ARCOS UGANDA's Posts - Young Partners in Development

Support Orphans| Volunteer with Orphanage in Uganda| African Rural Community Shepherds in Uganda

2012-10-06T07:30:00.000Z

Volunteer Opportunities at ARCOS Uganda

ARCOS Uganda started its volunteer program in May of 2010 and we hope to invite more volunteers in the future. However, at the moment we are still a small family with few volunteer opportunities. Our project is still developing and volunteer needs and requirements will rapidly change as our family grows. Click here to SEE PHOTOS OF PREVIOUS VOLUNTEERS

Working at ARCOS Uganda will require the volunteer to be utterly flexible and open-minded and to arrive with a positive attitude and willingness to jump in where needed. Many volunteer openings are combined positions, meaning that you will be asked to fulfill more than one position, depending on your abilities and schedule. All positions require English fluency.

Volunteer Application

This application is for individuals only. If you would like to work at the ARCOS Uganda with a group of people, please contact us for possibilities.

The application process is very simple, just email us your resume, skills, experience, age, country and references and reason why you would like to come and volunteer with us and for how long would you like to stay with us and which programs or projects you would like to be part of. This will provide speed for the application process and once we have received your application, we shall acknowledge it within 3days time.

Due to the isolated setting of the ARCOS Uganda projects and the stress of volunteering internationally, it is important for us to know about an applicant’s ability and health prior to beginning service. This information allows us to make a well-based decision in the interest of the ARCOS project and the applicant and helps us to support the volunteer during his or her service at ARCOS. All information is kept confidential.

Volunteer Program

The volunteer program at ARCOS Uganda is full of opportunities. We invite people of all backgrounds to participate in the endeavor to create a life of dignity for orphaned and abandoned children in the Uganda where we serve. We open this invitation to people who have the desire to be of service to the ARCOS community and who have an open heart and mind.

For the volunteers, our program offers a wide range of experiences from unique friendships and life enriching cross-cultural encounters to work experience rarely available in the outside world. The idea of having volunteers here at ARCOS Uganda is to support our staff members and to give additional attention to our children and projects.

Our volunteers have the opportunity to share their talents and knowledge while serving others. Often our volunteers are highly trained and skilled individuals whom ARCOS Uganda otherwise could not afford or find in the places where our projects are located. Volunteers always bring fresh ideas and perspectives that help meet the challenges of our daily operations.

What makes a good volunteer?

The most effective volunteers come to ARCOS Uganda with a positive life-loving attitude, a strong work ethic, flexibility, realism and a sense of humor. Typically, volunteers may arrive with the expectation that living conditions are more primitive than they are. However, they are often not aware of how hard they are expected to work.

We also seek candidates whose main motive is to help the children and be models. ARCOS Uganda volunteers are not rebellious to rational authority, disrespectful or insensitive to the cultures where we work and are guests. Please remember, we accept volunteers only if we are convinced that they will be good for the children. We are not judging them as people, only as models for children who need to be prepared for their lives beyond ARCOS.

We have numerous openings for long-term volunteers throughout the year and short-term programs from 2 weeks. We are sometimes able to accommodate volunteer groups such as school and church or youth organizations for short-term volunteering as well. See our volunteer requirements, volunteer opportunities

If you are interested in helping ARCOS Uganda in your local community by fundraising for their programs, please contact our office to find out how you can become involved. There are always positions available for translators, special event staff and office support.

Volunteer in Uganda with us

Volunteer Requirements

Length of Service

Volunteers are asked to give a minimum of 2 weeks and may serve in a variety of positions, including school parents, nurses, physicians, therapists, teachers, secretaries, gardeners, kitchen help, librarians or assistants in the clinics. Because of the difficulties that surround training, language and accommodations for short-term volunteers, most positions require a strict commitment to One month of service.

There are short-term (2-3 weeks) volunteer opportunities, summer projects may involve volunteers in teaching English, music, dance, athletics, and arts and crafts.

Age

Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age and in good health.

