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Lake Bunyonyi is a water world paradise a million miles from the dust and frenzy of the average African town. The lake itself is set in a beautiful location, surrounded on both sides by spectacular terraced mountain slopes and dotted with 29 separate islands. For most of the time it’s full of swimmers but once a week it comes alive with a flotilla of canoes carrying traders who’ve come to sell their wares. Against this picturesque backdrop you will be working with primary school and nursery children, helping to encourage their creativity, improve their English and generally play a positive role in their personal development.
Project details:
In Uganda i-to-i work with a project which endeavours to improve the quality of education and care available at local schools. The project aims to help fulfil basic requirements for education, but also works to improve neglected areas of education such as creativity, culture and art. The project objectives are that children should:-
The project currently works with three government primary schools and runs two nurseries (free to attend).
Why the project needs volunteers:
Education is seen as a privilege in Uganda and until recently was reserved for those who could afford to pay school fees. 10 years ago, primary education became free and (in theory) universally accessible. With very little funding the schools simply cannot afford to hire new teachers or purchase resources and so it is difficult to provide even the most basic of education for the children. This project needs volunteers to help give the students a more rounded development, enabling them to develop into responsible and confident adults.
It is important to take into account that local teachers are underpaid and not very motivated because for most of them this wasn't the career of their choice. Their teaching is based on rote and authority. Volunteers bring a different approach, open up new worlds to children.
What kind of skills you need to go on this type of project:
As a volunteer, you will need to show patience and initiative to cope with the sheer volume of children in workshops and classes. You will work closely with local staff, but for those with more experience and confidence, there could be opportunities for taking classes independently.
Remember that the children may come from difficult backgrounds and you will need to show patience and understanding and be able to act as role model. Skills in any extra curricular activities will be welcomed at this project, particularly (but not limited to) art, music, scouts and sports.
Your role as a volunteer:
As a volunteer at this project your main role will be with primary school children. You will be assisting at creative workshops in activities such as fine art, sports, puppets, music and swimming. In addition, depending on your skills and interests, you could spend time in the morning assisting the teachers at the nursery, playing with the children, or you could teach English at the primary schools. Another area where you could help is with interviewing the children and their families for sponsor profiles - a number of children attending the project have a sponsor who receives one write-up per year on their life and family.
Interested volunteers could also get involved with local craft makers in terms of organization and developing new products.
Where the project is based:
You will be staying in simple shared accommodation in a beautiful solar-powered centre on Lake Bunyonyi in the Kabale District of Uganda. The project and accommodation are on the same site. This a popular location surrounded by terraced hillsides andf amous for watersports (one of the few safe African lakes).
Please book your flight to arrive into Entebbe International airport in Kampala (airport code EBB) on the advertised arrival date to ensure your airport pickup. You'll be picked up from the airport and taken to Kabale for your orientation. You will then be taken to Lake Bunyonyi to start your project. These transport costs are included in your project fee but you will need to make arrangements for your return journey.
Someone who appreciates and enjoys simple conditions (like squat toilets and grass-thatched huts), is a lover of nature (including mud) and prefers to work in a big international team (you are highly unlikely to be alone here!).
Attention: This is not your typical hot tropical Africa. A sweater and a rain coat are essential - but when it is sunny it is spectacular and pleasantly warm.
Date: 2008-05-28
Please check out www.edirisa.org/smiles for the latest from this placement.
It may seem like a strange concept to pay for your volunteer experience. You'd be right if you think you shouldn't and the truth is you actually don't! Your placement is free; it's the benefits around it that you pay for. It's important to note that i-to-i is a travel company and not a charity. We provide a professional travel service. We are responsible for finding and assessing worthwhile projects across the world, preparing you for the volunteering experience and supporting you whilst you're there.
Here’s some more information about what your placement fee covers….
We work with hundreds of locally run partner projects around the world and are constantly sourcing new opportunities. We visit all projects to check that they are worthwhile and legitimate and we also conduct a thorough safety assessment before we'll send volunteers there. More
Almost everyone who works for i-to-i has traveled extensively or worked overseas. This means we're a goldmine of information; we're always available to offer support and guidance before, during and after your trip.
Once you book on to a project you'll receive a Welcome Pack that contains loads of general information about volunteering, about your chosen country and project, and a DVD about how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.
If you are volunteering on a Teaching project then a 40-hour Online TEFL course is included in your placement fee. This is an internationally recognised and accredited certificate that will help you to make the most of your time overseas. More
It can be pretty daunting arriving in a different country for the first time… especially after a long flight! If you arrive on your project start date, there'll be a welcoming face at the airport to pick you up and take you to your accommodation.
