It’s guest post time again! I love these. It’s a chance for our readers to live vicariously (and totally get inspired!) through the experiences of real former volunteers. Please read about Kristen and Haley in our past posts. Today, we feature reflections from Carolina Vila. She’s an American school teacher who volunteered with us in… Read More 7 Years Later: A Reflection on My Ugandan Volunteer Experience
Every September for 6 or 7 years now, Kampala’s National Theatre comes alive with art, drama, dance, and music (more so than usual). At Bayimba International Festival of the Arts, you can shop for locally made clothing and crafts, and have fun with the kids during the day. The evenings become quite lively, with tonnes… Read More Bayimba International Festival of the Arts, Kampala Uganda
In September and October 2014, we hosted a volunteer from Germany, Jens Hirschfeld. He was a very outgoing guy. Jens sang songs, learned local craft skills, dug in the garden, and played football with and generally mentored young people. He became a fixture in Lugazi town, learned quite a lot of Luganda, cooked food for… Read More Germany and Uganda United Again
This time last year, I had the pleasure of joining one of our volunteers at a school she worked at, during her short stay with The Real Uganda. It’s a small church funded primary school in Kabembe, Mukono District. The area is populated largely by peasant farmers and their families. Our partner, Balamu Community Organization, leads outreach… Read More Inspired by a little school in Uganda
2016 has been great as far as volunteers go. We’ve had absolutely no duds (Yay!!) Rather, we’ve hosted 18 men and women from around the world who were enthusiastic free hands in their respective communities. The small funding they brought also helped to keep local staff paid and created a few locally-led income generating projects.… Read More Cultural exchange success
I’m often asked by prospective volunteers what our volunteers go on to do with their lives, after their experience with our programs. Is volunteering abroad a catalyst for better things? Is it a career enhancer? Or does volunteering abroad naturally attract movers and shakers? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? I tend to… Read More Life after volunteering with The Real Uganda
This is Robert, on his morning commute, to his gardens near Najjembe in Uganda’s Mabira Rainforest. He’s got his briefcase, his snack, and he’s chatting on his phone. Greatest job in the world. Here’s what else you might see in the garden: A re-purposed jerrycan, used to spread chicken shit. Phil, spreading chicken shit. Me,… Read More In the garden #Uganda
This week, I present to you an essay written by Haley Barnhart. She volunteered with us for 2 weeks in June, 2014. At the time, she was a second year Social Work student, in Texas. During her short stay in Uganda, she lived and worked in a village boarding school/residential home in Mukono District. She… Read More Leaping Out Of Your Comfort Zone – Another Guest Post
I’m going to assume that you’ve wanted to travel and volunteer in Africa all your life. You’ve spent months sourcing the organization you’re working with. You’re proud that it is, indeed, a reputable organization, supporting local leaders and locally led initiatives. You are committed to understanding the reality on the ground. You are set to… Read More Volunteering In Africa? Here’s how to manage your first few days
The Real Uganda is a small, locally run, non-profit, based in Uganda. We try to connect with international volunteers (I call them “vollies”) who believe that cultural exchange and engagement are among the best ways we (as non-Africans) can help Ugandans when we visit this amazing country. The Real Uganda doesn’t accept people who want… Read More Uganda as a success story, only no one knows!
The Real Uganda 