Meaningful Volunteer

http://www.meaningfulvolunteer.org

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1183 Falcon Drive Coquitlam, British Columbia V3E 2C2 Canada

Help Empower Rurally Poor Ugandan Women

Uganda
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Location
Uganda

Term
Throughout the year

Program Duration
2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 3-6 months (includes high school academic semester abroad)

Typical Duration of Program
2-4 weeks

Dates
Volunteers will be accepted from June 2011

  • Description

    Mama Pamba - Celebrating the many shapes, sizes, and ages of beauty.

    Mama Pamba means "Mother Cotton" in the local dialect.

    What is Mama Pamba?
    Mama Pamba is a 100% fair-trade fashion label based in Uganda.

    Mama Pamba works with rurally poor Ugandan women and empower them to be masters of their own destiny.

    Mama Pamba is the third fair-trade project that Meaningful Volunteer has set up.

    How can I help?
    We're looking for a diverse group of people to join our team. We especially need fashion and clothing designers to teach our ladies new techniques.

  • Highlights

    Described as the "Pearl of Africa" by Winston Churchill, Uganda is a marvel to behold. It hosts the source of the River Nile, spectacular wildlife and beautiful lakes.

    Volunteers in the Ugandan program will be accommodated in the guest house in the parish of Buyaya in the district of Sironko. The guest house contains a boys' room, a girls' room, a room for Meaningful Volunteer staff, a lounge, a store room for food, a garage, and an inside shower room. The toilets are outside and are of the long-drop variety.

    * The guest house has no electricity. A generator is provided
    * Internet is available in the guest house via a small USB device that connects to a computer.
    * Three meals a day are prepared for the volunteers.

  • Qualifications

    Be over the age of 18.

  • Intern Types

    • Fashion Design
    • Human Resources
    • Fashion Business
    • Photography
  • Languages

    • English

  • Cost in US$:

    starts at USD 850

  • Program Fees Include:

    Meaningful Volunteer is committed to be as open and honest as we can with all our volunteers. This extends from detailed explanations of free resources for all our projects, right down to the day-to-day costs of running the organization.

    This extends to the fees that we charge for our volunteer placements. Our fees are broken down item-by-item. Fees also differ depending on whether it is the first or subsequent months of your placement.

    Entebbe Airport Pickup - USD 100.00

    We will arrange an airport pickup for you. All your costs to get to the placement location is covered by us.

    Mama Pamba Donation - USD 250.00

    All of our volunteer fees have a donation component built into them. This helps us cover the costs of the project.

    For Mama Pamba, your donation goes towards sewing machines and sewing supplies

    Ugandan Accommodation - USD 250.00

    All our Ugandan volunteers stay at the guesthouse in Buyaya.

    The accommodation portion of your fee covers your board as well as 3 meals a day prepared by our staff.

    Ugandan Admin - USD 200.00

    Meaningful Volunteer is a 100% non-profit organization. Any profits we do make are reinvested back into the communities we work in.

    Much of our admin money goes towards keeping the organization running on a day-to-day basis.

    A large portion of the money goes to keep out wonderful local staff employed. Meaningful Volunteer is committed to empowering local people in local communities.

    Uganda Training - USD 50.00

    Volunteers will be given full training upon arrival at the guest house in Buyaya

    You will be taken through our Volunteer Manual

    You will also be shown around the site and sounds of Buyaya.

    * Note also that there is a USD 100 application fee that applies to all projects.

  • Experience Required

    no

  • Volunteer Types

    • Community Development
  • This Program is open to

    Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals.

  • Typical Living Arrangements

    • Guest House

  • Participants Travel

    Independently

  • Typically Participants Work

    in Groups of 2-3

  • Application Process Involves

    • Online Application plus Application Assessment
  • Typically The Application Process Time is

    less than 3 days

  • Meaningful Volunteer's Mission Statement

    Meaningfulness: Every project that Meaningful Volunteer undertakes must be meaningful. Accurate records must be kept to ensure that a project continues to be meaningful. Financial: Meaningful Volunteer is first and foremost an organization that enables volunteers to have a meaningful impact on developing communities. It is not a charity and will not be run as such. MeaningfulVolunteer will be run like a for-profit business. However, any profits that Meaningful Volunteer does make will be reinvested back into the communities it is trying to help in the forms of educational supplies, medical supplies and so on. Meaningful Volunteer finances will be 100% transparent. All financial statements and a breakdown of volunteer fees will be available on-line. Local Investment: Meaningful Volunteer believes that people in developing countries are an untapped goldmine of talent! As a result, Meaningful Volunteer will only employ local staff and pay them 200% of market rate. Local folk must also invest in some way to the projects they are participants in. Nothing in Meaningful Volunteer is free! An investment in a project means a project is much more likely to succeed. Sustainable Solutions: Any income generating projects that Meaningful Volunteer engages in must be self-sustaining. Meaningful Volunteer may provide some start-up capital, but the project must self-sustain without financial input from additional financial input. All projects must submit budgets and a business plan as a minimum. Corruption: Corruption is a large problem in developing communities. Meaningful Volunteer has a policy of: * No corruption means no corruption no corruption. * We will not deal with any corrupt organization and any staff member found to be accepting bribes will be summarily dismissed

  • Year Founded

    2008

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