Language Requirements

Volunteer placement in Uganda will depend a great deal a minimum knowledge in English and this also applies to our technical work and manual labor.

The children and staff at the orphanage in Uganda speak Luganda, while English is taught in the schools. At the Office, a minimal knowledge of English is needed to communicate with others and staff upon arrival. Luganda is not a difficult language and each volunteer is expected to study and learn some few words of it during the first week in Uganda. Most volunteers can learn enough Luganda in their first two weeks to communicate with the children and staff.

Expenses

Volunteers are expected to pay travel expenses to and from the country where volunteering, Accommodation, Transport from the Airport and food

Program fees: - After the Volunteer Coordinator has accepted you into the project, and then you will have to pay a non-refundable booking fee of USD$ 100 paid in 2 weeks’ time upon acceptance into the program, our program is pretty popular, so try to book as soon as possible. Since we started, the numbers of volunteers applying has increased by each year. Unfortunately only a third of those who promise that they will come, have in fact arrived. The wastage in Volunteer Coordinator’s time and the fact that volunteers who could have come were refused due to holding the space for someone else who didn’t turn up, has forced us to implement this. We hope that by implementing the fee only serious volunteers will thus secure the chance to volunteer in our projects. The booking fee will go towards paying for communication expenses incurred by the Coordinators to keep in touch with you and the projects, and website maintenance.

1 week- USD$200

2 weeks-USD$250

3 weeks- USD$300

4 weeks- USD$350

The program fees can be paid upon arrival or before departure for proper preparations of your placement.

Additional Fees: USD$ 75 Airport pickup for arrival paid upon arrival.

Program fees covers:

Pre-service (e.g. culture, health talk, program orientation, training etc);
1 day sight-seeing guide fee around Kampala or Jinja, Equator, world heritage sites, (e.g. game parks, zoos, museums, rivers etc)
Accommodation, Laundry and food during placement with a host family (3 meals a day);

When a volunteer arrives in Uganda, our Coordinator meets them at the airport and brings them to our orientation place in Mukono. From that point our volunteers spend between 1 to 3 days in our orientation program. This training provides volunteers with a very detailed understanding of how to be acquainted in Uganda’s Life and culture.

The program fee excludes the following:

Airfare, Visa and Visa extension fee
Transportation during weekends travel
Personal travel and sightseeing (trekking, jungle safari etc);
Internet access, telephone, drinks or other costs accrued during training and placement;
Gifts to project staff and host family, if you wish to buy any;
Should you wish to spend more time in Uganda pre and post placement period, please remember to budget accordingly!
Travel and medical insurances, immunization, health expenses;
You will also need a weekly budget of up to US $50-100 to cater for all your other expenses.

Medical Coverage

Due to the fact that ARCOS Uganda is a small organization with very little resources we expect the volunteer to meet his or her medical coverages during their stay, but we recommend that volunteers call their public health service for any required shots or medical advice for living in Uganda.

You will have the opportunity to try different roles and projects, dependent on your interests and skills. These volunteer opportunities do not require specialized skills (although these would be an advantage), and we accept volunteers for both short and long-term placements, all the year round. Volunteers certainly gain an amazing life experience from their participation in our placement program. On first arrival, most volunteers sample all the projects before selecting the tasks that suit them best.

You just have to let us know where you want to go and we will take you there and information is available for you. The type of work you are involved with will be dependent on your interests, abilities, level of experience as well as your comfort levels.

One of the advantages of the Community Development project is that you are not limited to one job role and will have the opportunity to ‘sample’ other roles during your placement. To become involved in another projects simply inform a member of staff who will happily make any necessary arrangements.

VOLUNTEER IN TEACHING| HIV/AIDS PROGRAM| COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT/HEALTH CARE/VOLUNTEER IN UGANDA| VOLUNTEER UGANDA| HOPE DEVELOPMENT VOLUNTEERS| UGANDA VOLUNTEERS| VOLUNTEER IN RAKAI| KYOTERA DISTRICT.

