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“When you hear the word ‘disabled,’ people immediately think about people who can’t walk or talk or do everything that people take for granted. Now, I take nothing for granted. But find the real disability is people who can’t find joy in life and are bitter. “Teri Garr quoted.

Well, that is the whole idea about disabled people. It might be visual, hearing or moving limitations, whichever the case is, it makes the victim so vulnerable to the world.

Uganda is not the best country when it comes to the rights of the disabled people, they are discriminated and left out. They often feel out of place. So this article shows you the need to volunteer with the disabled people in Uganda.

According to the Uganda Population and Housing Census Report (2002), four out of every 25 persons in Uganda are disabled people under the age of 18. The different forms of disability include Difficulty in hearing, Difficulty in speaking, Difficulty in moving around and using other body parts: Difficulty in seeing, strange behavior, Epilepsy, Difficulty in learning, Leprosy and loss of feeling.

Unfortunately, the disabled children continue to experience physical barriers, inadequate information, rehabilitation and unfriendly services. Limited accessibility to such services has contributed to social exclusion of disabled people in the communities they live in.

However, The National Policy on Disability in Uganda aims at promoting equal opportunities for enhanced empowerment, participation and protection of rights of the disabled people irrespective of the gender, age and type of disability. This is in recognition that children with disabilities can perform to their full potential given the same conditions and opportunities irrespective of their social, economic and cultural backgrounds.

Generally, disabled people are vulnerable by virtue of their impairment and negative societal attitudes arising from fear, ignorance, superstitions, neglect and of awareness. And currently, the Special Needs Education under the Ministry of Education and Sports addresses issues of children learning with disabilities.

The Government has also put in place a rehabilitation and resettlement scheme that includes vocational rehabilitation services, sheltered workshops that focus on skills training for provision of assistive devices to disabled people in Uganda.

However, you should note that despite the above existing programs, there’s scarcity of appropriate educational scholastic and instructional materials, inadequate training of staff handling concerns of the disabled people, outdated and limited  skills in vocational skills in vocational rehabilitation centers, use of languages that are not comprehensible to these unlucky ones and high costs of assistive services such as guides, helpers, and interpreters which are the major factors that hinder the education  and skills training of the disabled children.

Therefore, poor access to education in childhood means that a high proportion of the disabled people remain illiterate and unskilled; the major cause of the high levels of poverty and low standards of living.

Communities often discriminate against and marginalize the disabled people because of negative beliefs, norms and customs. This is due to the limited understanding by the communities of the causes of disabilities as well as the rights and potentials of the disabled people. Communities in Uganda have totally convinced themselves that disabled people are less people who don’t deserve equal treatment.

This the very reason why Uganda needs volunteers. Volunteers who are able; to promote and strengthen awareness creation programs on disability at all levels, establish community based networks to access the disabled people to the needed services.

Volunteers who can promote micro-finance education and health initiatives that benefit households of the disabled people and their caregivers and recommend publicity through the media such as radio, T.V Newspapers and posters.

Uganda needs volunteers who can spend time with the disable people, teaching them, feeding them, caring for them and simply making them feel loved regardless of their forms of limitation.

In 2012, Uganda suffered two major hemorrhagic fever outbreaks creating an immediate need for volunteers in hospitals in Uganda to date

First, the dread Ebola hemorrhagic fever hit the remote district of Kibaale in the Western part of the country. As the country was trying to recover from the Ebola outbreak, another deadly disease, Marburg fever broke out in Kabale in South Western Uganda.

Kibaale district is 219 kilometers away from Kampala. Although the district has a main government hospital, it needs more volunteers due to the lack of requisite medical expertise to handle such epidemics.

Specialized doctors and other volunteers in hospitals had to travel from Kampala to camp in Kibaale. Until the disease was fought to the end.  Samples would be taken in Kibaale and driven back to Kampala for tests. This same approach was applied to manage Marburg cases in Kabale. And patients suffered because there were no volunteers in hospitals on the frontline to curb these epidemics in any way.

