Program Location

Yes Please Volunteering in Uganda has projects based in Jinja, Districts. All projects are aimed at providing primary and secondary education to needy children and community outreach and counselling to youth and adults. Most projects have little or no resources, so foreign volunteers with different ideas and experiences are highly valued. Please note that all projects require volunteers who are self-starters and can conduct their daily activities with minimal supervision. Specific daily schedules and activities will be determined between volunteers and their coordinator upon arrival. Three meals are provided each day which will consist of local foods, such as matooke (mashed plantain), posho (corn meal), potatoes, and rice. They are generally served with beef, fish, peas, beans, or groundnut sauce. Bread, eggs and fruits are available for breakfast. Vegetarians are also accommodated.

Village Teaching and Outreach Placement

Yes Please Volunteering work with a number of small community based organizations that provide counselling, care, and education for rural people and orphaned and underprivileged children. Some of these placements focus exclusively on teaching primary or secondary school. Others include both teaching and community outreach components. Please inform us if you wish to teach, do outreach work, or a combination of both, so we can best choose your program.

Village teaching placements can include arts and crafts, structured play, music/singing, sports, health, and academics. Volunteers can teach primary or secondary students. Volunteers choose which subjects and age groups to teach prior to arrival. They work independently to plan lessons using government curriculum and textbooks. Please be aware that there will be few (if any) resources available at school. Volunteers should bring any supplies, teaching materials, or instruments they wish to make use of. The main focus is to provide children with a loving, creative and interactive environment in which to flourish.

Village community outreach placements can include youth mentoring, team building, HIV prevention and AIDS care, sanitation and hygiene, and general public health. For volunteers with a medical background, placements can include working with health-based organizations. Volunteer activities may include home visiting, designing education materials, conducting seminars, and maintaining wells and other village infrastructure.

A village placement is particularly appropriate for volunteers with great ideas and enthusiasm for grassroots development. This is a real opportunity for deep cultural exchange.

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Program Schedule

You can start your placement on the 1st or 15th of each month.

Volunteers can stay from a period of one month to 3 months.

Your stay can be extended beyond 3 months on a case-by-case basis (depending upon our partner's requirements and your ability to obtain an extended visa).

School terms vary from year to year but are approximately as follows: Feb 1 to April 20, May 20 to August 20, Sept 15 to November 30. Volunteers are not placed in teaching projects outside of these times. Please also note that exams take place at the end of each term and normal class schedules will end prior to that. Short term volunteers are advised to start earlier in the term.

As a general rule we cannot place short-term volunteers beginning January 1st as all projects take a few weeks to get going in the new year. We advise you to plan your arrival for January 15th, or February 1st in the case of teaching placements