Holistic Community Outreach in Uganda

Incredible experience. Super challenging. Leslie was a fantastic support through the whole program. Felt like I received a genuine Ugandan experience. Leslie connected me with a fantastic local organisation that is really in it's early stages of development. Spending time in the villages and meeting true locals and hearing their stories has changed me. Uganda is a beautiful country so spending a month it wasn't difficult to fill my time. Go into an experience like this with an open mind and heart.

I participated in The Real Uganda's Public Health Improvement program. While in Uganda I spent most days at a local health center, where I volunteered in the antenatal clinic or the antiretroviral therapy clinic. Since I had not yet begun my medical training, I often sorted medications or documented appointments and patient information. However, volunteers with medical experience and adequate qualifications can be more hands-on in the clinic. I am excited to return to the program after beginning medical school and apply my new knowledge at the clinic. During my time at the clinic, I formed meaningful relationships with the people who worked there. I am so grateful to call some of them friends. Some days, I also helped to build mud stoves during the day, and most evenings were spent bonding with my host family. Although I traveled to Uganda as a volunteer, I gained more from my experiences with the locals than I could have ever imagined. I formed such strong bonds with the people at my volunteer site and my host family -- we keep in contact to this day. While in Uganda, I lived in a village with the sweetest and most caring family. There was so much love and happiness within their house, and we now consider each other family. Side note: Although I thought it would be difficult to get used to having no running water (which meant using outdoor pit latrines and taking cold bucket showers), I adapted to it pretty quickly and it was just fine! Please don't let this deter you. This program allowed me to be fully immersed in Ugandan culture and I LOVED that. The Real Uganda is the absolute opposite of "voluntourism", and exactly what I was looking for. Ugandan culture emphasizes joy, gratefulness, community, and kindness to all. While living in Uganda, I learned and began to embody the country’s values. It was typical to remain leisurely and take the time to fully experience the surrounding people and environments. So if you decide to participate in this program, please allow yourself to enjoy this way of life. Leslie (the program founder) was amazing and extremely helpful, from start to finish. As soon as I confirmed my program dates, Leslie began helping me prepare. In the months leading up to my arrival, she continued to walk me through each step of my international travel journey. While in Uganda, Leslie became my second mom. I always went to her with questions, funny stories, and any concerns, and she was always empathetic, honest, and transparent. I also think it's important to note that she conducts this program out of the kindness of her heart. Although she experiences small financial gain from it, Leslie understands the value of the experience she is able to provide to travelers/volunteers at an affordable price. Volunteering through The Real Uganda is 100% worth it, and I would do it a million more times if I could. At the end of my fourth and final week in Uganda, I called my mother and told her I wanted to live in Uganda -- The Real Uganda fostered the love for this beautiful country that grew within me. Ugandan holds a big piece of my heart, and I plan to return within the next year and travel through The Real Uganda once again.

I have volunteered with TRU for 2 months and I must say it has been one of the most immersive experiences I have ever had. I have previously volunteered in conservation projects but was looking for some more cultural experience that would help me to understand the relationship between the people and the environment. Leslie, the director of TRU, has been very welcoming, answered all my questions, was available when needed and somehow always full of energy! I was placed with a local family, that took good care of me, in Lugazi and my main focus was working with the women's group as it was what I was really interested in. The Mayiando and Buyentete ladies were very welcoming from the first day, always full of joy and cheerful. And I was always excited to go to see and work with them. Together we managed to built fuel efficient clay stoves which they didn't have before and it was apparent that it was something that was needed in the community. These stoves are faster to cook with and use less firewood and produce less smoke so it has multiple benefits. We also started to make some charcoal briquettes but as it was towards the end of my stay I didn't have much time to pursue it. The women were always happy to work but made sure that we also had a good time and we danced, sang and cooked. Sharing a meal with them was always very special. I must say that the ladies truly touched my heart and I will keep them in my memory forever. During my time I had also chance to do some crafts with the Kobba ladies, visited a local clinic and did some reusable pads workshop at the local school with Doreen and Olivia (the family I lived with). I also wanted to see Uganda a bit so in a spare time I travelled to Jinja, Murchison falls, did gorilla trekking and also some cycling! Overall, it has been a beautiful experience with some challenges (as expected) and I think it made me more aware of who I want to be in this world; that we can all have an impact, big or small and that at the end of the day it is our actions that count.

