Get a completely local experience and help us at our foundation for kids in Jinja, Uganda

Details

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  Description

  My name is Julius and I am the project manager at the Foundation, a non-profit community based organization that provides, home, food, healthcare and education to the marginalized kids in Jinja, Uganda. We believe that by supporting our kids and providing them a loving and healthy environment we can help the development of our community.
  
  Our foundation started with two children, and we have so far registered around twenty five kids and we continue growing. Most of the childrens are orphans or come from vulnerable families unable to provide for them. Only a few children stay at the foundation during school terms, because most attend boarding schools in nearby villages. However, during school holidays, all the children return to stay with us at the foundation. The home is lovely managed by Mama Flo and Shamim, who take care of both the children and the volunteers. Myself (Julius) and also Miriam are here to support and manage the foundation, and we will help volunteers with anything they need. Elvis helps out as well with the social media.
  
  Volunteers are always treated as family and we welcome everyone who wants to help! We really enjoy having people from all around the world and learn from many different cultures. We also enjoy teaching our visitors all about the Ugandan culture. We have a small farm and garden in which we teach our kids to grow their own fruits and vegetables and also farming skills and love for animals. The foundation also creates local craft clothes, bags, necklaces, bracelets, etc, that they sell to the local population, to tourists and to people abroad. This truly helps to support the foundation’s financial needs.
  
  Come and visit our place and join our family!

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Language practice

  Teaching

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Babysitting and creative play
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  Interests

  

  Nature

  

  Dancing

  

  Team sports

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Adventure sports

  

  Movies & TV

  

  Fashion or beauty

  

  Videography

  

  Technology

  

  Events & social

  

  Sustainability

  

  Pets

  

  Culture

  

  Self development

  

  Farming

  

  Charity work

  

  Writing

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Carpentry

  

  Animals

  

  Performing arts

  

  Plant care

  

  Music

  

  Photography

  

  Languages

  

  Gardening

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Books

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Art & design
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Travelers that join our project will get a completely local experience. We are located in a small village beside the Nile river, so sighteseeing is guaranteed. You will learn about our daily activities like craftmaking, local cuisine, teaching at school, farming and gardening activities, and if you are interested, a little bit of our local language, Lusoga.
  As a foundation we do not charge any fees to the volunteers that stay at our home because our primary goal is a cultural exchange with our volunteers from around the world. However, if you can afford and wish to contribute to our cause, any financial help would be most welcome and appreciated as it would help us to pay school fees, cover school material and food expenses for the children.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  Volunteers can get involved in any of the activities in our organization depending on what they feel like doing. We are constantly looking for support in the activities below :
  
  1. Taking care of our kids at the foundation before and after school during school time, and throughout the day during school holidays.
  
  2. Teaching primary children at the nearby community school from baby class up to Primary 4. You are welcome to help out in any class and in any subject that you want.
  
  3. Learning a new skill and making your own craft clothing or bags with a sewing machine and also making bracelets, necklaces, etc. If you wish, you can either purchase the item you’ve created or you can let us sell it to other clients. In any case, you will help us support the foundation all by learning a new skill!
  
  4. Help us animate and better our social networks and digital platforms.
  
  5. Join us for farming and gardening during planting and harvesting seasons.
  
  
  We ask our volunteers to help out only a few hours a day during the week and more if they feel like it !
  
  During holidays, kids will be at home so they will be happy to play with you and be with you during the day. You can take them to the nearby school pitch with a playground or you can take them to visit the Nile and even go for a swim if you feel like it. You can also plan any activity that you feel like doing with them : drawing, football, playing games, etc.
  
  We also offer other activites to our volunteers for them to enjoy during their stay, like for example learning how to make coffee from our own local coffee plantations, going for a bicycle ride around the villages and visiting the dam, going to see the different nearby waterfalls, etc.
  
  While staying with us, volunteers can also do fun activities offered by the local camps and community. You can try kayaking, white water rafting, stand-up paddleboarding, ATV rides, yoga sessions and massages !
  We’re also just a 20-minute drive from Jinja town, where you can check out the source of the Nile, grab a bite at local restaurants, and enjoy some shopping if you're in the mood!

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  Our kids and staff will love to learn other languages. We have prior experiences with volunteers who have taught us a little bit of Spanish, French, German and some Portuguese, so we would love to continue our learning.
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  Accommodation

  We offer accommodation for our visitors. We have shared and private rooms, with flushing toilets, shower and mosquito nets. Depending on the amount of volunteers at the site and availability you could have access to a private or shared room.
  
  We offer three meals a day, all vegetarian and only local ugandan food like beans, rice, posho, matoke (plantain), fruits and vegetables. Local markets are also available nearby if you wish to buy anything for yourself and you can also buy filtered water bottles from any nearby shop.
  
  If you plan to come teach at the nearby community school, they will serve you breakfast at the school (tea and bread).

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  What else ...

  If you need, we would be happy to come get you at Entebbe airport and bring you straight to our foundation. The cost of this would be approximately 300000 UGX for hiring a car and for fuel expenses.
  Otherwise, if you decide to come by yourself, we would recommend hiring a private taxi directly from Entebbe airport up to Jinja or Bujagali which takes up to 4 hours. However, the cheapest way to come by yourself is to hire a taxi from Entebbe airport up to Namayiba Bus Park and then either take YY bus or GATEWAY bus up to Jinja Ambercourt. Finally you can take a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) up to our foundation.
  
  For your coming : We recommend applying for a Tourist Visa, unless you plan to stay for more than 3 months. The tourist visa is usually the quickest and easiest option. It can be ready in a few days up to a few weeks but you'll need to provide proof of a Yellow Fever vaccination.
  As for other vaccines and preparing for your first time in Uganda, it's a good idea to check with your doctor or a general practitioner. They can advise you on which vaccines are recommended. Additionally, it's always a good idea to ensure you have travel insurance and any necessary medications before you go, like malaria tablets for example.
  
  If you are interested in volunteering in our foundation then you are most welcome and don’t hesitate to message us !

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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