vulnerable children Archives - Volunteering in Uganda

REOPENING OF SCHOOLS.

The dream has come true after the announcement of the reopening of schools. Everyone is getting ready teachers, school owners, parents, and students. Reopening of schools but who is going back? After two years of closure, schools are to be opened up in Uganda on the 10^th of January 2022. The president of Uganda confirmed on the 31^st of December 2021 that all the learners will go back to school on the 10^th of January. This is good news to all parents and school owners plus teachers who are willing to continue with the call.

The minister of education and sports says that learners are automatically going to the next class. That is to say, those who were in senior one to be promoted to senior two as schools open. This is due to the missed terms by the students due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This may be good news for the high growth rate of children mostly girls. But the coverage in the school syllabus is low and no one knows how it is going to be covered. Teachers are advised to find balancing solutions to make up for the lost time. But remember it has been long since students last sat in the classrooms and their minds are not set the school class works, tests, and exams.

SCHOOLS

About 40% of Uganda’s primary schools and 60% of its secondary are private institutions, run by individuals, religious organizations, charities, and businesses. Their main income is through school fees which cover all the running costs. These include the teachers’ salaries which range from ($100) 350,000 to (250) 880,000 Uganda shillings a month. Some private schools offer high-quality education and have good facilities. As schools were closed due to COVID-19 many had got loans to sustain the schools hoping they would pay using the payments of school fees. Therefore many have been put out for sale due to failure to pay loans of the bank. The government’s promises to assist private school teachers have gone unfulfilled. No one knows if all schools will be in a position to open up by January 10^th.

Schools need a lot of money to start operating as:

Some classrooms are not in good shape due to the long time not been in use.
The sits or desks used in the classrooms are all broken due to the ants so new ones are needed.
The materials to be used in putting SOPS in practice are also limited in schools since all students are going back at the same time. For example temperature guns, tape water, soap to wash hands, and hand sanitizer to be used. This means additional money which is not available.
Schools are to provide some money to teachers who had moved to the villages. The money is to cater for the rent since some were chased away from the houses and to buy some other stuff like clothes, shoes, etc.
Facilities to enable social distance are also not available such as dormitories and classrooms.

All the above and more up to the school owners and heads to find ways of providing everything that is needed.

TEACHERS

School teachers as the holders of the institutions are also to be looked up in this matter as schools reopen.

Schools are set to have a shortage of teachers as they look forward to reopening up. So many schools as they closed due to COVID-19 they were u able to pay these teachers by that time. Those in private schools received messages “No more payments until when schools open.” So many teachers were left to starve and be chased out of their homes since the source of money was closed. It reached a point where teachers started begging parents to give them something to eat

Many teachers had to find jobs to earn some money since there was not any light when schools will be opened. They worked in jobs like making chapatis, washing clothes in the neighborhood, some became farmers and others decided to go to Dubai to work. Many have been successful in their businesses where they get good money. They are not willing to go back to teaching leaving their business. Those in farming say that they have a ready market for their products so they have transformed from teaching to farming. So where are the teachers who are going to attend to learners in school? What quality of learners is going to be produced.

So it’s advised that teachers should have more listening ears than ever before this time around. The students have gone through a lot in the past two years. The government of Uganda has remembered at last teachers from private schools both primary and secondary to receive ten thousand shillings ( 100,000shs) each in COVID-19 relief cash.

Let’s talk about the PARENTS.

Parents are the breeders of the school fees and providers of the students. The school fees range from shillings 100,000 to shillings 2,000,000 and above. Many parents lost their jobs during the COVID-19 and they are looking north and west to get the school fees ready come January 10^th. And many parents are not willing to take their kids back to school due to financial difficulties. So the question comes up how many parents will have the full fees for the children in schools. Although very many parents are shopping for their children per now. They are shopping from school uniforms, books, shoes, pens, and pencils to what they will eat in the term.

The big factor comes up the “STUDENTS”

Children were safe in schools but the closing of schools due to COVID-19 every changed. According to the National Planning Authority says that 30 percent of students are expected not to return to their school decks in January due to teen pregnancy, early marriage, and child labor. The two years of school shutdown have done more harm than good. This was said by the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) General secretary Filbert Baguma. Many girls got pregnant, got married off and others got jobs and started earning money. Some girls have two children in two lockdowns.

