VOLUNTEERING PROGRAM
LUF offers a wide range of volunteering projects in Uganda and at an affordable price including; Teaching/Education, Childcare, Sports, Music/Creative Arts, Agriculture and Girl-child Empowerment/Women.
PROJECTS:
TEACHING
Teaching Project aims at equipping under-resourced schools with enough teaching personnel such that there could be equal opportunities for Ugandans from disadvantaged backgrounds to receive quality education.
Teaching in Uganda is such a humbling experience and although most of the children have experienced a tough living before, they are so cheerful and always expectant of what the future holds. Therefore, volunteers will have a chance to teach children in various studies including English language, Maths, Science and social studies which subjects are part of the Ugandan primary curriculum. Teaching activity does not necessarily need a volunteer to have teaching qualifications though a volunteer is encouraged to atleast be well conversant with English language. Teaching takes place at the schools LUF allocates a volunteer. Our school curriculum runs 3 terms a year with 3 holidays in between the terms.
School holiday:
- 6th May – 28th May
- 26th August – 17th September
- 9th December – 4th February
CHILDCARE/HOME
LUF home has been established to accommodate and provide basic life necessities to some of the homeless orphans and vulnerable children identified in the various communities of Uganda. These children are placed in a home setting with a mother looking after them.
With our childcare structure, volunteers get an opportunity to teach the children at the home life skills, conduct games and motivating activities, do career sessions, providing counseling and rehabilitation services to the children that are still copying up with the emptying process (those are mostly children gotten from streets), cleaning and doing house chores.
With the help of the home administrator and the mothers, the volunteer will be guided on how to go about this therefore there is no need for a volunteer to know or have skills on how to handle children. Unlike the education program, the Childcare program is open throughout the year.
MUSIC/CREATIVE ARTS
At LUF, we believe that what an old person can do, a child can do. Therefore, we strongly encourage talent growth and discovery. Therefore this session provides children with an opportunity to discover their talents and grow into them. Here is involved, teaching children music, how to play music instruments both local Buganda instruments (local drums) and the modern instruments, drama/ acting plays and skits, addressing a speech etc.
Creative arts sessions take place at our own home centers and at the school centers where a volunteer could choose from which place they could be allocated. We highly recommend that a volunteer here must atleast have one skill regarding teaching music or training dance or training music instruments or training play/drama.
Women Empowerment
Women Empowerment program works towards a better welfare and social development of women from poor areas within the capital city and rural areas of Uganda, characterized by very poor family backgrounds with low level or no education at all with utmost need of support. Volunteers can make a big difference in these women by sharing love and warmth of exposure to global trends and attain skills that will enable them become independent women of substance. Volunteering among women in Uganda is of great importance as it can bring about a paradigm change in this gender section. Volunteers interested in making a difference in women lives would find this project fulfilling and rewarding.
If you really want to change a culture, to empower women, to improve basic hygiene and health care, to fight high rates of infant mortality, the answer is to educate girls. LUF therefore, understands that the future of many communities lie in the hands of empowered female leaders, who may share their knowledge in the community’s best interests. We believe in equal opportunities of women in Uganda, therefore we have created a variety of projects which assist women to overcome current adversity to not only survive, but thrive in society.
Through this program, volunteers have a chance to assist on women empowerment, by boosting literacy and health education, providing income generation tips and micro credit loans education (Literacy), rights and life skills, saving and credit – micro-credit through cooperatives, income generative skills training, women health and maternity education, teaching English language to young women, help with small business skills through organizing various workshops. 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 helm of their own future successes.
AGRICULTURE
Given the fact that Farming is the back bone of Uganda’s economy, LUF uses agriculture projects to equip the poor with skills in that line to enable them smoothly get through poverty as a vice to most homesteads in Uganda. Our agricultural projects provide food to both internally to the Children and caretakers at Love Uganda Foundation Home, and to the surrounding villages.
Therefore we hereby invite volunteers to partake in these projects given the fertile soils, plenty rainfall, favorable temperatures, etc., which factors favor these farming throughout the year. At the moment we employee traditional methods of Agriculture like mixed cropping, manuring, mulching, etc. on food crops like maize, cassava, bananas, potatoes, cabbages, etc. using tools like hoes, pangas, among others.
Therefore you needn’t worry about the experience on farm, but rather ability to use such machines or even engage in developing the already existing agricultural practices for further recommendations.
SPORTS
As Love Uganda Foundation, we believe “disability is not inability”, irrespective of the poor standards in which most children from poor families in Uganda live. These children are blessed with talents and special gifts from the creator and through these talents, mentorship and motivation, vulnerable children can become better citizens and further impact on others in their respective communities.