This program could not have been a better program for my first volunteer experience abroad. First off, Leslie the director is amazing and will think of everything you could possibly need to know before you start your adventure here. She immediately made me feel welcome and helped me get comfortable in the foreign culture. It was great to be fully immersed in the day-to-day lives of a Ugandan family. I was placed with Moses and his family and they were very welcoming and fantastic hosts. The living conditions were just the right amount of immersion. I volunteered at a local clinic where I took a taxi to and from. I also helped build stoves in the surrounding community. The volunteering coordination was overall pretty good I never felt awkward or pushed into something unexpected. However, you have to find your voice and let people know what you like to do and where you want to spend most of your volunteer time. I did have quite a lot of free time during most weekdays which wasn't ideal but I made the best out of it, mostly I liked hanging out with my host family in my free time. I would play with the kids and help with cooking and chores which I really liked. I felt so safe! If safety is something that is holding you back, don't let it because I felt safer than I do walking the streets in my own city. There is way more to this experience than volunteering, I also went on little trips almost every weekend and it was amazing exploring this beautiful country. Everyone and everything here taught me so much. This experience changed me as a person and I will carry this knowledge with me wherever I go.

Extremely well structured and established. With evident care and detail in the planning of the trip. Experience the real day-to-day life of Ugandans and get uncensored access to their culture. Truly an eye-opening experience, that I have not taken for granted.

I spent a month in Uganda volunteering with The Real Uganda. Prior to traveling, I researched a lot of volunteer programs. Most were too costly and didn't offer a community outreach or public health program. The Real Uganda had just what I was looking for, and to top that off, the founder, Leslie is based in Uganda, which made me feel more secure. I got the chance to volunteer at two places. I worked with an organization that works with children with disabilities including cerebral palsy and epilepsy. The work I did with the organization was so inspiring and amazing. I helped the director with various tasks including handing out porridge to the families, creating and maintaining a garden for the families, collecting and distributing money for the women empowerment fund, and helping the children with physical therapy. I also volunteered at a health clinic, where I got the chance to shadow clinicians and take vital signs. My experience working with the clinic and organization was so immersive and nothing short of amazing. Outside of volunteering, my host family was so amazing and welcoming. I loved playing with my host siblings and talking to my host mom and host dad (who happened to work at the clinic and be the director of the organization). And if that is not enough to convince anyone to volunteer, Uganda is such a beautiful country. The landscape is breathtaking. Also, there is a lot to do in the country, from ziplining through the forest, gorilla trekking, and riding a boat up and down the Nile River. This was not my first time abroad, but I can say this was one of my most memorable experiences abroad. I would go back in a heartbeat. Great organization and great program!

My partner and I only volunteered for 2 weeks with The Real Uganda, yet we reminisce about it the most out of all our 5 month adventure. We wanted to experience community life in rural Uganda, living with and working alongside the locals, and that is exactly what we got! Leslie was really informative and supportive throughout. She was super accommodating - given that I am a teacher and I had initially applied to volunteer in schools but couldn't because it was the holidays while we were there, Leslie offered alternative outreach options for us that would fit the bill rather than turning us away. We chose to help with the Balamu project, building sustainable energy mud stoves one day and supporting children with their football training the next. Living with the host Moses in rural Uganda gave us a real insight into daily life and we met so many amazing Ugandans doing fantastic outreach work in their community. It was a privilege to assist them. If you're looking for a chance to experience real day-to-day Uganda (as the name suggests), this program gives you that and lifelong memories - we got engaged whilst making mud stoves so it is extra special for us! You need to be flexible and take some initiative with making yourself busy. There are moments of dead time (this might again be because it was the school holidays so there were fewer activities) but these can also be the times when you step out of your remit and gain a different perspective. If you're looking for a more rigorous timetable, perhaps another one of the Real Uganda programs, e,g, the clinic, would be more suitable. Either way Leslie is really helpful, as I say, and can help you every step of the way. For us, we were so pleased we chose this experience and it is one we go down memory lane and talk about all the time.