The cultural norms and the stigma can make the girls ashamed of going back to school while pregnant or even being married. Although some would wish to go back to school some were chased away from home and had no stable job to provide school fees. Boys are not also spared from the impact of the school shutdown with many in the child labor market. They have been working in mining, street vending, making bricks, and sugarcane planting. They are touching money so they see no reason to go back to school. It’s very hard to convince these children to go back to school as they see no valve in schooling again. So which children are going back to school?

Donations of scholastic materials upon the reopening of schools at Love Uganda Orphanage.

Volunteering in Uganda gives an opportunity to volunteer under the education program and the orphanage program to extend help to vulnerable children.

Partnering with Love Uganda foundation that has about 30 children and they all need to go back to school come Monday 10^th, December 2022. They need scholastic materials that are to say uniforms, books, pens and other materials need in schools.

Through donations, we will be able to provide them with the school requirements. By sponsoring a child at Love Uganda Orphanage home, she or she will be able to attend school without any differentiates. Please check out our fee and get involved.

With its partners, Tuyambe.org, Love Uganda Safaris, join hands to make sure that these children get everything they need during school times and holidays.

But we can’t manage alone without your help. Offer a hand as we “empower the next generation.”

Webmasters December 6, 2021 2 Comments

WORD AIDS DAY

This is the day when the world comes together to create awareness about HIV/AIDS. 1^st of December every year is World AIDS Day. The 2021 theme is “End inequalities. End AIDS.” But have thought of volunteering to help those with the disease or something like that choosing to volunteer in people affected with the disease I think it’s the best thing ever.

When the COVID-19 pandemic break out the infected people found it different access the health services. The country was in a continuous lockdown which made transport means on standstill. Therefore this made it hard for both the patients and doctors who work in that field and for the patients too. This made them more dependent on assistance. People had difficulty accessing HIV treatment slowed down as the treatment and also HIV testing services. Non-diagnosed new infections were on the rise. The newly diagnosed had not started treatment yet which broke the link to HIV treatment. The global increase in viral load testing slowed considerably. And lastly, closed mental health care support services.

The repeated visits to HIV clinics to collect medicines put at risk of contracting COVID-19. The pressure of dealing with both the HIV and the COVID-19 pandemic caused an impact on the mental health of people living with HIV.

The interrupted hive preventive programs. Preventing vertical transmission programs like Voluntary medical male circumcision, PrEP, and other prevention options were impacted. COVID-19 put many children out of school which has put children’s health. Most especially the girls at higher risk of contracting HIV. The harm reduction access for people who use drugs has been curtailed.

There has been an increase in gender-based violence during the lockdowns. Sexual harassment and other forms of violence against women continue on the streets, in public spaces, and online.

The risk of transmitting HIV to your partner is much higher when you stop taking medication since the viral load will go up. The economic fallout forced patients to make tough choices as some patients were prioritizing food over medicine. This was because taking drugs without eating would make one dizzy and sometimes bring stomach ulcer pains. So one has to wait when food is available and they swallow the meds.

During the COVID -19, some HIV caregivers were delivering food and drugs to their patients and some volunteers ride long distances around Kampala but not everyone could access these essentials.

So the question comes out “how can you volunteer?” And “what should you carry?” When you drink tea with them, hug them, showing them that you care for them you will not get infected with HIV. Choosing volunteers for HIV patients is simply encouraging them to take their drugs as recommended by the doctors this will enable them to remain on drugs and take them at the right time.

Secondly by encouraging them to eat a balanced diet and also providing them with food and related foods like fruits that help in building the immunity to fight other diseases.

Thirdly, you can volunteer by offering guidance and counseling to the patients. This is to help them regain confidence and also to know that somebody else cares for them. Many people when they are told that they have the disease they think they are going to die any time soon. Guidance and counseling restore hope to them in the picture that they can leave longer as those without the disease and that they can work as before.

By offering those clothes and other materials to the patients is also a sign of volunteering. Many affected people don’t have clothes and cannot access most of the basic needs of life. So by choosing to provide them with basic needs you are lying a hand.