2012-07-24T18:58:31.000Z

Program Dates: This program runs all throughout the year. Program orientation will take place the second day of your arrival.

Program Duration: Volunteers can choose to volunteer for a period of 1 month to 6 months.

Program fees: - Placement booking fee: USD$ 100paid in 2 weeks time upon acceptance into the program, our program is pretty popular, so try to book as soon as possible. After the Volunteer Coordinator has accepted you into the project, then you will have to pay a non-refundable booking fee. Since we started, the numbers of volunteers applying has increased by each year. Unfortunately only a third of those who promise that they will come, have in fact arrived. The wastage in Volunteer Coordinator’s time and the fact that volunteers who could have come were refused due to holding the space for someone else who didn’t turn up, has forced us to implement this. We hope that by implementing the fee only serious volunteers will thus secure the chance to volunteer in our projects. The booking fee will go towards paying for communication expenses incurred by the Coordinators to keep in touch with you and the projects, and website maintenance.

1 week- USD$200

2 weeks-USD$300

3 weeks- USD$400

4 weeks- USD$550

The program fees can be paid upon arrival or before departure for proper preparations of your placement.

Additional Fees: USD$ 75 Airport pickup for arrival paid upon arrival.

Program fees covers:

Pre-service (e.g. culture, health talk, program orientation, training etc);
1 day sight seeing guide fee around Kampala or Jinja, Equator, world heritage sites, (e.g. game parks,zoos,museums, rivers etc)
Accommodation, Laundry and food during placement with a host family or volunteer house (3 meals a day);
Transportation to the project site from Hope Development Volunteers base in Mukono
Regular follow up support / visit (1-2 week interval) by HDV’s staff
Support for local staff and volunteers;

When a volunteer arrives in Uganda,our Coordinator meets them at the airport and brings them to our orientation place in Mukono. From that point our volunteers spend between 1 to 3 days in our orientation program. This training provides volunteers with a very detailed understanding of how to be acquainted in Uganda’s Life and culture.

The program fee excludes the following:

Airfare, Visa and Visa extension fee
Transportation during weekends travel
Personal travel and sightseeing (trekking, jungle safari etc);
Internet access, telephone, drinks or other costs accrued during training and placement;
Gifts to project staff and host family, if you wish to buy any;
Should you wish to spend more time in Uganda pre and post placement period, please remember to budget accordingly!
Travel and medical insurances, immunization, health expenses;
You will also need a weekly budget of up to US $50-100 to cater for all your other expenses.

We are one of the few organizations that offer low cost volunteering placements in Africa! And the only volunteer referral center in Africa

Program Description:

This is an opportunity to work with grass roots projects in rural Uganda. The program site is located about 170km outside of Kampala- in Rakai district- New Kyotera District.

This is a rural community, with dirt roads that turn to sticky mud in the rainy season and dust in the dry season. Boda-Boda taxi bikes share the road with bicycles and animals. As in most parts of Uganda, the community members struggle to meet their basic needs and strive to put their children in school. Main jobs include brick making, selling fruits and vegetables, small-scale animal rearing and other manual labor jobs.

As a volunteer in this program, you will experience traditional Ugandan life and participate in daily activities such as visiting elderly villagers, collecting water from a well, teaching children in outside classrooms, assisting in the brick making programs, feeding animals as well as health outreach programs.

These programs serve the most vulnerable community members in Rakai District (New Kyotera District). The main focus is providing education to hundreds of children in the surrounding villages. Village schools provide English, Math, health lessons to children 3yrs-14yrs old and high school for 15yrs-18yrs. The schools provide not only needed education but opportunities for sports activities, health talks, feeding center and meeting place for the community.

The community development projects including pig and poultry house construction and repairs, home repairs, health/HIV/AIDS workshops, youth education, animal rearing, water and sanitation (including well and waterway construction) and project planning and management or other skills that can help us transform this community

With our volunteer program we allow you to discover the wonders of East Africa, while doing meaningful and rewarding community work. This is a great opportunity to explore life in rural Africa, live and work amongst the locals and realize one person can make a difference.

