VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY IN UGANDA ON A SAFARI
The Kisoro tour Uganda guide briefly explains why Uganda is the best option for volunteering on your safari abroad. Are you searching for a significant and intoxicating experience overseas? Africa signifies adventure and the experience you need, and at the topographical center of the African continent lies the astonishing land of Uganda. Volunteering in Uganda is an ideal to experience this bewildering country and at the same time, help others in need.
As you volunteer in Uganda and the pearl of Africa, you will discover snow-capped mountains (Mt. Rwenzori), dense forests (Mabira forest), arid savannas (Karamoja region in the northern part of the country), and the great Lake Victoria which is the source of the Nile River. Besides Uganda’s innate beauty, it is a land of the most hospitality humans in Africa, all these make Uganda the best place for everyone to volunteer abroad!
Volunteer opportunity in Uganda on a safari: Uganda is a unique country in the whole world, found on the back of the Equator where the West African jungle meets the East African savannah. Uganda as a country has over 100,000 animal species, more than 1061 species of birds, more than 20 species of reptiles, and 1,200 species of butterflies. Beautiful landscapes; the Rwenzori’s mountain range, Africa’s highest; many national parks, including Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park which is a habiting half of the mountain gorilla population remaining in the world, Lake Victoria which is the second largest lake in the world. All these make Uganda a picturesque country and an adventurer’s biggest dream.
In volunteering, the most interesting and unique part is that volunteers gain much compared to the people being assisted.
Different Volunteer opportunities in Uganda on safari as discussed with the Kisoro Tours Uganda guide.
Nevertheless, Uganda being a small country, provides a diversity of opportunities for volunteering experiences in different fields and places one would wish to explore. On your volunteer safari in Uganda, you shall be optimistic to identify a variety of landscapes ranging from forests to mountains and plenty of beaches along Lake Victoria.
Ugandans gained fame as the most hospitable and happier in the whole world, building Uganda and making it the best place one can volunteer on a safari abroad.
Below are some of the volunteering activities one can volunteer in.
- Support community services
Do you wish to know Uganda and the beautiful people living in it by giving back to them? The best way to do so is by volunteering in Uganda in the most valuable field known as community development. These Community volunteer chances in Uganda vary from construction and social work to working in culture and arts. So, your individual desires and skills shall be practically applicable in reality!
On your volunteering safari to Uganda, one can conduct drama classes to impact young children with music and arts for example making craftwork. You will have to work in conjunction with the local, people reaching out to their local communities to hold and organize essential events acquire and learn a lot about the different cultures in Uganda.
- Teaching in Uganda
When you volunteer in the field of teaching Ugandans, you will greatly provide an advantage to those who need it most especially students in local government and private schools. This enables local children to acquire quality and better education, and also the same for illiterate adults and elders since quality education is largely considered the main factor in developing local communities.
Volunteers in the education field, teach local children plenty of school subjects/courses and these are;
- English
- Math
- Games and sports
- Reading and writing
- Spelling
For people to find a job in Uganda, English speaking and writing skills is an essential factor, so teaching English to the local children may be extremely helpful. In reference to the volunteers’ English skills, volunteering safari in the education field may include:
- practicing children’s conversational skills
- giving complex morphological lessons
- helping with English homework/take-home essay
Kisoro Tours Uganda explains what is required to Volunteer opportunity in Uganda on a safari
Having noticed the variety of projects that need different practical skills and passionate abilities from international volunteers. As there are unique requirements for every project on their outline/profiles on Volunteer World, here are some common requirements that are applicable to most volunteer projects in Uganda:
- One has to have at least 18 years to volunteer in most projects in Uganda. In case of any doubt, Kisoro Tours Uganda advises you to contact the local project manager in case the project is on a local level because some local projects can also allow volunteers of 16 years of age.
- Some projects require advanced English knowledge but one should have at least an intermediate level of English knowledge with them in order to meet the official language of the country.
- Some projects require health declaration and criminal background before volunteering depending on the nature of the project you’re interested in.
Before volunteering in Uganda, you have to know this!