In a nutshell, volunteering is the best way of restoring hope to the people affected with HIV as well as the impacts of COVID-19. When tested is the only way to know your status. To reduce the risk use condoms, ensure that your partner who is living with HIV is taking treatment. Furthermore use PrEP to prevent getting HIV if you have ongoing risk. Choose to volunteer, donations and do charities to help those living with HIV. We as Volunteering in Uganda our aim is “Work For A Cause” under our program of HIV/AIDS program. In partnership with Love Uganda Foundation, Tuyambe, and Love Uganda Safaris we can change people’s lives for the better.

Footprint Volunteer Uganda October 20, 2021 No Comments

COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM

A community empowerment program refers to a process of enabling communities to increase control over their lives. Community development is the process by which community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to problems.

Community empowerment programs aim at empowering individuals and groups of people. They provide them with skills that can bring about change in their communities.

Community empowerment looks at the social, cultural, political, and economic determinants. The program calls for the participation and engagement of communities.

Examples of community empowerment programs

Youth camps; are formed to equip youth with skills to start up their jobs. They are trained in competitive software development, web literacy skills, and digital. Youth also acquire skills on communication and presentation skills, advising counseling, leadership, and teamwork. This helps the youth to go away from the criminal and poverty life to the life of productive occupation.

The educational community empowerment program looks at both formal and vocational training for the people in the community. Youth and women are equipped with vocational entrepreneurial skills, financial literacy that helps them to develop the communities and their careers.

Peer counseling is one-on-one interaction between members of a group who have so many things in common. There is active listening where complete attention is given to what someone is saying and responds without judgment. Peers can talk about their feelings, explore their issues and help them find solutions. This helps them acquire skills in active listening and problem-solving in real life.

Career guidance; looks at giving people comprehensively, developmental programs that are to assist in making and implementing informed educational and occupational choices. This helps the students and parents with the knowledge to explore different career options.

Impact of community empowerment programs on people

The power lays within the person and not the professionals or services when empowered. So below are the impacts of community empowerment programs.

Community empowerment programs bring about the academic engagement of the people in the communities. This includes activities of collaborative research with industry, contract research, consulting, and informal ties. Volunteer programs and community-service requirements like engaging students in public services, community organizing, and advocacy and will help people to develop skills in their careers.

Secondly, empowerment of people in the communities especially women and youth in the communities; enables the woman to acquire skills to contribute to the workforce and be able to raise the children healthier and happy.

Community empowerment programs

call for the civic engagement of citizens in the community. For example, participating in group activities. voting, and volunteering. furthermore, these can be political or non-political processes. Either paid or unpaid forms of community and national service, environmentalism, and many more.

It creates leadership and teamwork skills in people. People get skills like self-development, team development, strategic thinking and acting, ethical practice and civic-mindedness, and innovation. Teamwork helps to lead to greater productivity hence reaching goals and accomplishing them. They can join their strength and weakness hence leading to development.

This leads to personal and social development in community people. Personal development involves how people understand themselves concerning their interactions with others. This will help one grow and develop. Social development is about improving the well-being of individuals to their full potential in society. The person should be able to manage feelings and impulses to learn and grow.

This also creates a sense of self-worth in a person. As it helps a person to value him or herself. And encourages one to try out new things, meet new people and also enjoy your life. This enables one to believe that you are a good person, not a bad person and you deserve good things in life.

Furthermore,

it helps one to expand their sense of hope. A person gets to understand that no matter how bad the situation may be, there is hope that at some point in life everything will be okay. This helps you keep on pushing through a tough situation to make it through to a better future.

Helps one to have empathy and compassion for others; one can feel the pain of the other person and be able to understand what they are feeling. Therefore this also enables one to help those who are going through tough conditions in life.

In a nutshell, community empowerment programs aim at developing communities and people living there. To ensure that communities are developed the government and non-profit organizations should work hand in hand

Footprint Volunteer Uganda September 16, 2021 3 Comments

VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS IN UGANDA

As Jesus said in John 15:12 “my command is this; Love each other as I have loved you.” Volunteering is showing love to the people. volunteering is working to help the needy, the less fortunate, and also the vulnerable people at no cost. There are so many areas where one can volunteer in Uganda. Volunteer programs in Uganda give you a chance to open up your mind. And also know what people go through to find solutions for the problem.

