Environmental protection and AIDS prevention in
Buwenge
Buwenge
May 4 - May 25, 2013
Volunteer project:
This program was initiated by a youth group in Buwenge, Kamuli District
- Jinja in 1993. These youth had realized the importance of protecting
the natural environment after seeing how the community had been affected
by deforestation. A big number of trees had been cut down for fire wood
and charcoal burning for sale, and many people were destroying the
wetland areas by cultivating them to grow food crops. There was acute
shortage of rain and food in the area and poverty was at its most
rampant. Community members took up reforestation and quite a good number
of trees have been grown since then.
In 2006, there was an outbreak of epidemic diseases in Buwenge Township,
like cholera, typhoid, diarrhea, dysentery, an increase in the malaria
cases, and jiggers have invaded the region. This was as a result of poor
waste collection methods used by the town council (there was no even a
truck for removing waste to the final disposal sites) and lack of basic
hygiene for the average household. The town had turned into a stinking
place due to the littering of the water sources with solid wastes. Since
then, the Town Council, community members and international volunteers
have worked together for improving the standards for waste collection
and disposal.
The volunteers will be involved in various environmental protection activities in Buwenge: tree planting, advocacy for wetland management, nature conservation, waste collection and management. The participants in this project will also be given the opportunity to participate in the HIV/AIDS awareness work and testing at Buwenge Hospital.
Language: English
Leisure time: This project is located very near to the Lake Victoria, the source of River Nile, and to the Bujagali Falls, Jinja. It is possible to visit the Sipi Falls in Kapchorwa District and Mt. Elgon in Mbale in the free time.
Accommodation: Volunteers will be accommodated in a village house at Buwenge Trading Centre.
Location: Buwenge Town Council, Kyerida Parish, Munyegera Zone, Kamuli District - Jinja, about 150 km east of Kampala.
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 200 Euro
The extra fee is intended to support the hosting organization who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival on the project.
Provide educational, renovation and maintenance
support to Kirabo Children's Day Centre and Boarding school
Kikandwa
June 8 - June 29, 2013
Volunteer project: Kirabo Children's Day Centre and
Boarding school was started by a small group of female teachers who were
born in Kikandwa and Kikyusa Villages, in conjunction with the local
community members in 2006. The idea was hatched by Ms Sarah Muwanguzi
Nabatanzi who had realized that children in this area were exposed to
ignorance and diseases as a result of poverty and the average illiteracy
rate was about 70% in the area. The area has many people affected by
HIV/AIDS. A number of orphans, over 250, whose parents have died of
HIV/AIDS, are living with foster parents e.g. grand parents who are too
old to look after them (70 years and above), and others live with
friends and well wishers or next of kin.
Kikandwa and Kikyusa villages are amongst those villages which were destroyed by the war in 1980-1986, which took many victims, left many people homeless, or forced them to migrate to big cities e.g. Kampala for their safety. The teaching of the pupils was done by the Church which was the only existing building in the area with only 20 pupils.
In 2007, many people in and outside the area developed interest in this initiative and amongst those was the grandmother of Sarah Muwanguzi Nabatanzi who is still surviving and is called Mrs Muwanguzi Christine, who donated 50 acres of land to the project. The community mobilized funds to construct 3 temporary wooden classrooms roofed with corrugated iron sheets. They currently have 270 pupils from nursery to primary 5 level. International volunteer groups have helped them to construct three permanent classroom blocks and an office, to wall plate pending roofing, put doors and windows, make the floor and plastering.
Since most children live with old grandparents, they usually come to
school without breakfast or anything to eat during break or lunch time.
Some of these children are malnourished. Quite a big number of them are
attacked by malaria and others have jiggers in their feet. They lack
mosquito nets and medicines.
Therefore, the school has started an agricultural project where they
grow vegetables and fruits on a large scale for children's consumption at
school. They are also planting some trees for environmental protection.
They also constructed a fish pond but have not yet introduced in fish
due to lack of food for fish.
The international volunteers will be involved in the following
activities:
- roofing of the three calssroom blocks and the office;
- tree planting and working in the school garden;
- outreach work focused on orphans and vulnerable children;
- HIV/AIDS awareness.