It is important for potential volunteers to understand that the culture in Uganda is quite different from what you are accustomed to. Volunteers should bring with them an easy-going, open-minded and relaxed attitude. Locals are curious, very friendly and social people. While Volunteer Uganda will endeavor to maintain a daily routine, volunteers should understand that things move slowly in Africa (and indeed in rural communities). Relax and enjoy the slow pace. Remember that life in Africa is not as organized and predictable as life in developed countries. Although volunteer work can be very busy and active, at other times work is determined by many number of factors including weather, availability of resources, whether a relevant contact has turned up, cultural activities etc.

Time and Schedule:

Program Length: From 1 to 12 weeks

Program Date: Flexible Start & End Date

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8 hour per day

Accommodations: Local Host Family

Meals: Yes, 3 meals a day

Requirements: 18 years or older, an open mind to new adventures.

Children’s Education – Teaching Program

Volunteer in a rural school. Nursery and primary school level classes are provided (ages 3yrs-14yrs and high school- 15yrs-18yrs) teaching English and other subjects. *Teaching experience is not required. You can begin as a teaching assistant and then work in small groups with children in need of extra attention.

The objective of this program is to contribute to the academic development of the school in order to provide the best opportunity for the orphans to receive quality education. Volunteers support the local teachers; encourage students to learn and play and instill pride in their schooling.

School terms vary from year to year but are approximately as follows: February 1 to April 30, and May 20 to August 30, September 15 to early December. Volunteers can assist with the physical upkeep of the school; painting, decorating, mending desks etc. Most important volunteers should try to develop activities/programs that can be sustained in the future. Prior teaching experience is not required; volunteer simply need an open mind, caring spirit and a compassionate nature.

Community Development Program

The first few days of your placement will be orientation and adjusting to Ugandan life. After this initial period, your placement work will begin. The type of work you are involved with will be dependent on your interests, abilities, level of experience as well as your comfort levels.

One of the advantages of the Community project is that you are not limited to one job role and will have the opportunity to ‘sample’ other roles during your placement. To become involved in another projects simply inform a member of staff who will happily make any necessary arrangements.

Volunteer work side by side the locals’ on-going brick construction and water building projects in the community. Volunteers needed for manual labor jobs working alongside skilled and unskilled local workers.

Some tasks include farming, pig rearing, construction of the volunteer center, expansion, water well building and renovation work. Volunteers do not need prior experience, but skilled workers are very welcome. This is a very hand on, hands dirty sort of program. Enthusiasm, a good sense of humor and helping spirit are required.

Program Includes:

Accommodation provided with a local host family. Family home has electricity. Volunteers have their own sleeping quarters with bed and bedding. With rural communities, there is no indoor plumbing. Outhouse facilities at the home, and fresh water available for boiling and bathing. All programs are within walking distance from the host family. Three local meals per day are provided. Airport pick up and drop off at Entebbe airport. Hope Development Volunteers Project Coordinator will provide orientation tour on arrival, project briefing, an introduction to work placement and local host family.

Placement Organization: African Rural Shepherds in Uganda.

Placement Location: Rakai District (New Kyotera District)-(Rural Setting).

Accommodation: Host family

Extra activities you will not miss: Horse riding, Ostrich Riding, Village Safaris| Walks, Boat Riding, Equator safari and photo shots, visiting western Uganda for safaris and more tourist attractions, cultural heritage villages, ancient caves, exotic African birds, legendary Kijjanebalola Lake, enjoy the natural pollution-free wonderland of beautiful hills, Musamba Eco-Tourism Site,

Apply now and book a placement at this program:

How to apply!

Please send a copy of your resume, a list of your skills/interests, and tell us why you want to come live and volunteer in Uganda. Our program is pretty popular, so try to apply well in advance of when you’re traveling. If you’re interested in volunteering with Hope Development Volunteers write to:

[email protected]">[email protected]

Tel: +256-757-389926

Website: http://www.volunteerabroadafrica.com