When you choose to volunteer in any place, it’s giving it your all. To help develop the people and also the communities where one is from. These include charity works, developing skills for the people, and also empowering people women and youth in the community. Remember it’s not the company to benefit but the community to benefit from the volunteering company.

The list below shows several volunteer programs offered in Uganda to the volunteer.

Health care programs, this is to cater to the health of the people, children in the community. Medical persons will work in public and community hospitals. They are to provide needed assistance to doctors and patients who are financially unstable.

There are so many people in Uganda who are suffering from curable diseases. But due to inadequate healthcare professionals, hospitals, and also money to fund the treatment. The people will get free treatment. This will give a valuable medical experience that will benefit one greatly in the future.

Education program; this is to provide education to the members of the country. Several people are uneducated not because that’s the way they want it. But because they lack funds to pay for schools.

And also lack professional teachers in the rural and poor areas especially those in English teaching. This is in terms of correct use of words, English grammar, writing, and reading and comprehension skills.

Furthermore, the volunteers will work along with the local teachers in the community in delivering the services to children. This will help them improve their vocabulary and speaking of the children.

Hence opening for them a worldwide opportunity for which could change their future. The teaching program calls for creating a playing environment for the children. This helps to enhance the creativity of the children that is through singing, playing games like football, netball too.

HIV/AIDs has become a problem in Uganda. The number of those who are sick is rising as days go by. So HIV/AIDs has become a program or project to volunteer in too. The disease affects and kills both parents and children. So the volunteer under this program will deliver educational programs, training, and other activities. This is to help those suffering from it.

The volunteer will offer support in terms of giving encouraging words, treatment informs of ARVs to the patients. Also psychological support through guidance and counseling to the patients of HIV. As well as creating awareness to the population on ways how to protect themselves from the disease. Those who already have the disease do not spread it to other people.

The community development program is also a big shot for volunteering. This involves developing communities through empowering women and youth in the community. This is through giving them skills on how to work and reduce poverty in their households.

For example, women are taught how to do tailoring of clothes, agricultural skills. And how to run and manage the business. Women are taught basic hygiene and health care of their bodies. In addition, the best way is to educate the girl child so that they receive equal opportunities with men.

Furthermore, youth empowerment is also key to community development. Many youths in Uganda are unemployed and less educated. They lack the skills to either work in companies or start up a business of their own. This can be helped by advising the youth to take part in the development of projects. Youth advisory programs, and also elementary and high school clubs would help them develop skills.

Child care /orphanage program; this program runs around child development. Showing love to orphanages by providing for them in so many ways that are to say education.

Volunteers can sponsor or donate for the education of the child, teaching them ways how they can clean themselves. Taking drugs in case they are sick and also preparing meals for them to eat. This makes them feel loved and also shows them that somebody cares for them.

In a nutshell, volunteer programs in Uganda lookout to develop people in the community. They help them to break the poverty line in the families. These programs help in the child development, development of skills, empowerment of youths and women. They also call for equal rights for men and women.

Footprint Volunteer Uganda September 15, 2021 No Comments

ORPHANAGE PROJECT

It’s a good project but a challenging one. It needs a lot to put in without expecting a lot to come out of it. Orphanages are homes that accommodate orphans, children with special needs, street children, and vulnerable children. The orphanage project provides shelter for children, gives them health care, provides education, and also gets basic needs of life. These children have abandoned children due to financial problems, conflicts, or wars, some have lost one or both parents due to HIV/AIDS. Some leave homes due to child labor, and domestic violence, and abuse from their relatives who tend to take care of them when their parents die. Due to extreme poverty in their homes/ families, their parents or relatives abandoned them on the streets.

Below are some of the skills need in the orphanage program.

In an orphanage project, you do not need much to be a volunteer. What you need is to be able to love the children, play with them, care for them and teach them some of the skills you know. This is to enable them to grow up knowing that somebody loves and cares for them amidst their childhood times. When around children you have to be patient, kind, and at the same time flexible when working with children that’s all you need to have.