Volunteers are expected to participate in all the mentioned programs
(construction, gardening, tree planting, etc.). The nearest Government
Hospital is at Wabusana, 7 km away and that’s where the HIV/AIDS Program
will be conducted.
Language: English
Accommodation: Volunteers will be accommodated in Mrs. Muwanguzi Christine’s home, the grandmother of Sarah Muwanguzi Nabatanzi.
Location: Kikandwa Village, Kikyusa sub-county, Bamunanika County, Luwero District, about 50 km north of Kampala.
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 200 Euro
The extra fee is intended to support the hosting organization who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival on the project.
Construction of a primary school and providing
clean water for the people of Garubunda village
Garubunda
July 6 - July 27, 2013
Volunteer project: The construction of Garubunda
Primary School was started by international volunteers in 1996 in
conjunction with the local community members of Garubunda village. There
was only one old grass thatched mud and wattle school building built 60
years ago accommodating about 100 pupils which was in such a dilapidated
state, nearly collapsing. Since that time, volunteer groups have helped
constructing a building accommodating from Primary 1 to 7. Due to the
Universal Primary Education system in Uganda (free education in primary
schools), the school now accommodates over 1000 pupils but the buildings
are not enough for them.
Lake Nyakasanda is a small lake of about 150sq meters. It is located
near Garubunda Primary School and very close to the house where the
volunteers will be accommodated. The lake water is used for domestic
purposes including drinking, bathing, cooking, etc. At the same time
people swim in the same waters. Clean drinking water from a spring well
could be obtained from a distance. The water in the lake is contaminated
while its outflow is poor. Some domestic animals like cows, goats and
sheep also drink from the same source. We also noted that people make a
locally brewed beer from bananas using the same water. There are very few
fish in the lake due to water contamination and some parts of it have a
lot of papyrus reeds.
There is currently installation of a gravity water system since the area
has a lot of hills. Some houses are already receiving clean water in
their homes, although very few. There is need to help the local people
to clean their lake water as well as educating them about hygiene.
The volunteers will work on the further construction of Garubunda Primary School, water supply and sanitation of Lake Nyakasanda and HIV/AIDS awareness.
Language: English
Leisure time: Garubunda village is about 100km from Bwindi Impenetratable Forest National Park where gorillas are found and Queen Elizabeth National Park and Mt. Rwenzori is also not very far. It is also possible to visit Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale near the border of Uganda and Rwanda. People are pastoralists and are very friendly.
Accommodation: In a house in the village
Location: Garubunda Primary School and Lake Nyakasanda are both located in Garubunda village, Kebisoni Sub-county, Rubabo County, Rukungiri District, about 360km from Kampala in the western part of Uganda.
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 200 Euro
The extra fee is intended to support the hosting organization who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival on the project.
Preservation and protection of the sacred Tombs
of Buganda Kings at Kasubi
Kampala
August 3 - August 24, 2013
Volunteer project: The Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi
constitute a site embracing almost 30 ha of hillside within Kampala
district. Most of the site is agricultural, farmed by traditional
methods. At its core on the hilltop is the former palace of the Kabakas
of Buganda, built in 1882 and converted into the royal burial ground in
1884. Four royal tombs now lie within the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga, the main
building, which is circular and surmounted by a dome. It is a major
example of an architectural achievement in organic materials,
principally wood, thatch, reed, wattle and daub. The site's main
significance lies, however, in its intangible values of belief,
spirituality, continuity and identity. The site has been inscribed in
the List of World Heritage in Danger since 2010.
The volunteers will take part in the preservation and protection of the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi, planting trees and cleaning. The volunteer group will organise an educational campaign with the aim to raise awareness and promote the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The volunteers can also produce a documentary about the heritage site.
Language: English
Location: Kasubi Tombs, Kampala
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 200 Euro
The extra fee is intended to support the hosting organization who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival on the project.
School building project in Nakifuma Village
Nakifuma
August 13 - September 1, 2013
Volunteer project: Alliance Junior School/Nakisunga Primary School is located east of Kampala and is a private initiative with an enrollment of 388 pupils with no proper shelter to attend school, just a makeshift shelter. The aim of the international volunteer project is to help mobilize and sensitize the community through cultural exchange, and construct permanent structures for the school.