Number of hospitals

The total number of hospitals (public and private) in Uganda is 155. Of these, 2 are National Referral Hospitals (Mulago and Butabika), 14 are regional Referral Hospitals and 139 are General Hospitals.

In terms of ownership, 65 are government-owned, 63 PNFP and 27 are private. And these provide preventive, promotive outpatient curative, maternity, inpatient, emergency surgery, and blood transfusion and laboratory services.

It is widely accepted that health is wealth. This is because good health is a strong foundation on which success and prosperity can be built. Yet, inequalities in access to health care are a major concern in Uganda. And this is one of the reasons why there is a need for volunteers in hospitals of Uganda.

Uganda suffers a chronic shortage of trained health workers and the few trained doctors keep grumbling over their paycheque. Unlike the volunteers who could be there full time just to help the patients recover with smiles on their faces.

Probably this is why 16 mothers die. As they give birth and 131 per 1000children die before the age of five.

Only 38% of health care posts are filled in Uganda. Those health workers within the country have little incentive to work in poor rural areas. And 40% of nurses and midwives are based in urban areas, serving only 12% of the Ugandan population.

This implies that access to health care between rural and urban areas is highly imbalanced and with most Ugandans living in rural areas it implies that their ability to get better health care that is only in urban centers is limited.

Importance of volunteers in hospitals.

With volunteers in hospitals placed in different localities in rural areas, there will be easy access to better health care services. And in fact, the number of medical personnel in hospitals will have increased.

Volunteers in Hospitals can give first aid to patients who are badly off. For example those with injuries from accidents as they wait on the doctors to work on them.

Volunteers also help to transport patients, give directions or escort visitors to see their patients, answer telephone calls. Socialize with patients and visitors and others do some cleaning which eases service delivery in public hospitals.

The need for volunteers in hospitals not only focuses on the hospital benefits but also cuts across the individual benefits. For example; volunteers gain more knowledge in the medical field and how best they can handle patients through health workshops and camps.

We, therefore, appeal to the government to allow more people to volunteer in public hospitals. And work more with trained doctors for better service delivery to all Ugandans.

In addition to that, public universities should give more time for students to volunteer in hospitals during their internships.

If people who are not medics can still volunteer in hospitals in other departments. Like administration, accounts, counseling, cleaning, and many others.

Do you want a suitable hospital to volunteer in? One that allows you to meet people at their points of need? Then we are here for you. Send us an email at info@volunteeringinuganda.org

Volunteerism in Uganda does a lot more than you could ever imagine. Giving in your time and efforts to serve a community at a free cost starts a string of positive events that happen at the time you decide to volunteer.

Volunteering in Uganda has both short and long-lasting impacts on communities that are left for years even after the volunteers leave. The fact that Uganda is simply a developing country, it needs assistance almost in all aspects of life.

While most volunteers in Uganda only realize the personal benefits of volunteering, say improving self-esteem, building bonds and friends, ending loneliness, emotional stability, happiness, and many others. Volunteering in Uganda has a more measurable impact beyond what some volunteers can realize.

Let’s explore how volunteering in Uganda has impacted her communities.

Economic improvement.

Remember time is money, as more people donate more time to volunteering in Uganda, there is a tremendous economic impact. Volunteers in community projects, hospitals, schools, orphanages, organizations, and many others mean a reduced amount of expenses going to salary payments. Work that would have been done by full-time workers is sometimes reduced by the volunteers. This means organizations and projects will have done a lot of work but at a reduced cost. The increased number of volunteers in a community still implies more sales and purchases. Important to note is also that some volunteers even go beyond and donate to the projects or communities they are volunteering in.

Enhances collaboration and socializing.

Most of the community service projects require many resources and several different specializations for success. On several occasions, many strategic partnerships are drawn between organizations, governments, private businesses, and universities. Volunteers in different organizations also bring in more new partnerships in their circles. Even the local staff and community members get new connections and networks, something that widens their circles of friends and exposure.

