Community Development & Volunteering in Uganda

My volunteering time with The Real Uganda was an eye opening experience and a reminder that a simple life can be so rewarding to others and myself. Learning from the locals and using my skills and knowledge with them was incredible. My experience was so life changing and memorable that nineteen years on, I am still in contact with the Real Uganda.

From the moment we landed to the time we were collected for our return flight we were offered every opportunity to immerse ourselves in the Ugandan way of life. Amazing tour guides and travel partners.

That's my (short) story from volunteering in Uganda in 2014 to founding my own NGO in Germany in November 2019. My time with The Real Uganda began in September 2014, on a rainy day in the middle of the night at the airport in Entebbe. Leslie from The Real Uganda picked me up and I spent the first 48h at her volunteer base in Mukono, enjoying a first orientation. I was then drawn to my chosen projects in Lugazi, an hour away from Mukono, on the third day. My current friend and project partner, Tony Wanyoike, picked me up. We did not know each other or exchanged any information beforehand and my excitement was quite high despite my 34 years of age and various travel experiences. I only remember the first trip together vaguely. But it was a quiet getting to know each other. The silence, uncertainty, some doubts and a kind of cultural shock were gone quickly. Tony Wanyoike is a wonderful person and the support from Leslie and The Real Uganda was important, intensive and helpful, especially in the first days. Over time, I got to know and appreciate not only Tony. I lived together with Tony's family and immersed myself deeply in their everyday life. At the same time, I always kept in touch with Leslie and visited her from time to time in Mukono. I worked particularly intensively with the women's groups in Bulyantete and Mayindo. I also gained an insight into the rural located Kasubi Health Centre and helped to organise lessons at various schools. Every day there was so much traditional singing and dancing during my volunteer time in Uganda. One day I decided to teach "my ladies" a own kind of choreography (watch video below). It was great fun! Those women are amazing in many ways! Uganda is a great country with very hospitable people. My daily work had a great impact on me. I saw myself as a very little daily tealight of hope. Besides the hospitality of the people, I was impressed by the fact that despite great poverty, hunger, disadvantages, educational barriers and some illnesses, they mostly go about their daily lives with admirable humility and confidence. Since those days, the projects in the central Ugandan hinterland have become my microcosm of aid. Since 2019 I am project partner of Tony and Leslie with Hopeline Germany. I hope this partnership will last for a long time. I am always happy to answer detailed questions about my time and life on site. I am looking forward to my next visit in February 2023.

I'm not sure where to even start. This program was absolutely incredible. I spent my time with Moses and his family, living with them in their home. The family was very welcoming and offered insight in to what day-to-day life in Uganda looks like. My time spent volunteering consisted of three main projects. 1 - Volunteering with Kabembe Parent's School. I was worried this part of the program would be more babysitting, but it wasn't. The volunteering at the school was pretty comprehensive, from helping to teach classes to assisting the teachers with grading homework. I was excited to see that the children were genuinely eager to learn. Children are in large part similar all around the world - they all love to play, laugh, and be silly, and there was definitely room made for this at the school. 2 - Working in the remote villages to build sustainable clay ovens. This was very culturally immersive. The importance of these ovens are so significant for the people using them, and the final users were present and involved in the construction as well. These ovens help to limit smoke while cooking (which causes a lot of home fires), helps prevent deforestation, and other benefits. 3 - One day at a refugee camp to spend time playing soccer with children. As many of the schools in Uganda are private, and these families cannot afford to pay for their children's tuition, this program helps the children to get scholarships so they may attend school. While this opportunity is only available on one day of the week, it was the most resonating for me. I feel it's important to note that during my entire experience with Leslie and Moses I felt very welcome and safe. Everyone involved in the program was very approachable and I would have felt comfortable coming to them with a problem, although I did not have any. A large part of my experience was from talking with people in the program and from the community. I would 110% recommend this program to anyone seeking an immersive, cultural volunteer experience in Uganda. PS - Mukono has an incredible street market one day of the week. Check it out if you can!

My daughter and I volunteered together for 5 weeks. And what an experience it was. Life was tough at times, but the smiles from young and old made everyday a blessing. Yes there are mossies, rodents, spiders and pigs but each have a purpose. We helped with education seminars about healthy living, education and family. Much of our time was spent on islands in Lake Victoria. I’ve done a lot in my life, but my volunteering weeks are very high on my list of ‘pleased that I did this’. Leslie is brilliant.

Most places and people you talk to will freak you out about going to Uganda. Those people usually have never been to Africa. They just hear stories about war after war after war and think, “Well, Uganda is in Africa, so they must be in a war and have all kinds of crime and chaos going on, so obviously if you go there, you will probably die.” I had so many visions of giant killer bugs, insane mosquitoes, getting deathly ill, getting abducted, killed, whatever… hahaha! Turns out that I felt safer there than I did in downtown Rochester NY! That’s where I live… That doesn’t mean that you throw caution to the wind or anything. Be safe, be smart, and be cautious, but definitely relax.

In the VERY beginning, I can admit I wanted to come in and help improve the living condition of those living in extreme poverty. At the advice (read: expertise) of Leslie, I ditched that philosophy, realizing that consuming a few books written by Westerners and the opinions they have of what Africa needs come from a good place – but they don’t always concern themselves with the thoughts and opinions of those directly affected. I changed this philosophy just to one of having an open mind, and to let my hosts and the women we worked with make whatever impression they would… and impress they did!

I was able to work at a school, at the medical clinic, and with the local women. At the school, I taught and played with the children. Learning each other’s culture and language was really fascinating. In the medical clinic, I gave malaria and HIV tests. At first, I was quite timid, but after awhile I got the hang of it. With the local women, I hung out with them and crafted with them. Working with village women was great, because part of my goals was to be able to get to know the local people. Due to time and the language barrier, I think my chats with them barely scratched the surface, but I would love to spend more time with them and get to know them better. I could probably pick their brain for hours at a time.