Responsibilities of the volunteer in an orphanage project

The volunteer in an orphanage will help in preparing meals for children, feeding them, bathing and dressing the children, washing clothes, and help in keeping the orphanage clean, well-organized at all times.

The volunteer will take care of the children in the orphanage in an affectionate manner. You should be able to offer support in their times of challenging situations and also play with them during their leisure times.

The volunteer may be asked to help in teaching children in an orphanage school. This would depend on the volunteer’s capability on the subjects said to be taught and his or her comfort zone. Subjects mostly English will be taught to children and other subjects, educate them about personal hygiene, and impart valuable life skills.

Organization of Educational games by the volunteer for children at the orphanage. For example, learning fun songs and rhymes, and sports activities. This helps in the growth of children, child development, and also their well-being.

How does volunteering in an orphanage project helps the children?

Volunteering helps children discover their inner strengths and life skills. That’s to say as they can talk to people, they become open and say what they feel like. The volunteers can guide them in their day-to-day life hence becoming successful in life.

Volunteering helps children in orphanages to attain quality education. Volunteers help in teaching the children English and other subjects like math and also help them in doing homework. This helps them to become better citizens of the country. Quality education allows them to acquire skills, values, beliefs, moral habits, and achieving knowledge.

Volunteering also helps in building better classrooms, houses/shelters for the children. This gives the children better learning structures and a good place for them to leave in hence a secured living.

Volunteering helps the children attain good health services. At the orphanage treatment of malaria, cough, and flu is done. This helps children grow healthy and strong.

Children can eat balanced and good food in an orphanage. Volunteers help in feeding the children food that develops their immune system. To fight diseases and also build their bodies.

Volunteering helps in restoring hope to children who had lost hope. It makes them feel loved when shown love, care, a listening ear, and playing with them. This helps the children to grow well knowing that they have a shoulder to run to. For instance, in chase danger knocks on the door.

Summarily, volunteer in Uganda orphanage project, volunteering is of great importance in the lives of children. It creates a unique bond between the children and the volunteers. children get their restored hope, love, care, and kindness restored. It also helps the volunteers to improve on their skills, learn new cultures, and how they do things. All in all, it’s always fun when you choose to volunteer.

Footprint Volunteer Uganda September 14, 2021 3 Comments

VOLUNTEERING IN UGANDA (FOOTPRINT VOLUNTEER UGANDA)

A volunteer refers to a person who offers to take part in an organization with little or no pay. Footprint Volunteer Uganda is an initiative project to reach out to the various needs within our society. And these include; vulnerable people, wildlife, water and environment, Agriculture, human rights.

Volunteering involves providing a safe health environment that could accommodate life and any kind of living. Various programs are currently running under this project among which include; Elderly program, Childcare/Orphanage program, Widows program, Disabled program, HIV/AIDS program, Youth program, Water and sanitation, Healthcare program, Human rights, and Community development program. The major objective of the footprint is an opportunity for everybody out there that has the zeal of changing and transforming a society positively basing on the mentioned needs.

Discussed below are the programs carried out in Footprint Volunteer Uganda.

Childcare/Orphanage program

is a volunteer program set up to render support to orphaned, poor, and marginalized children of Uganda who have not acquired parental support and have faced several challenges in life.

A local orphanage based in Kalagi-Mukono [Uganda], founded by the late Emmanuel MacMillan Kitumba in 2012 to rescue and restore hope to the vulnerable children in most war, epidemic, poverty, HIV/AIDS affected areas. The orphanage shelters around 20 children around the age of 3 to 15 years. This program is based to show love and restore hope to the orphans around Uganda.

These children have encountered a lot of problems that make it hard to trust anyone so easily. So a trained team on grounds specialized in children trauma healing education. Some children are sexually abused by their relatives so volunteering in Uganda works with Love Uganda Foundation that connects to the police

Health care program

its aim is (To improve health in rural communities through educating and engaging people in health programs.) Medical volunteers or interns can join our Public health & medical care project and sustainably change the health, and hygiene of Uganda’s rural people.

The medical volunteer program takes you to rural hospitals, clinics, small communities or orphanages, sub-urban medical centers to provide checkups. Basic medical care, early intervention provide services for infants and toddlers less than three years of age who may have or be at risk of developmental delay.