Public service delivery.

In poor and rural communities, public service delivery is at its worst. Most of the public services are not available to residents. From transportation, healthcare, technology, water to electricity, and many others, the government and economic conditions have fallen short. Have seen volunteers joining road construction projects, offering health services in public hospitals, teaching Maths, English, Computer and many other subjects at all levels of education. This has made service delivery in the rural and poor areas quite easier than before, and it is surely attributed to the efforts and works of volunteers. They are the true impact of volunteering in Uganda.

Exposure.

Most rural communities have gotten more exposure with the increasing number of volunteers they receive. Say the Batwa community that is an establishing community after the Batwa people were resettled outside Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. This endangered group of people was nearing to extinct. But the more volunteers who came in, the more popularity which exposed it to even more funders. So volunteering in Uganda also increases the exposure of the community at large and the local people. Besides, even the local people are introduced to new technology, new ideas, and whole new perception of things.

Volunteerism in Uganda is of more positive impact on the country. Many communities, organizations, and people have benefited from volunteerism.

Have you been thinking of Volunteerism in Uganda, don’t hesitate, it’s ideally the best solution you will ever make. Watching yourself changing and impacting lives is a spot for life.

If you don’t have a suitable community, organization, or place, just let us organize for you. We offer the best volunteering programs in Uganda. Just give us your dates and your priorities and we get you sorted.

There is no shortage of volunteer opportunities in Uganda. The increasing number of orphans, the poor health services, the heightened levels of poverty and low standards of living, suffering youth, several community projects going on, and many others.

Do you want to see yourself changing lives in Uganda? Countless Volunteering programs in Uganda make positive impacts on the local communities.

Volunteering in Uganda is cheap yet a fantastic way to explore the pearl of Africa, travel, and experience Uganda’s beauty as well as empower communities. However, for the best possible experience, volunteers need to make the right choices, so here are a few best volunteering programs in Uganda that you shouldn’t skip your eyes on while o  any Uganda volunteering trip.

Support community services volunteer program

Uganda has a diverse scope of community development programs where volunteers can engage in. Community developments in Uganda range from social work, construction, and working in arts and culture, such activities require you to apply your interests and skills. Several volunteers hold classes to teach children in drama, music, and arts. You can still volunteer in construction and environmental programs that improve access to clean water, infrastructure, and sanitation.

Animal and wildlife conservation.

Uganda is the pearl of Africa, has several wildlife species; elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, rhinos, gorillas, primates, reptiles, antelopes, lions, and many others summing to over 100 species. Uganda is, fortunately, home to over 600 mountain gorillas is almost three-quarters of the world’s total population of mountain gorillas. Volunteers have dedicated themselves to social projects that aim at conservation work. Work within communities, reforestation efforts, gorilla habituation, and research, as well as educating local people about gorilla conservation. These are all life-changing projects that empower the community.

Medical and healthcare volunteer program.

Volunteer opportunities in Uganda that are considerate about health care are sufficiently distributed through Uganda. Medical professionals can impact the community through working at hospitals as they still learn alloy and develop new skills in a new environment. You can engage in several projects like Health education, Hospital placements, Dentistry, Nursing, AIDS prevention, and Medical internships. This enables you to both gain experience as well as contribute to medical progress in Uganda.

Teaching in Uganda.

Volunteers in this field create one of the biggest impacts, especially to those who need it. You can choose to teach in a community school or teach illiterate adults. This becomes a great chance for all those who did attend school. Remember, quality education is key for the development of a community. As a volunteer, you can teach Maths, English, Spelling, games, and Sports, Reading and writing plus many others.

Childcare centers or orphanages.

Volunteers have also decided on working in childcare centers as a volunteering program. Taking care of the children, teaching them, cooking for them, helping them with homework, and just spending some time with the little innocent souls. You just don’t know how such an action can change lives.

If you ever what to volunteer in Uganda, despite the so many volunteering programs in the country, the above listed would be the best life-changing programs to engage in.