Village Teaching and Outreach Worker

location
4 - 12 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+

rating  Perfect 4.6  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Excellent response rate


Especially good for

Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Families
Groups
50+

About the program

Live and work with a Ugandan led initiative, supporting education in classrooms and community groups.

Chronic underdevelopment in Uganda is a problem not easily solved. Remote rural living, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, a subsistence economy, loss of hope, and lack of services helps to keep many families dependent upon hand-outs, malnourished, and uneducated. Currently, there are few real ways to generate ...

About the program

Chronic underdevelopment in Uganda is a problem not easily solved. Remote rural living, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, a subsistence economy, loss of hope, and lack of services helps to keep many families dependent upon hand-outs, malnourished, and uneducated. Currently, there are few real ways to generate funds at the village level to support anything other than subsistence living. Therefore, The Real Uganda has developed relationships with local communities to help provide start-up funds, knowledge, and motivation all necessary to solve their respective problems in a sustainable way.

About the Program

Volunteers in the Village Teaching program provide arts and crafts, structured play, music/singing, sports, health, and academics at the primary or secondary level. Volunteers are needed in local schools to give students an alternate learning experience. Traditional teaching in Uganda is rote learning and memorization. Our main focus is to provide children with a loving, creative and interactive environment in which to thrive.

Volunteers choose which subjects and age groups to teach upon arrival. They work independently to plan lessons using government curriculum and textbooks. Please be aware that there are few (if any) resources available at school. Volunteers should bring any supplies, teaching materials, or instruments they wish to make use of. (Or plan to buy here – why not support our economy?) This is a challenging but amazing program for volunteers with experience organizing children, such as camp counselors, day care workers, and people who love children. Bring your games, songs, and enthusiasm to the village!

In the Community Outreach part of the program volunteers will join in on the work of their host organization. Volunteer activities include youth mentoring through sport and art, women empowerment, small business development, handicraft making, light construction, micro-finance administration, educational materials development, conducting seminars, and maintaining wells and other village infrastructure. A community outreach placement is particularly appropriate for volunteers with great ideas and enthusiasm for grassroots development. This is a real opportunity for deep cultural exchange.


Typical day

By working and living with international volunteers, local people receive education and learn to generate income on their own, resulting in a diminishing need for outside help. Volunteers complement local staff, and provide cultural exchange and skills to all levels of society. Your presence and ...

Typical day

By working and living with international volunteers, local people receive education and learn to generate income on their own, resulting in a diminishing need for outside help. Volunteers complement local staff, and provide cultural exchange and skills to all levels of society. Your presence and care not only builds self-worth and confidence in adults, but gives kids a chance to have fun and express creativity through sport and art programs. We’ve found it’s not always what volunteers teach, but how they teach that makes the impact. Come prepared to give encouragement, love and creativity to everyone you meet.


Free-time activities

Uganda is a beautiful, peaceful, fun and very welcoming country. Volunteers can easily meet up on weekends to travel. Popular tourist activities in Uganda include wildlife safari, white water rafting and bungee jumping on the River Nile, chimpanzee and gorilla tracking, nature walks and forest ...

Free-time activities

Uganda is a beautiful, peaceful, fun and very welcoming country. Volunteers can easily meet up on weekends to travel. Popular tourist activities in Uganda include wildlife safari, white water rafting and bungee jumping on the River Nile, chimpanzee and gorilla tracking, nature walks and forest hikes. Volunteers are encouraged to see as much of the country as possible. Volunteers are provided with assistance in setting up tourist activities either before or after arrival. 

The Real Uganda also encourages volunteers to visit each other at their respective program placements. We find volunteers learn more about grassroots development, locally led initiatives and themselves, the more they see and do while in Uganda. All volunteers are provided with contact information for each other before and after arrival.


Requirements

Requirements

Minimum Age: 18 years

In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

Language Skills

You need to speak English (basic level)

Education Requirements

at High School level

Criminal Background Check

required

Nationality Restrictions

No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

Other Skills

We require volunteers to be flexible, patient and comfortable public speaking. We accept volunteers with a positive attitude and open mind toward cultural exchange.