Family planning-provide information about birth control methods to help in planning the number and spacing of children, when to become pregnant and provides to improve the health and well-being of children in their care.

Treatment of malaria, tuberculosis, and syphilis are the most common health ailments in Uganda. For example, a registered nurse, medical doctor, lab technician, and paramedic or have a trained medical skill then you can.

Participate in patient care such as diagnosing, injections, lab work. If you are a midwife then you can work in the maternity ward assisting with prenatal and antenatal care. All the activities are under the supervision of professional doctors, nurses, and support staff.

Education/teaching program

is also a program undertaken to equip the orphans and the community to attain education at all levels. The volunteer project involves teaching primary school children using dedicated one-on-one sessions to help bring them up to required standards. The aim is to give certain students extra attention as they have fallen behind the rest of their peers. The education volunteer will help children learn the correct use of English words, master English grammar, encourage writing, reading, and comprehension skills. This will let the children practically learn the language and may be able to improve their verbal skills.

Volunteers are also to work in government and public primary schools located in and around the areas to teach children. Volunteers mainly teach children aged between 4-16years. Subjects to be taught include English (Conversational and Written), Math’s, Geography, Religious Education, Entrepreneurship skills, General Knowledge as well as Physical Education a sports program in schools. They teach for approximately 4-5 hours a day, five days a week. They may be alone or with the help of other teachers.

Community development/ empowerment

involves work alongside local people on community development programs. This includes education, women’s empowerment, environmental monitoring, income-generating activities, health management, and mapping.

Women empowerment is one of the programs under community empowerment that works towards better welfare and social development of women.

Empowering women to improve basic hygiene and health care, to fight high rates of infant mortality. The answer is to educate girls. Volunteering in Uganda therefore, understands that the future of many communities lies in the hands of empowered female leaders. Women may share their knowledge in the community’s best interests.

Equal opportunities are what we aim for in Uganda. volunteers have a chance to assist women by boosting literacy and health education, providing income generation tips and microcredit loans education, rights, and life skills.

saving and credit – micro-credit through cooperatives, income generative skills training, women health, and maternity education. Teaching the English language to young women, help with small business skills.

We see the rise in quality of life for the women as fundamental to positive development for Uganda as a whole. By providing women with the tools to be at the head of their own future successes.

Lastly, youth empowerment concludes then community programs.

The percentage of unemployed youth in Uganda both skilled and unskilled stands at 2.44%. Covid-19 made the matter worse companies closed and some lied off workers due to limited funds. (UNICEF generally defines youth as being between the ages of 15 and 24 years old). Some youth also have negative views on certain jobs so they are unwilling to take them if offered a position. Youth unemployment poses a serious political, economic, and social challenge to the country and its leadership. It’s difficult for Uganda to break out of poverty.

Volunteers help in sensitization of the youth through sharing, success stories experimentation with different case studies, acquisition of some important skills such as leadership, at times even a financial push where needed.

Youth are also encouraged to take part in community activities like Leading and attending Events for example arts and crafts, games like group games, non-competitive games, and puzzles and quizzes. Youth advisory programs, Aid work in remote parts of the country Elementary and high school clubs’ and Development of projects.

In a nutshell Footprint volunteer, Uganda offers a platform for people around and outside Uganda to volunteer in all areas to help the orphans, the vulnerable women in rural areas to develop skills, support financial support, health care to develop social development hence reducing poverty, the dependence of women on men and stopping domestic violence.

Webmasters January 28, 2021 2 Comments

KNOW MORE ABOUT VOLUNTEERING UGANDA

Volunteering in Uganda is an NGO initiative aimed at reaching out to the various needs within the Ugandan society through volunteerism. The organization has the objective of availing an opportunity to everybody. That has a zeal for changing and transforming a society positively. Through the provision of a platform and hands-on involvement in the support process. Through its partnership with Love Uganda Foundation, Volunteering in Uganda intends to “make volunteerism a relevant, purposeful engine for democracy and sustainable communities today, and by so doing, create a vibrant purposeful society tomorrow.”