If you want a luxury vacation with a side of "feel good", this is not the program for you. If you want an authentic experience where you actually WORK and get your hands dirty (often literally!), then this may be the program for you! Not only do you have numerous opportunities to get involved in different projects and development activities, but the director is great about getting into meaningful discussions. Be prepared to think, challenge yourself, and maybe reconsider previous notions you may have had. There are different program options for a volunteer, and I would encourage getting involved with more than one thing! If there are other volunteers at different placements- visit them! If you are presented with an opportunity to try something(anything really)- try it! There will be things you'll love, there will probably be things you don't love as much...but it's all part of the experience. Make the most of it!

I will be forever grateful for my experience in Uganda with The Real Uganda! I recently went to watch a video screening from an organization that I thought was going to be all about empowering women from across the world and the US. Instead I found a documentary that was completely focused on themselves and how they were making a difference and how important the work that they were doing was. It was infuriating. The entire video made me so uncomfortable and visibly angry. Throughout the screening, I kept thinking about was how THANKFUL I am that my first experience with international travel was with The Real Uganda and I got to experience Grassroots organizations that were run by Ugandans helping Ugandans. I got to learn directly from them what was helpful and how sometimes what we think is helpful is actually very harmful. I had to learn how to navigate the country without a "driver" and learned to feel comfortable in this wonderful country. So really this is just a shout out to The Real Uganda for what they do and teaching me about how freaking AMAZING Uganda is and that the best teachers are the people who are in it themselves! If you are considering traveling abroad and want to volunteer, this is ABSOLUTELY the best organization to do it with!

Disillusioned with working in the West and approaching middle age, I embarked upon a mini journey with a mission to rediscover who I am and find out what life options might exist beyond managing the menopause and looking forward to my pension. I have always enjoyed previous visits to Africa as a tourist but was looking for immersion, just to find out how I might cope with living and working out there in the future. From the outset The Real Uganda lived up to it's name by providing information about Ugandan daily life and cultural norms before and during the volunteering experience. Help was on hand for the practicalities of sorting out mobile phone data and useful information provided on how to access health care, what currency to bring and where to get a hot shower etc. What I loved the most was the availability of the TRU director Leslie Weighill and her passion and commitment to Uganda. She is real and incredibly experienced. I would recommend The Real Uganda without hesitation and cannot think of one negative aspect of my experience in relation to her care. Even when I had a mishap with the public transport system out there, she made herself available and provided useful advice. It is evident that Leslie chooses her her host families with care. Mine were amazing. Like Leslie, they were passionate about community and cultural empowerment. They were a tight family unit and in no time I felt I belonged. I enjoyed my reasonings and eating their great food all organically grown. Actually I would come back for the food alone if I am brutally honest. The culmination of my experience with TRU has left me feeling refreshed and motivated. I also have a vision and one that embraces the "Ubuntu" ethic that Leslie talked about during my visit. Although my currebt work in the UK restricts the length of time I can volunteer, I would love to repeat the experience with The Real Uganda again.

The whole experience from start to finish was fantastic! From the day I sent the application I knew I had made the right decision. Leslie was there every step of the way to support you, answer questions and provide material to help you prepare for your journey. She is passionate, knowledgable and an all round ‘rad’ woman! I spent a total of two weeks working with Hopeline in September 2017 and cannot find a bad word to say about a second of it. I had prevously been to Uganda four times with another organisation where we would stay in hotels/guest houses throughout our voluntary trip; despite my existing love for the country and the people I craved more. On return from my last trip I had decided I wanted to find an organisation that could teach me more about Uganda, emmerse me in the culture and way of life. The Real Uganda was exactly that. You are placed with a host family (Tony, Doreen and their family were incredible and really couldn’t have taken care of me better!) and work alongside their organisations. You are given support and choice throughout, giving you the ability to be independant and get out exactly what you have put in to the experience. I dug, harvested crops, planted seeds, learnt to crochet, made crafts, tested for malaria, assisited in a medical clinic, helped to cook, shopped in the markets, played in the village and could not have felt more welcome throughout the whole stay! “Muzungu, how are you?” Is something you will hear chanting from the time you arrive to the moment you leave for the airport. There’s a reason Uganda was voted the friendliest country in the world. If you are considering volunteering with The Real Uganda, go for it! One few words of advice, say yes to everything, join in, sing, dance, speak the language, ask questions, tell your story, listen and get stuck in and you won’t regret it!! You will return having learnt way more than you ever thought possible and with a heart bursting with love for your new family and second home; Uganda!