Time Commitment

Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 09:00 - 16:00

What's Included

What's Included

Services by The Real Uganda

Besides the Volunteer World commission, Our fees cover:

  • online support from me, while you prepare for Uganda
  • pickup at Entebbe International Airport
  • first night hotel stay
  • in-country orientation, again - with me
  • transportation to your placement
  • three meals of Ugandan food each day
  • secure accommodation
  • weekend volunteer guesthouse use
  • 24 hour supervision, and
  • a donation to the organization with which you are placed.

The fees do not cover airline tickets, travel insurance, tourist visa, vaccinations, drinking water, leisure activities, or medical services. But we're happy to help you make those arrangements.

Besides covering your basic expenses listed above, the program fees help to ensure our partner programs are able to do the work they wish to do in their communities. They also allow The Real Uganda to monitor partner progress, guide and advise current volunteers, and continuously seek new (appropriate) international volunteers for work in Uganda.

As a result, The Real Uganda is able to partner with effective social and economic development programs. Our volunteers are also well supported to maximize their impact.

Airport Pickup at Entebbe International Airport

Volunteers must arrive around the 1st or 15th of the month they start volunteering. They should fly into Entebbe International Airport. We have procedures for all arrival times and flights. Our driver collects our volunteers and brings them to our Mukono Town headquarters for orientation and placement. 1 week before volunteers leave home, they are given an email detailing their arrival and first few days in Uganda.

Accommodation

Volunteers are given a private, lockable room (often shared with another international volunteer) in the home of your host organization's director. Most homes have electricity, western toilets, and running water, although frequent outages do occur. Once a volunteer commits to join us, and a particular host program is selected, full details about location and accommodation are then provided. Bed linens and mosquito nets are provided, but bring a pillow as they're not commonly used in Uganda.

Food & Beverages

Volunteers receive 3 meals of local Ugandan food each day. Meals consist of matooke (mashed steamed banana), posho (corn meal), potatoes, and rice. They are generally served with peas, beans, groundnut sauce and (occasionally) beef or fish. Tea and bread is the usual for breakfast. Vegetarians and vegans are welcome! Dairy products are rare. Volunteers can supplement their diets with locally bought fresh fruits and veg if they wish.

Internet Access

Limited access at the project site

What's NOT included?

What's NOT included?

Flight Tickets

The nearest airport is Entebbe International Airport (EBB) in Entebbe. We assist you to find cheap flights to Uganda. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

Travel Insurance

Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Uganda provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

Vaccines

If you are intending to volunteer in Uganda you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Uganda. VACCINE CHECKER

Details on arrival

School terms vary annually but are likely to be: Feb 1 to April 15, May 15 to August 15, Sept 15 to November 30.

Outreach work happens year round.



Availability
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Program fees

4 weeks (min. stay) 1,254€
6 weeks 1,624€
8 weeks 1,995€
10 weeks 2,366€
12 weeks (max. stay) 2,737€
Average fees 270€/week

Program fees

270€ per week 4 - 12 weeks Age 18 - 50+

Payment methods

Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

NO CREDIT CARD FEES


Duration

4 - 12 weeks

Deposit

The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.


Final Payment

Your final payment will be agreed with The Real Uganda during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.


Meet your organization

The Real Uganda

Perfect 4.6 rating (24 reviews)

Non-profit - founded in 2005

Verified by Volunteer World

  Excellent response rate

Coordinated by

Leslie

About the project

The Real Uganda doesn't want to save Uganda, it wants to share Uganda with the world. We support Ugandan innovation and motivation.

Meet your organization

About The Real Uganda

The Real Uganda is an organization that sources funding and skills for selected locally led initiatives in south central and western Uganda. We respectfully support Ugandan innovation and motivation. We are a legally registered non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO), operating totally in Uganda, since January 2005. We place about 70 volunteers each year.

What we do

The Real Uganda recruits and places international volunteers with a number of schools and community based organizations around Uganda. Through our volunteer placement program, we aim to build the capacities of local organizations and raise awareness around the world about the successes and challenges of life in Uganda.