Also known as “Footprint Volunteer Uganda“, the organization has diverse programs. That is to say the elderly program, disabled program, HIV/AIDS program, Youth program. Childcare program, widows program, water, and sanitation program, healthcare human rights, and development program. All the above programs are catered for within the organization’s four major programs which are; The Community Development Program, The Healthcare program, The Education/teaching program, and The Childcare/Orphanage program. Each of these programs is specifically and carefully arranged. To cater to the needs of the different beneficiaries of the Organization.

The Community Development Program

believes that through training local farmers, helping the local women groups. Sensitizing women, and child advocacy, volunteers can be able to cause a rewarding impact on society. This program involves working alongside people within the local communities, engaging in developmental programs through education. Women`s empowerment, environmental monitoring, income-generating activities, health management, and mapping. The Women Empowerment program and the Youth Empowerment Program fall under the Community Development program.

Under the Women Empowerment Program,

Volunteering in Uganda notes, “If you want to change a culture, to empower women, to improve basic hygiene and healthcare, to fight high rates of infant mortality, the answer is to educate girls”.

It is for this reason that this volunteer program is steered. Towards the creation of better welfare and socio-economic development for women. From poor areas both within rural areas and Uganda`s capital city – Kampala.

Through many projects, for example, teaching the English language to young women, providing training on proper account keeping to women in small finance groups. Participating in, as well as initiating awareness-raising activities in various issues. Working with women in their farms, arranging activities to improve the self-confidence and educational development of women. Working with Love Uganda Foundation local staff to train women, etc. All the volunteer programs are aimed at ending discrimination against women in the most marginalized communities.

The Youth Empowerment Program

is geared towards supporting the youth, who demographically, make up 78% of Uganda`s population. Making it the youngest population worldwide. UNICEF defines youth as being between the ages 15-24years. Unfortunately, despite being the majority of the country being young and vibrant. Statistics show that the unemployment rate in Uganda is 83%, with 3.2% of Uganda Youth working for waged employment. 90.9% work for informal employment, and 5.8% are self-employed. It is thus Volunteering in Uganda`s desire to changes these statistics through availing opportunities for volunteers. To support the youth in Uganda by sharing success stories, the impartation of skills. Such as leadership to the youth, and where the need is, grant financial support to them. The youth are also encouraged to take part in community stimulating activities.

Under the Healthcare program,

Volunteering in Uganda aims to improve health in rural communities by educating and engaging people in health programs. Volunteers with a medical background and public health. Volunteers in this program are taken to some of the rural hospitals, clinics, communities, or orphanages. Where they provide checkups, basic medical care, early intervention services, family planning information, etc. Volunteering in Uganda understands that Health is a basic human right. And as a result, it put in place such programs to ensure that the vulnerable people in Uganda can access them.

Recognizing that the Right to Education is a fundamental human right,

Volunteering in Uganda seeks to make access to that right possible for as many children as it can reach. Through its Education/Teaching Volunteer program. Under this, volunteers work in government and public schools. Mainly teaching children aged between 4-16 years in English, Maths, Geography, Religious Education, Entrepreneurship, General Knowledge, and Physical Education. This particular field requires the volunteer to be compassionate and can care for and relate with children. Through fun and outgoing activities that can grab the interest of the children. And creative teaching methodologies with which they can easily learn. Volunteers under this program are required to work for 4-5 hours each day, for five days a week.

Childcare program

Finally, Volunteering in Uganda has a volunteer program set up to render support to the orphaned, poor and marginalized children of Uganda. Through its Childcare program. This program seeks to reach out to children who have not acquired parental support. That they need and have faced several challenges in life. Under this program, Volunteers can support and love orphans. Under the care of Love Uganda Orphanage which is based in Kalagi – Mukono. The orphanage is home to 30 vulnerable children aged between 3-15 years. Among those who are disabled children, those that were abandoned, and some of them living with HIV/AIDS. This Volunteer program also reaches out to 300 other children under the external child care program. Where the organization gives support to very poor single families. Within this program, volunteers can participate in the rescuing and restoration of hope to such vulnerable children.