I have nothing bad to say about my experience through The Real Uganda, in fact it was one of the best decisions I ever made to travel with them. If you want to make a real impact on true Ugandan communities, to work with inspiring, passionate and dedicated people, to do something you cant do anywhere else, but still have the chance to have a weekend to go on safari, or white water raft the Nile, then this is for you. Never have I been somewhere I have felt so welcome, but also where I have felt I've made a true impact. Leaving was the hardest part of my time there. I am forever grateful to founder Leslie for my time there, and for placing me with my Uganda family at Hopeline.

My first time traveling EVER was to volunteer with the real Uganda in Uganda and let me say how happy am i to have had this opportunity, at the age of 25 I was a bit nervous but ever so happy to just get out and see the world & different cultures and it's because of Leslie that my experience went so smoothly, if i can recommend any organization to travel abroad it would be with The real Uganda, during my stay i helped plant hundreds of plants & trees and does it ever feel satisfying afterwards to stand back and see with your own eye's what you've helped accomplished,after working in the Garden until noon i sometimes helped at the school in the yard playing with Frisbees and the odd game of football soon as i was finished having my butt kicked by all the kids i was given spare time to venture out and explore my surroundings which was just fantastic! and it all couldn't have been done without the knowledge of Leslie,Robert & Judith. I'm forever in their debt, This organization truly deserved the full 10 ratings on EVERY question because in simpler words it truly did exceed far past my original expectations when traveling for the first time to a foreign country and because of that i plan on returning march 2018, see you guys again soon :)

The only thing I have to complain, is that I spent way to little time there (roughly 2 weeks). However it gave me a good insight into the diversity of Uganda. Both socially as well as into the natural beauty of the country, and the bustle of its cities. The project I was included gave me the chance of contacting with village communities, health directors, company managers/owners, business women groups, and even former government leaders. The whole logistics was admirably coordinated, and Leslie (and Sophia) makes you feel at home from the minute you arrive in Mukono... actually, even before that, since she might even "help" you pack your bag by suggesting what to bring or not for your stay in Uganda. I will never forget the taste of the mangos or the pineapples. And since my stay in Uganda, a Rolex never meant an expensive watch never again, but was substituted by the delightful thought of a tasty wrap made on the street in front of you. The dignity and friendliness of the people was overwhelming. Being called a Mzungu always made me laugh. Distributing condoms to young guys was really fun! Learning how much people are actually informed about AIDS and similar diseases was eye opening. Loved it... wanted to go there again... will do it some day, and take my son along.

That whole "don't judge a book by its cover" mess that your parents told you is true (who would've known). The people in Uganda COULDN'T POSSIBLY be more kind than they already are. The people love outsiders, especially the ones who come not as tourists.

I just recently returned from 2 weeks in Uganda working with the Real Uganda. I did a ton of research on non-profits and chose this organization for several reasons. First - it is grassroots and when I spoke with Leslie the founder, I felt that her mission really spoke to me. She is not out to try to westernize Uganda or bring major change. She is simply trying to bring people together to inspire each other, learn about each other and lend a helping hand in the area of life that the Ugandans are taking upon themselves to try to improve. In addition, she places you with a host family in the village, so you are not on the periphery of a new and different culture, you are immersed in it! This was something that was a non-negotiable for me. I didn't not want to be placed in a volunteer hotel, and my family was wonderful, loving and I will be in touch with them always! Everyday here is different and you are not sure what they day has in store for you! I taught and played with little kids at a very underprivileged village school, made bricks with the boys, built a plate stand with a women's group and helped them with their garden. You work with groups of women who have banded together to try to be innovative and improve their lives. It is inspiring to be a part of! I came away with way more than I thought I gave and I am eternally grateful for this experience. In addition, Leslie makes sure you have the weekends off so you can experience all that Uganda has to offer!!! Don't think about this - just do it! It will be one of the best experiences of your life. The Real Uganda is HIGHLY recommended!!!!!