Soon after you arrive you will attend a thorough orientation with our in-country team. This is to cover important safety and security information. You'll also get some tips about sight-seeing options for your time off and maybe even learn some of the local lingo!
Accommodation is included with all projects and meals are even included with some. We only use locally-owned and operated accommodation so that part of your placement fee is filtering back into the local economy. Most projects offer homestay, guesthouse or shared volunteer houses as standard accommodation, but some offer the chance to upgrade to a more comfortable living standard. More
Your in-country coordinator (ICC) will pick you up from the airport and conduct your orientation upon arrival. All ICC's are English speaking and are locals of your destination country. They won't be at your project every day, but will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need them. More
Aside from the local support from your in-country coordinators you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by i-to-i staff in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals Docleaf to be on hand in case of a situation that requires additional expert support. More
The safety and security of our volunteers is paramount. For this reason we provide ongoing crisis management and emergency response training to our local teams around the world. At the end of 2006 we flew all our in-country coordinators to the UK for thorough training to help them offer the best safety to the thousands of volunteers they support each year. More
We don't fund our projects directly, but once a year they are all invited to apply for funding for special projects or resources from our registered charity arm, the i-to-i Foundation. i-to-i funds the operation of the i-to-i Foundation and is the largest single donor. Along with the generous support of our volunteers, we have distributed over US$200,000 in funding in the last two years alone! More
We make no secrets of the fact that part of your placement fee is reinvested in to recruiting volunteers just like you! The volunteers recruited in one week will typically deliver over 2000 man-days of service. The difference this makes to projects overseas is immeasurable. Many of our overseas projects rely on assistance from international volunteers, so it's necessary for us to put together brochures and websites to find the people who can support them. This recruitment process is vital to ensure programs have a constant stream of reliable volunteers.
VVolunteering through a company like i-to-i has a lot of intangible benefits to developing overseas communities and the individual projects that we work with. To find out more about our placements. click here
We aim to provide you with a safe and soft landing into your destination by picking you up from the airport, giving you an orientation that helps to settle you into the country as quickly as possible. It's also the best time to ask any questions you have about your time in Uganda. You will arrive on the Arrival Date - Monday and will be met at the airport on that day (whether it is 12 in the morning or 11:59 at night). You will be taken to the New City Annex (see contact details below) where you will have the first day/night to recover from your flight.
New City Annex Dewinton Road, just near the national theatre Kampala Phone: +256 41254132.The hotel has a good and inexpensive restaurant, and there are loads of other eating options around. An internet cafe is just some metres away. Plus two supermarkets. Across the road is the national theatre and the main craft centre, followed by the parliament of Uganda. Some ten walking minutes away is Garden City, a shopping mall with a great bookshop (Aristoc), a cinema and everything else.
On the Tuesday you will travel to Kabale from Kampala on public bus - this can take between 7 and 9 hours. On the Tuesday night you will stay at the Museum Hotel (see contact details below).
Museum Hotel - The Home of Edirisa (open every day from 9 AM to 11 PM) Located opposite Hot Loaf Bakery/Little Ritz Restaurant Kabale +256 77 75 2558 222 home@edirisa.orgYour orientation will be held on the Wednesday and will cover a tour of the town and the cultural museum, basic language as well as how to stay healthy and safe. You will then transfer to and start working on your project on the Thursday. From here on in you will spend your time with the project but the in-country team are there if you need them.
It's important that you get adequate travel insurance for your i-to-i experience and as many of you will be working this often means standard policies won’t work. The good news is that no matter where your coming from we have already found a policy to suit you.
The best time to get your insurance is when you book your project as this means you can get a fully tailored policy exclusive to i-to-i, just ask your consultant for further details at the time of booking.
EU Customers – find out more here >>
Australian customers - find out more here >>
All other customers - find out more here >>
As with insurance we advise you get these booked as early as possible to avoid high prices and to make sure you arrive on the right day. The i-to-i team is right up to date with the best deals no matter where you’re flying from; their insider knowledge could save you some time and money.
If you are arriving before your designated arrival date, we can arrange for an extra meet and greet service for you. For an extra supplement we will be there to meet you at the airport and take you to your orientation accommodation. One additional night accommodation is included in this payment; if you require more than one night please inform the team.
The cost of this Early Pick-up service is US$ 66.00
It is thought that the first human inhabitants of Uganda were hunter gathers and many now believe that the pygmies who now reside in the west of the country are their direct descendents. In around 500AD these native peoples were joined by settlers from central and western Africa who took control of the south. Not long after another group of settlers moved down from the north. These three peoples built up various kingdoms which in years to come would struggle for control of the country, resulting in the eventual dominance of the Buganda who were descended from the African settlers of the south.