Like in any other country, while traveling for any voluntary work, it is vital to naturalize yourself with its culture, norms, and social attributes. It comforts you to stabiles in their area so fast and avoids misapprehension. These tips are provided by Kisoro Tours Uganda to its clients on volunteer safari, you might find them helpful as you organize your volunteer work in Uganda.
Below are some Safety & precautions to take.
Visits to Uganda are so convenient and Uganda has accomplished a prominent improvement in insecurity threats omitting international terrorism with road safety. Still, you should focus on some matters to avoid any pessimistic experiences. For security purposes, you should keep the safety guidelines below in mind all the time during your volunteer safari in Uganda:
- Bags and cameras shouldn’t be left in your car seat as you drive.
- Make sure you carefully inspect your ATM cards before using them to avoid issues, know that credit card fraud is across the broad, and ATM machines are often tampered with.
- That most roads in Uganda are poorly maintained.
- That the cash you carry should be limited and valuables should be left in your hotel room or any other safe place the valuables include; passports, jewelry, and airline tickets, and mention them.
The different cultures & religions
Uganda as a country has so much more than the famous Lake Victoria and the well-known mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
In Uganda on your volunteer safari, you will find out that the country has a diversity of religions. Christianity with around 85 %, Islam with around 11 %, others belong to other religions, but there are also many people practicing atheism. Many volunteers and travelers in the country should respect these religious idiosyncrasies, mostly when touring the religious fields. To attend a church service in Uganda, one should have a long attention span because the average church services take 4-6 hours.
Some tips on Health.
Volunteers should have in mind that traveling across the country, most of the time may include some measures that must be considered, Uganda is a country with most wilderness and tropical temperatures, so the possibility of health during traveling will differ from individual and another depending on your general health, activities, and length of stay.
- Be aware that rabies exists in domestic and wild animals. To the fact that there are many dogs in Uganda and even some are street dogs, one should avoid contact with these dogs, cats, and other similar animals.
- Make sure you are updated on routine vaccinations before every trip. The vaccines may include some of these; diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, polio, yellow fever, chickenpox, and your yearly flu shot.
- Moreover, the US-based Health protection agency CDC recommends hepatitis A and typhoid vaccinations because you can get these diseases through contaminated food or water in Uganda.
- Drink and eat safely, avoid eating poorly cooked food, especially street food, and avoid drinking water from the tap
- Wash your hands often, most especially before and after eating.
- Have strategic plans for how you will acquire medication during your stay. Pay for travel insurance and carry medicine especially tablets with you.
- Prevent bug bites: You might want to cover exposed skin, use an insect repellent, and use a bed net.
Is the visa required for your volunteer safari in Uganda?
Put in count the information below as the best practice approach, that has been considered in regards to the best of our knowledge, and belief and in cooperation with many volunteer organizations. The reason why one should please consider discussing your visa credentials with the person you are in touch with on Volunteer World. If in doubt, in case of any doubt, Kisoro Tours Uganda recommends involving the Ugandan Embassy or even consulting in your country.
The general entry information.
Below are some of the general directives one should observe when they are coming;
- The user passport has to be at least six-month valid from the day one enters Uganda, required, check the current status of the validity of your passport before departing and do the needful.
- Make sure your passport has at least two blank Visa pages. Uganda claims that you should have sufficient pages in your passport, therefore you are advised to have at least two blank Visa pages in order to allow for any required stamps on departure and arrival.
- Please consult in case a transit visa is needed for any connections.
- Consider possessing a valid returns ticket.
The best exercise for provisional volunteers.
In case you plan to have a Volunteer opportunity in Uganda on a safari for less than 3 months, you have to acquire a tourist visa. One can apply for a visa in progression or obtain a Visa on Arrival at $50. As the name indicates, your visa can be got from the airport where you will arrive. Kisoro Tours Uganda recommends volunteers in Uganda on safari acquire a tourist visa preceding arrival in the country, this will save you time.
You will be required to have the three (3) things below to have your application complete.
- copies of the personal information page of your passport
- Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate
- A recent passport-size photo
For more about Volunteer opportunity in Uganda on a safari, get in touch with our experts at Kisoro Tours Uganda we are at your disposal for further information you may need