Volunteer Programs in Rural Areas, Uganda

I chose the Real Uganda volunteer experience because it seemed a trustworthy program that offered genuine volunteer activities, not just tokenism. The program delivered in every way. I loved living with a Ugandan family. This created a deep level of empathy and understanding for day-to-day life. I loved the groups I volunteered with. The women were so genuinely welcoming and appreciative of having a volunteer. And while my world and theirs is vastly different, my life has been enriched by spending time understanding their world and their lives. If you want to do more than just travel Uganda, I highly recommed the Real Uganda. The program is professionally run, provides great communication and Leslie is a dream to work with. A+++++

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.

The Real Uganda responded to this reviewDecember 15, 2023

Aw, Kathy! Thanks so much for the kind words and tonnes of love over the years, Leslie

My overall takeaway is gratitude to be able to experence a month unlike any other in the course of my life. The many opportunites I had to interact with Ugandans of all ages and life conditions were phenomenal. It was life-changing, immersive, and emotional. Disan Kato and The Living Music Foundation are offering an amazing and eye-opening program. I wish this kind of program could be replicated around the globe. I trained keyboard players in several districts outside Mbarara. I worked with Secondary School students at Kashaka. I rehearsed and performed as a keyboard player with Disan Kato’s The Vessels Band. We played at weddings, a bride givaway, a funeral mass, and golden jubilee celebrations. Additionally, I was invited to attend a ceremony and celebration in the hilltop village of Mutara in Western Uganda where I was the first ever mzungu (white person) to be welcomed in the village home and at the village church. Unforgettable. We also found time to spend a day with Disan and his family enjoying a game drive and boat cruise at Queen Elizabeth National Park. Plus, we spent a day exploring the regions of Kabale and Lake Bunyonyi. The breadth of Disan’s contact circle is staggering. Through his music, he is known wherever he goes. He maintains relationships with people in a truly impressive fashion. I was overjoyed by the positive and warm reception I received every single day. Finally, I am privileged to have had this experience. I am honored to have been welcomed by Disan Kato, by Disan’s family, by his band, and by the great variety of people that he introduced me to. With admiration, love and respect, Joshua Stone

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!

I went alone to volunteer in Uganda without knowing what to expect. From the very beginning the LMF staff and especially Disan and Barbara did everything to make me feel safe and comfortable. They became my family. During the month I spent in Mbarara and its surroundings, I mainly trained two choirs. The volunteering was very rewarding, although, due to different reasons (which were not always related to the LMF), I felt that my schedule wasn't intensive as I would have wished. I learned so much about Uganda, Africa and myself, and I am very happy that I had the courage to go for this journey. Please contact me for any further questions regarding the program.

Even thought it's a volunteer program I felt I have taken so much more than I gave during my time in Uganda. I spent two weeks working with the village ladies in the farm in the morning and playing with kids of different ages in the evening. They were all extremely welcoming and fun and they took me in as part of their family right away. I particularly enjoyed the discussion time with them, both the ladies and kids were very open to share about their life and problems and also keen to learn about me and my culture. My hosts, Leslie from The Real Uganda and Robert and Vivian from the local NGO partner Lugacraft, not only took very good care of me while I was there but also taught me so much about the local culture. Because of this I felt I have built a special tie with Uganda compared to other countries I visited in Africa. Special thanks to Leslie who gave me plenty of useful information and managed my expectation prior to my arrival so that I left the program and country with only very fond memories.

From the moment I met the staff of Living Music Foundation I could feel their passion and love for music in the way they spoke about their programs. It is clear they have a genuine desire to share their musical talents to help others grow and learn, as well as to impact communities on a larger level. The director Disan always has an authentic smile on his face that is contagious to anyone he meets. He is super responsive to questions and eager to share more about his background, Uganda, and the communities they work in. The LMF network of supporters in Uganda was super friendly and you can see that they really do believe in the LMF mission.