Many local organizations lack the money and skills to grow themselves. With our program in place, our partner organizations are overcoming some of the more serious challenges they face. These include: lack of money for operations (wages, office space, transport, training courses), lack of business skills (book keeping, marketing, strategy, grant writing), and lack of up to date knowledge (Counseling/mentoring skills, English language, HIV/AIDS and life skills information).

Many travelers wish to visit sub-Saharan Africa to find out what’s really happening on the ground. We offer a safe and family-like environment in which to come to Uganda, give your time, and experience some real culture. 

We offer pre-arrival support by answering your questions about Uganda and by finding an organization that best fits your skill and interest. We connect you to former and current volunteers working with us. We collect you from the airport, get you to your placement, and unravel some of the more complicated cultural issues you face when entering Uganda for the first time. It is not easy to come to a completely foreign culture on your own. We want to be there to give you encouragement, advice, and support in order for you to be the most effective while you are here.

Why we do it

While working with The Real Uganda, volunteers learn about the real situation at the grassroots level in Uganda. Life in Uganda is tough for everyone, not just HIV/AIDS patients, orphans and refugees. Wages are low, corruption is rampant, education is not universal. In spite of this, Ugandans are some of the most welcoming, friendly, and open people in Africa. Get prepared to experience Uganda in a deep and meaningful way. Volunteers become part of the family, learning about the local culture: how to cook, how to speak the language, how to sit peacefully with their neighbors and talk about life in general. We hope that volunteers take that knowledge home with them, spreading the word about Ugandan development issues and culture around the world.

Why choose The Real Uganda?

We’re local – Our offices, staff, and projects are located in Uganda. We are on the ground with encouragement and support to ensure your success.

We're experienced – Our volunteer coordinator is a Canadian, living in Uganda full-time, since 2004. We've hosted over 800 volunteers from all over the world.

We’re relevant – Our partner organizations are Ugandan run and engage in Ugandan led activities. Activities that help and develop real people and communities, on their terms.

We're specialized – We focus on Uganda and know it intimately. Our volunteers work at schools, in public health, on farms, and with women's empowerment groups.

24 reviews · rating4.6

Gigi Unknown rating5

2015 at Village Teaching and Outreach Worker

I am belgian and found the organisation online, I had little English knowledge when I arrived in Uganda, I had booked to volunteer in a remote setting for 6 months and this was in 2006. I was picked up by the director at the airport and her vibes, love for uganda an the projects and the way she ...
Sam Holmes rating4.8

2015 at Village Teaching and Outreach Worker

For 2 months I taught P5-P7 from 11am to 3-3:30pm in the village of Kitoola. It was an amazing experience. I was teaching lessons on English, Art, Science and Sport – with each class once during the week. The first week was tough getting used to no modern conveniences and finding out how much the ...
Jens Unknown rating4.8

2015 at Village Teaching and Outreach Worker

The Real Uganda (TRU) is a small ugandan NGO with a very passionful impulse to change people's lives sustainable. Based in the small town of Mukono in Central Uganda Lesley & her partners support local projects with strong efforts, respect & humbleness. For me personal this is a perfect example for ...
Natasha Kurowski rating4.6

2015 at Village Teaching and Outreach Worker

What really enticed me to join this program was the opportunity to dip my feet into a variety of areas – I really liked the program description of it being a community-based organisation by which you could really immerse yourself in real Ugandan life and work with members of the local community ...
Sarah Unknown rating4.4

2015 at Village Teaching and Outreach Worker

The summer of 2015...turning 40 and finally being brave enough to go explore Ugandan way of life. Getting all of the attention in an instant wasn't ever that easy when people asked me what I did during my holiday. "Did you go to France? to the US? you went hiking in the mountains? ... " "no no, I ...
Alissa Unknown rating4

2015 at Village Teaching and Outreach Worker

About a year ago, I had a strong desire to go to Uganda. The only problem? I didn't know where to start. Thus, I did quite a bit of research. In my search for a quality organization to volunteer with, I found "The Real Uganda." The Real Uganda proved to be just that- and so much more. From Day 1, ...

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