Seeing as the world has partnered to create a positive and long-lasting impact globally through the UNDP’s Sustainable Development Goals. Volunteering in Uganda is actively playing her role, with emphasis on SDG No. 1-No poverty, SDG No. 3- Good health, SDG No.4- Education, and SDG No. 5- Gender equality. It is thus a call to action for all those with a passion for causing and participating in the creation of a world. That can support the existence of life today, as well as enable a fruitful life for future generations. Through either partnering with Volunteering in Uganda or giving to the cause.

Webmasters November 2, 2020 120 Comments

TEACHING GOES BEYOND THE PROFESSION.

Teaching goes beyond the profession

A lot of attention has been put on education and not much on the educator or teacher. Education is both systematic and progressive and without education or learning, an individual is bound to become a public nuisance. Nelson Mandela once said that ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’ And truly for the world to change, much more emphasis needs to be put on education and teaching.

For education to take place, there must be a teacher, and sometimes life is our teacher and other times it is individuals. We must learn that teaching goes beyond the profession. A teacher has been defined as a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue. So it`s not about the profession as much as it is about the person. It has been discovered that the first teacher any child has is his/her mother. Right from the womb, the fetus begins to pick signals from their mother and these signals are translated to affect their development. It’s the individuals that we meet on a daily that become teachers to us because from our various interactions with them, we learn to deal with many stresses and how to relate with people.

Teaching goes beyond the profession because, for a teacher to have a long-lasting impact, there must be passion, love, vision, a dream and the game-changer attitude within a person. A true teacher looks beyond what they will benefit from the service that they give and focus on what the learner has to gain. The beauty of it is that we don`t need to sit in classrooms for us to be teachers or learners because every day we meet potential teachers and students. It is our attitude towards them that determines what they will at the end of the interaction, walk away with.

Love and hatred, morality and ethics, good and bad, kindness and mercy; all these are not taught and learnt in a classroom. Some of these are learnt on the streets, others in market places and others from inconvenient places.

It means that we are all students and we are all teachers. We will always be teachers because it is our experiences that we teach and impart into others. Our interactions with others, the places we have been to and the events that take place in our lives make us teachers.

Some people choose to take up the teaching profession so that they can mentor, guide and impart skills into others as a way of changing them. Then some people are teachers at heart, and they go out of their way to make it possible for other people to become better. They source out for information that will empower others, and they look beyond the situations and limitations they might face and adopt better means of engaging their learners.

Many of these teachers fall under the informal education sector and they teach tremendously well. They teach soft skills, vocational skills, morals, ethics and values in society that group the emotional and psychological being of many individuals.

Now that you know that you are a teacher and the world is full of your students, you must build upon yourself and your interaction with the world. Become intentional about everything that you do because like it or not, the world is watching. And even though not everyone may care, there is a high probability that many people are picking the signals that you give off and these inform their world views. Be kind.

Sometimes we want to share our skills and are passionate about making an impact on hearts that are ready and willing to receive from us but we are limited by whom to contact. Look and believe, then you will see those grounds. And if it so happens that you are not a teacher by profession, find a community to volunteer. Talk to the local leaders in a particular region, let them know what your passion is and the motivation behind it and set it rolling.

If your passion stirs the desire to travel in order to do so, don`t hesitate, take a bus or a plane and travel to the grounds that will receive the seed you want to sow. We are sure that there are many people with a desire to learn but have limited access to teachers. These will gladly receive you with open hands.

You could visit Volunteering in Uganda and let us give you the opportunity to teach under our community Development Program . Be it a skill, a story, a song or any lesson that is valuable and relevant for the social, mental and spiritual development of the child and other community members; we will avail the learners to you.

We are all teachers because it is much more than the profession. So let`s teach and forever learn.

Webmasters December 5, 2018 3 Comments

WAYS TO CARE FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN UGANDA AS A GROUP

Ways to care for Vulnerable children in Uganda as a group.

Every New Year brings changes and chances to create new resolutions. We always look for ways to love the Lord and love our Neighbors, it’s hard to ignore the outstanding needs of vulnerable children around the world.

It is possible to invite your family, friends, or co-workers to join you in the movement to care for the vulnerable children in Uganda. It may be a parenting group, bible study, family, book club, or anything else. Together, you can share in the giving spirit and commit to caring for vulnerable children. Read more

07:30 – 19:00

Kubbiri Roundabout

+256 754806809

vulnerable children