The volunteers in this project will take part in the construction of a
classroom block for the Alliance Junior School/Nakisunga Primary School.
They will also meet the local people and run different community
mobilization activities.
Language: English
Location: Nakifuma Village, Kyabalogo Parish, Nakisunga Sub-county, Mukono County, Mukono District, 60 km east of Kampala.
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 200 Euro
The extra fee is intended to support the hosting organization who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival on the project.
Help give a home to Ugandan orphans
Kayingo Bulonde
September 1 - September 21, 2013
Volunteer project: The volunteers in this project will
support an Orphanage for children in Kayingo Bulonde, Wakiso district,
Sissa sub-county. The orphanage is in an appaling condition and needs
renovation and rehabilitation for it to be habitable by the children.
The children were forced to be resettled because of the the bad
environment and the delapidated buildings which need renovation and
rehabilitation.
The aim of the volunteer project is to revamp the place, creating a
child-friendly enviroment for the kids to live and play in.
The major activities will be renovation and rehabilitation of the premises, including painting and cleaning the compound; interacting with the children; establishing a play centre, re-equiping the home and raising awareness on child protection.
Language: English
Accommodation: Participants will be accommodated in a house in the village.
Location: Kayingo-Bulonde Village, Kajjansi, Sissa Sub-County, Wakiso District.
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 200 Euro
The extra fee is intended to support the hosting organization who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival on the project.
Construction of classroom blocks for Namalemba
primary school and raising HIV/AIDS awareness among local people
Namalemba
October 6 - October 27, 2013
Volunteer project: Namalemba primary school is a partly
government aided school which was started about 60 years ago. The
government supports this school mainly in terms of paying teachers'
salaries and provision of some school materials. The school accommodates
pupils from primary 1 to 7 and has more than 1000 pupils in total.
The existing classrooms are supposed to accommodate only 630 pupils and
in this case the rest of the pupils attend their classes under trees and
others in the church.
In 2004, international volunteers helped in the construction of the Nsola clinic in the village, which is now completed. Most of the people of Namalemba village and neighboring villages are very poor. Most of them live in grass thatched houses built of mud and wattle and their income comes from rice growing in swampy places and maize which is grown almost throughout the year. In spite of the poor conditions of living, men prefer to marry more than one wife for prestige. However HIV/AIDS is still a big problem especially to the youth who do not even know how to use a condom.
The volunteer team will work on the construction of two classroom blocks for Namalemba primary school. Their other task will be raising HIV/AIDS awareness among the local people and organising Family Life Education workshops.
Language: English
Leisure time: It is possible to visit the River Nile at Jinja; Bujagali falls or even participate in rafting at Bujagali. The project is about 60 km from Mbale town, Mbale district where Mt Elgon is situated and about 100 km to Sipi falls in Kapchorwa district. Arrangements to visit both sites - Jinja and Kapchorwa - could be made from the project site.
Accommodation: Volunteers will be accommodated in a house in Namalemba village which has solar electric system.
Location: Namalemba Village, Busiki County, Magada Sub-county, Namutumba District, formerly part of Iganga District, about 250 km east of Kampala. The local language used is Lusoga but most people understand English as well.
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 200 Euro
The extra fee is intended to support the hosting organization who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival on the project.
Empower women through knowledge and
entrepreneurship
Butebe
October 6 - October 27, 2013
Volunteer project: The project is located in Kabarole district which was part of the Toro Kingdom; it became a district in 1980. The district is bordered by Bundibugyo in the west and north, Kasese in the south, Kamwenge and Kyenjojo in the east. The project was started by community women who formed an association to generate income within their homesteads, taking advantage of the developing tourism industry in the region. Mt Ruwenzori is seen within the vicinity, as well as other natural settings like Queen Elizabeth national park.
The volunteers will get involved in HIV/AIDS awareness and Family Life Education work. They will also support the income generation activities of the women. The aim of the project is to help Butebe families to improve their households by selling crafts and processing locally available fruits. This would help young women live their life to full potential.
Language: English
Accommodation: Participants will be accommodated at the Parish house.
Location: Butebe Village, Burahya County, Karambi Sub-county, Kabarole District, about 350 km east of Kampala.
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 200 Euro
The extra fee is intended to support the hosting organization who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival on the project.
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