too fast.

Be sure to wear modest clothing. No strapped tank tops or short shorts/skirts, leggings, etc especially in villages. They are not used to seeing lots of skin - especially not white skin. The weather is usually very comfortable, not extremely hot like everyone imagines.

Learning a few words or phrases in Luganda, the language of the central region, will prove to be helpful in breaking down barriers with the locals or even getting around using public transportation and going to the markets. Ugandans have some views where they think white people (muzungu) are rich and will often try to upcharge taxi fares or food prices - your hosts will provide you with a list of normal market prices. Make sure to greet those you pass or offer a smile. Pre COVID there’s lots of shaking hands.

When your day is finished at your volunteer site, try venturing out and trying new things. Sometimes I would go to the water well with the children when they were doing their chores, help kids with English homework, or read then storybooks. Offer to help with making dinner and learn about the local cuisine.

A lot of times volunteers are shocked about different living areas and “squatty potties” and retreat to their room after a day. The transportation on a 14 passenger taxi or the back of a motorcycle “Boda Boda” can be intimidating, but I promise Ugandans take great care of travelers and are perhaps the most hospitable people in all of Africa. I felt safer there than I did on a college campus.

Do not worry about cell phone services - you can buy a cheap SIM card when you get there and buy a very affordable phone plan. Just make sure your phone is unlocked. Take your passport with you to the phone service shop (usually Africell or MTN). Sometimes there is trouble with AT&T and T-Mobile serviced phones. People tend to have the best luck with Verizon phones. Reception is actually pretty good, even in the village. Another note - don’t exchange your money at the airport. You will get a far better rate exchanging at a local place near your assignment.

Finally if you have the means, ask how you can help the children or your neighbors where you stay. A lot of my family and friends now sponsor some of the children to go to school - education and meals are gold!!

I spent two months in Uganda thanks to LoveVolunteers, and I couldn't have been happier with my experience.

I can't stress enough how helpful the team was when I was trying to organize this trip. Right from when I applied to be a volutneer, through to choosing my destination all the way through to the end of my trip, LV was a constant presence and I never felt disconnected from the people that put me there.

The program itself was great. The person running the project was friendly and made every effort to include me in the running of the orphanage at which I was working. This meant that every day was different- I collected firewood, I taught the kids, I helped with building projects on-site- I did a lot and it really made me feel like I was achieving something.

Uganda is a great destination and I can't recommend it enough to anyone looking to volunteer in Africa. If you do it through LV, you'll be in good hands.

Response from Love Volunteers

Hi Greg,
It's fantastic to hear we achieved our aim of providing you with all the support you required. I love hearing that: "I did a lot and it really made me feel like I was achieving something."
You certainly did achieve something and we are grateful for you time and effort in Uganda.
Thanks!
The Team @ Love Volunteers

By Love Volunteers on February 16, 2016

Read my full story

I loved my time in Uganda! My hosts Alice and Bazil were so welcoming and made sure I felt comfortable and had everything I needed. On my first day at the school, Alice walked me and introduced me the the principal and teachers. I was in a Primary four class, helping with reading and spelling in English. The kids were fantastic and were so eager to learn about me, my family, and Canada! I girl from my class walked me home each day and Alice would greet me with a plate of pineapple or mango!
My room was nice and comfortable. My biggest hesitation travelling to Uganda was the 'squat toilets' but I adjusted quickly and they were not a problem at all. It was so easy getting into town. Alice arranged for me to go with a family friend so I always felt looked after.
I had a wonderful two weeks in Uganda and wish I had stayed longer!

What would you improve about this program?

I was asked to jump in to help with lessons which was great, but I might have had a bit more of an impact with a more structured lesson plan for english and reading.