Uganda remained largely unnoticed until the mid-nineteenth century when European settlers arrived in search of slaves and ivory. In 1890 Uganda became a British protectorate. The British adopted a policy of indirect rule which would give Uganda's traditional kingdoms significant power over the future of the country. However, extreme bias was present in the selection of the civil service with the dominant Bugandan tribes taking pride of place and even receiving significant financial or territorial rewards. The remaining tribes were forced to find other avenues to gain influence and the military became dominated by such people. It was this uneven distribution of power early in the British occupation that led to the civil disputes that would near-destroy Uganda when it regained independence in 1962.
Though the country was initially led by the kabaka (the Bugandan king), control was soon seized by the prime minister, Milton Obote. He abolished the Bugandan monarchy, removed the president and the vice president and suspended the constitution. Obote was ousted by his own military commander, Idi Amin Dada, in 1969 and thus began an era of violence and bloodshed that would never be forgotten. Amin exiled Uganda's Asian population, giving them just 90 days to leave the country and introduced a strict regime to maintain control (including giving the army the freedom to shoot on sight anyone that opposed the regime). It is estimated that over 300,000 people died during Amin's rule.
Yet the devastating loss of life was not the only way that the country suffered under Amin's rule. The economy collapsed, the infrastructure withered and the wildlife was irrevocably destroyed by a vast army that needed to be fed. In 1978 Amin invaded Tanzania and in 1979 they responded with a solid counterattack which saw them taking control of the capital. Amin was forced into exile and Uganda was finally free of his tyrannous rule, but this was not the end of the country's strife. The 12,000 soldiers that remained in Uganda to help restore order instead turned upon the local people, causing even more devastation.
Obote returned to Uganda from his exile in Tanzania and was voted back into power but he was soon discovered to be as corrupt as his predecessor. His own followers began seeping into positions of power, especially in the north and before long the world was hearing of the atrocities performed there. Mass graves were discovered and in 1985 he was displaced by Tito Okello and his army.
Meanwhile a guerrilla army led by Yoweri Museveni was building in the west. By the time Okello came to power the army had taken control of a significant portion of western Uganda, and had grown from a mere 27 people to over 20,000. They called themselves the National Resistance Army (NRA) and were destined to cause much trouble for Okello's government. In 1986 the NRA seized the capital. Museveni took control of the country and proved to be both popular with the people and an effective leader. He has been voted back into power four times since his original takeover, though his final re-election was overshadowed by his opponents arrest under charges of treason and rape.
Civil unrest has continued throughout Museveni's rule from the Christian rebel group the Lords' Resistance Army (LRA) and the remains of Amin's followers in the form of the West Nile Bank Front. On top of this AIDS levels have increased significantly, making Uganda one of the worst effected countries in the world. Uganda now boasts one of the fasted growing economies in Africa but it still has a long way to go.
Uganda has a tropical climate. The hottest months run from December through to February with temperatures reaching as high as 29°c. The rainy seasons span from April to May and October to November and are somewhat less appealing times to travel. Up on the mountains it's much cooler because of the high altitude and snow is common. The best times to visit are between December and March or June and September, when it is predominantly dry.
Though the country's leading airline (Uganda Airlines) does not offer any internal flights, there are a number available from smaller airlines but this can prove to be expensive. If you do want to travel by air you should consider travelling with Eagle Air or Unite Airlines, both of which offer a range of internal flights to locations around the country.
If you're looking for a less expensive option then you should consider shared mini buses (taxis) which operate a fixed rate policy and leave once all seats are filled. If you are in a hurry or want a little extra space you can pay the driver for any empty seats. Buses are also great for budget travellers and will take you to most major cities. Other routes are available but they run much less regularly so you will need to plan in advance.
Uganda's roads are generally in good condition but if you're travelling to more rural locations you will probably need a 4x4. Rental agencies can be found in all major towns. You will need an international drivers licence.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com
Lonely Planet are leaders in the travel guide sector and their website is a great source of travel information.
http://www.fco.gov.uk
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's website provides up-to-date political news, travel advice and information on visas
http://www.visituganda.com/
The official tourism site for Uganda.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1069166.stm
The BBC profile of Uganda with links to relevant news stories.
http://www.myuganda.co.ug/
Heaps of useful information about Uganda.
http://www.africaguide.com/country/uganda/
Information, photographs and tips - what more do you need!
We work in partnership with hundreds of established projects that are run by local communities. The information on our website comes directly from the projects and we work with them to ensure this information is as accurate as possible. However, due to the very nature of the projects themselves the exact details of what happens on a daily basis can change with little or no notice. If you have travelled with us and have any updates to this information, please let us know.
* We can be held responsible for any starry-eyed and amazing journeys of enlightenment, discovery and thorough enjoyment...