I didn't really think about the name of the charity - the Real Uganda - until I reflected upon my volunteering experience when I got back home, but I think it sums it up pretty well. I experienced living with a real Ugandan family, in a real Ugandan community, experienced real Ugandan life and made a real difference. I lived with a couple who ran the local church and school and their four kids, plus their extended family and community who are all around to interact with and help you out and talk to you; you really do become part of the family and community. I helped out on the farm (all though not as much as planned due to the dry weather, the soil was to hard to do much!), as well as at the local school painting, playing games with the children, and helping the school cook, or matron. On the weekends there is plenty to see and do in Uganda; safaris, visit the river Nile, Kampala, there is a lot to experience. If this is what you are looking for then then The Real Uganda is a perfect choice for you.

I spent 6 weeks with this program and only wish I could have afforded to stay longer. The people are the kindest most humble people I have ever come across. Leslie was so helpful and a pleasure to be around with a wealth of local knowledge! Uganda is such a beautiful country!

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.

I signed up for the “Agriculture and Conservation” but my volunteering was not as straightforward as picking up a shovel and being shown what to do. I was given time with another volunteer to brainstorm on things we could add or improve in our designated school, “Hopeland”. We formed dozens of ideas for the farm, soccer pitch, kitchen, garden, school beautification and education. Then we just went for it and started digging. There was plenty of undeveloped land and we tried to tackle every idea we had. In between, there were errands that needed to be done around the school, so we would give a helping hand. We dug out the foundation of an old building to plant grass, dispersed rubble from the demolished building to divert rainwater and to build a ramp for walking, cleared out land for the garden, used broken bricks to improve a pathway and border the garden, planted seeds that we bought and watered everyday, taught classes for a week on environmental concern and our home-countries, helped the construction of a temporary farmhouse, and started a “Bottlebrick” project to collect plastic waste with students all over the school and reduce burned rubbish. Tasks changed from day to day. Some weeks were labor intensive and others were interacting with the children.

I spent weekday mornings (roughly 8:30am-1pm) at the “garden”—a much too modest translation for the extensive fields they own. I was always there with someone else and would help them with our tasks for the day. I often helped clear land for planting, mulch or add manure, plant beans and cover the seeds. After time back at home for lunch, I would go to the school to help out. The students were on holiday break, so my first week I found various ways to help the teachers, like making educational posters for the classrooms. My last few weeks, I ran an afterschool recreation program for the kids. About 30 kids attend optional school during the holidays, and by 3pm they’re ready to be out of class running around. From about 3pm-5pm we would go to a field and play lots of games and soccer. Jump in, try everything, step out of your comfort zone (even if it’s just one step at a time!) Learn some Luganda—it goes a long way. Embrace the mzungu calls and throw back a greeting in Luganda. Introduce yourself and get to know the local kids. They’ll see you everywhere and it’s nice to be greeted by your own name for a change. Spend time at your homestay and at least a couple weekends in the village. Go to church with your family. Play with the kids. Walk through town. Buy fruit at the market. Play soccer with the males in town. Learn how to make chapatti. Be smart, but don’t be afraid of street food. Eat a lot of sugar cane, especially if you’re working in the garden. Be patient and go with the flow. Things and time operate differently there and it’s best if you’re open to experiences and ready for anything! Be flexible. Take it all in. Unplug from home. Enjoy the simple life and inspiring people you’ll meet.

When volunteering for the Real Uganda, I split my time between a village farm and the owners’ small community school. While working in several of the farm’s gardens, I helped to till land, add natural fertilizers and plant seeds of different varieties. I was able to assist in digging holes for and plant fruit tree seedlings. I also had the opportunity to learn about how various fruits and vegetables grow. Additionally, I was able to share my knowledge about producing soymilk from soybeans, which was used to further develop a sustenance food program for the school’s elementary students. While working in the school, I spent time visiting classes and was able to help improve the school by providing teacher-training workshops to the school’s staff. I conducted several workshops on enhancing reading skills amongst learners and creating child friendly lesson plans. I would suggest that future volunteers come to their placements with an open mind, leaving any expectations of personal gain out of their journey. They should stay in the moment each day and give fully from the heart. Since volunteering is a path of giving, people should share their knowledge but also stay humble. And, they should conduct themselves, as respectable individuals in all situations to produce greater esteem.

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.