Response from Love Volunteers

Hi Pamela,
Great to hear that you felt looked after on your placement. Our local teams are very experienced and take pride in caring for volunteers, they'll be pleased to hear they did their job well.
You raise an excellent point about being prepared in advance. Knowing that you would need to expect squat toilets made this experience not nearly as daunting as you imagined. Also it's great for volunteers to prepare for their placements, especially when Working with Children and have activities, lesson plans or even materials ready to go.
Thanks again for being a fantastic volunteers.
The Team @ Love Volunteers

By Love Volunteers on February 16, 2016

My whole trip to Uganda brightly opened up my eyes seeing to life and things especially toward myself life. I gained lots of positive thoughts back home. I worked in a small school with an Ugandan teacher in a kindergarten class in a rural village. I usually draw pictures with sentences to describe the meaning of the pictures and ask them to rewrite the sentences or filling the missing word and sometime we draw a picture in their exercise book and ask them to shape the picture and give them score. Sometime I were asked to visit other classes in primary school because they rarely see the people from outside so I told them about my country and myself. But nobody know about Cambodia and they thought that I'm from China or other counties. Everywhere I go on the way they always call me "Chines...Chines!" or "Jackie Chan", the famous Chinese's funny actor. The children like me a lot and they always come near and ask me. The people in Uganda are so friendly they always saying “how are you?” instead of saying "hello" at the first meet. My time here was so great I like Uganda a lot and hopefully I will be back sometime.

Response from Love Volunteers

Dear Brem,
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience.
It sounds like you were a huge hit with the children in Uganda, using your initiative and taking the time to have fun and interact with the local people. That's what we like to see!
All the best for the future; we'd love to have you volunteer with us again.
The Team @ Love Volunteers

By Love Volunteers on January 20, 2016

Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you pick this program?

Two people posing for a picture.

We chose this program after researching different ones for quite a while. We felt like they were so helpful and kind, while also affordable for college students. They answered any questions we asked, which was a lot, and they did so very quickly.

We felt like Love Volunteers genuinely cared so much about the people that they were helping, which was extremely important to us. We knew from the beginning that we wanted to work in an orphanage.

For a very long time we have felt like that is something we were called to do. We saw on their site that they offered this program in many different countries. Choosing which country was a little bit difficult, but we did know from the beginning that we wanted to work in Africa.

After a lot of thought, prayer, and advice, we chose Uganda. Uganda was the perfect fit for us, and we are so happy that is where we chose.

What is the most important thing you learned abroad?

The most important things we learned during our stay in Uganda are simple. We learned to truly appreciate every little thing that we have here in America. We have always known that we are extremely privileged in this country, but until you see people with absolutely nothing, you don't fully understand how blessed we are.

It has been hard for us to come back here and see all of the luxury that we have, and remember everything that the people there don't have. The people there showed us how little material things actually mean in our happiness.

The kids were so loving and happy, even with nothing. Everyone there was so kind to us, and that is something we have tried bringing back home with us. People in America would be a lot happier with themselves if they just learned to be less dependent on material things, and more on being kind to each other.

A group of young students gathered together.

Tell us about an experience you had that you could not have had at home.

The whole experience was something we couldn't have had in the states. We were able to stay with the founder of Kidron Valley Ministries during our time in Uganda, and that really allowed us to be fully immersed in their culture.

They made sure to cook for us everyday, and give us the chance to see how wonderful African food is. They taught us so much about the people and the way that they live.

We were able to see many different places in Uganda, and it helped us feel like we belonged there. An experience that we had there that was so different than in America was having people wave to us.

We almost never smile and wave to people that we don't know, but in Uganda, everyone waved to us. The children would get so happy just to have us wave to them or say hi.

Walking through town, everyone would say "Mzungu, hi!" and wave (Mzungu means white visitor). It made us feel really welcomed everywhere, even if sometimes people were shocked to see our white skin.

What made this trip meaningful to you, or how did this trip change your perceptions, future path?

People gathered to pose for a picture.

This trip completely changed us both. We have felt really called to help people for a long time, but this made us sure that it is what we want to do. We know that we want to go back as soon as we can, and bring more supplies for them.

We are currently getting supplies together to send over there. They need so much, and they are really simple items. We were asked by the director of the facility we worked at to get sponsors for the children there, and that is something that we really know could make a difference in their lives.

So, we are working towards helping Kidron Valley in every way that we can. They need so much help and support from anyone willing to give it. It isn't too easy getting people to sponsor these children, but we ask that anyone willing to would try.

Our lives have been changed by the people that we met there, and our futures will be so different because of them.

Greg Hall

About Love Volunteers

We are a group of passionate people working hard to help volunteers and local communities around the world. We don't have huge overheads - no company cars, no downtown office - we're just volunteers who thought we could do a better job. We work with local organisations wherever we can to keep administration costs to a minimum and also to return as...