The sports project at LUF provides an avenue for those willing to train, mentor and nurture vulnerable children in various sports activities both outdoor sport (football, volleyball, netball, swimming) and indoor games like chess, traditional “mweso”, and other brain teasing games. The merit with sports is that they freshen up these children’s minds and boast thought and creativity which is key to entrepreneurship and engagement in other productive activities.
You could volunteer in this line as a sports trainer/teacher/mentor, sports organizer, or even funder/provider of physical sports materials for the children like balls, sports garments (shorts, t.shirt, shoes, sockings) for the mini teams at Love Uganda Foundation.
ARRIVAL AND ORIENTATION:
After you have registered for the program, you book a ticket and arrive at Entebbe International Airport. Our local team member will be at the airport to pick you. Pickup fee is included in your program fee. You are to be transported to our volunteer base in Kalagi- Mukono.
Orientation of the program is carried out the next morning after your arrival at the volunteer base. It covers everything you need to know about your volunteer program, introducing the Ugandan culture and customs, rules and expectations, Safety, Luganda language basics. The orientation will also give you an opportunity to meet other volunteers and swap contact details with them to catch up probably on weekends.
LOCATION AND DURATION:
Our volunteer base is located in Kalagi, Mukono. It is a 45minutes drive from Kampala City. Both the orientation and general administration is carried out at the volunteer center. The volunteer placement however could be at different venues depending on the program but the areas of Kateete, Nakifuma, Kalagi and Mukono are some of them where you will have your volunteering taking place during the week. The transport means that will be availed will by using taxi, a public form of transport in Uganda, footing if the venues are nearer and boda boda/motorcycle transportation.
VOLUNTEER’S SCHEDULE:
FIRST DAY (Orientation): On your very first day at the base, you will be introduced to the team that you will be working with.
Weekdays: During weekdays volunteers will be working for approximately 3 to 5 hours a day. A typical schedule is as follows;
- 7:00am – Breakfast prepared and served by the local cook.
- 7:30am – Volunteers travel to their placements. Start time and daily workload depends on the project the individual is working on.
- 1:00pm – Volunteers break off for lunch, they could either come home for lunch if the placement is nearer of have their lunch packed.
- 4:00pm – The volunteering work ends at the placement. A volunteer is free to return to the home to refresh and prepare for the next day.
- 7:00pm – Dinner is served at the volunteer house.
Please note this schedule will vary according to the particular project a volunteer is participating on.
ACCOMMODATION AND WI-FI:
Volunteers are accommodated in a dormitory-style rooms, these are volunteer quarters located at our children’s home in Kalagi Mukono, a 45 minutes’ drive from Kampala Capital City. In bed room is expected to be shared between 2 to 4 people. We provide bed sheets and a mosquito net, a volunteer is only supposed to carry their own towels. Our rooms are of a Ugandan standard with outside toilets and bathrooms that are next to the house. Water and electricity are available. The local staff ensures that the rooms are thoroughly cleaned everyday but we still encourage our volunteers to keep their places of stay clean at all times.
Wi-Fi at the volunteer’s house is available, feel free to engage with as many gadgets as you may wish.
MEALS:
Volunteers are provided with 3 meals a day (breakfast, lunch, supper) prepared by our well trained cook. If you wish to eat snacky or outside, this will be at your own cost. Our breakfast includes; milk tea/porridge/coffee, eggs, bread, fruit. Lunch and dinner revolves around our local Ugandan stews which include; beef, pork, goat, chicken, fish and vegetable with starchy local foods; potatoes, cassava, boiled green banana(matooke), alongside others like rice, beans, g,nuts, vegetables and chapatis. Our great climate contributes to a variety of fruits delicacy which includes; watermelon, passion fruit, jackfruit, banana, pineapple which will be availed on the menus.
In case of any special dietary requirements, a volunteer must inform us in advance of your program so that our local team can make arrangements for you. We do however stress that, you may not eat like you have been eating home but we shall try our best to see that you are well taken care of.
PROGRAM FEES:
| Length of Program | Program Fee |
| 1 week | US $ 210 |
| 2 weeks | US $ 380 420 |
| 3 weeks | US $580 630 |
| 1 month | US $780 |
| 2 months | US $1,380 |
| 3 months | US $ 1,800 |
| 4 months | US $ 2,800 |
| 5 months | US $ 3,800 |
| 6 months | US $ 4,500 |
Our program fee covers the cost of the volunteers’ accommodation, meals, pickup from the airport and drop off, program orientation, 24/7 in-country support.
Extra Costs of a volunteer:
- Visa, flights, travel Insurance (mandatory), vaccinations, criminal background check, souvenirs, in-country trips or tours.
- Transfer back to the airport at the conclusion of the program.
- Spending money while in Uganda- Volunteers generally find US$ 20 sufficient for all the weekly expenditures.
- Tour/Travel: If you wish to travel and experience the touch of nature in Uganda, then click here to find affordable trips available for you.