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We warmly welcome caring individuals to assist us in serving orphaned and vulnerable children on the ground in Jinja. Sacrificing a bit of time and money to help desperate children is one of the most rewarding decisions a person can make. The joy your presence will bring to these children is indescribable

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Unfortunately, BUWODA cannot afford to meet the living expenses of volunteers at the orphanage. We still struggle just to feed the needy children under our care. Therefore, we ask volunteers to contribution to cover their food, and accommodation, which will be provided by BUWODA. The children at BUWODA orphanage lack mentors, role models, teachers, soccer coaches, and simply people that can love them, advocate for them, and live life with them. They are such beautiful and perfect children that deserve to see their dreams lived out and a place to call forever home. BUWODA can accommodate volunteer teams of up to 30 people at a time. We also welcome individuals to volunteer with us.



We look forward to hearing from you. If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to contact

Ken at buwoda2021@gmail.com 



with questions or more information about volunteering.


​Click here to download volunteer program
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Click here to download volunteer application

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Budondo women Development Association Volunteer Program 

Thank you very much for your interest in volunteering with New Hope.  This document outlines the ways in which you can support BUWODA and includes some important information about volunteering at the orphanage. 



How you can help

There are four main categories of volunteer programs: Community Outreach Program, child services, administrative support, and field research. If you decide to volunteer at BUWODA , the orphanage’s administrator will work with you to decide which program or combination of programs best fits your qualifications and interests. 



​Community Drawing Art Project (Primary Schools)
Project seeks to utilize the empowerment tool of art to improve the long-term prospect of children and their communities in rural Africa. Because art is not a part of school curriculum in primary school in Uganda, this project seeks to utilize existing after-school programming to provide a chance for creative self-expression and the opportunity to exercise their imaginations. We believe that developing creativity at a young age is extremely important in creating a stronger and better prepared generation for the future. We believe that these children will grow with a more developed mind, armed with the necessary skills to think creatively about problems facing their community.



Requirements:



Crayons, drawing paints, drawing brushes, drawing papers, pencils, photo frames, camera etc.



​Community Health Project (In and outside school)
Hundreds of people die every day due to preventable diseases. The community health project addresses preventable health problems like malaria, HIV/AIDS, water disease, hygiene and sanitation. Through the donations of generous people, we buy and distribute mosquito kits, rapid malaria and HIV test kits and water treatment agents. We also build simple pit-latrines for the elderly and help train the community about water sources and household hygiene and sanitation.

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Child Services (BUWODA Orphanage)

This category of volunteer projects entails serving the children directly through education, mentoring and healthcare programs.  As a volunteer at BUWODA, you will have numerous opportunities for interacting with the children regardless of your specific program.  However, this category involves the most interaction.



1.  Education

BUWODA houses 50 children ages 6-13.  In our education program, volunteers work side-by-side with local teachers to teach the children English, Math, Science, Physical Education, Creative Writing and co-curricular activities like games and sports.  The goal for volunteers is not only to teach the children, but also to help the teachers improve their teaching skills and mastery of the subjects.  Volunteers will work primarily with Ugandan textbooks and follow the Ugandan national curriculum; however, volunteers are also highly encouraged to bring educational resources (text books, dictionaries, calculators, etc.) with them to BUWODA. 



2. Baby care

We have a few babies 1 – 3 years old that need constant attention in terms of feeding, bathing, and care. Baby loving volunteers help the matron in taking general care of these children.

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3.  Extra-curricular Activities

BUWODA strongly encourages its children to be active outside of the classroom in music, dance, drama, arts and crafts, games and sports.  Volunteers facilitate this by teaching the children music and dance, leading arts and crafts projects, writing and producing dramatic performances and training the children in athletics.  Before coming to Uganda, volunteers will work with BUWODA’s administrator to design a specific program to conduct at BUWODA.  For example, a volunteer may plan to teach 10 children how to play the keyboard or train a BUWODA soccer team. Since BUWODA has limited resources, volunteers are highly encouraged to bring any necessary materials, instruments and equipment with them to Uganda.



​4.  Mentoring/Counseling/Life-skills training camps
This involves working closely with a few children to help them cope with past trauma, teaching them the word of God and develop strategies and skills for personal growth and success.  Specifically, volunteers will listen to children’s life histories, discuss personal challenges the child may be facing, and work with them to develop into mature young men and women. This is a very important need because all the kids at BUWODA have been through very difficult experiences in their early childhood.  Orphans in particular often lack traditional sources of emotional support and role models (i.e. parents).

  

​5.  Healthcare
Volunteers with medical training can treat children’s illnesses and identify health threats at the orphanage and in the surrounding community.  Volunteers may also lead  community health education programs such as HIV/AIDS prevention (with a focus on behavioral change) and proper hygiene and sanitation techniques.



6.  Spiritual development/camps

Volunteers in this program work with BUWODA to address the spiritual needs of the children at the orphanage.  In particular, volunteers are invited to lead Bible studies, praise and worship, prayer session, spiritual camps , community evangelism outreach and discussions on faith and culture in Uganda and the volunteer’s home country. 



Administration

This category of volunteer programs entails working closely with the executive director of BUWODA and other administrators to improve the quality of services delivered to the children and further BUWODA’s goal of financial self-sufficiency.



1. Quality of Services

The objective of this program is to analyze the current services provided to the orphans and vulnerable children at BUWODA and determine areas of success and areas in need of improvement.  For example, volunteers may
a.  Analyze the children’s diet and assess its nutritional value,
b.  Evaluate the quality of the education the children are receiving at schools run by BUWODA and/or public schools attended by the children,
c.  Interview the children and document their assessment of services rendered,
d. Write newsletter and update website, facebook, blog etc. Assess the orphanage’s record-keeping methods and update the children’s personal files.

Volunteers will write a report at the end of their volunteer mission summarizing their findings and recommending areas for improvement.
 
2.  Financial Self-Sufficiency​

One of the main challenges facing BUWODA is a chronic lack of funds.  BUWODA is dependent for most of its funding on donations and grants from overseas.  Often these grants and donations are insufficient to meet the costs of caring for over 50 orphans and vulnerable children.  Volunteers can help improve BUWODA’s financial situation by

a. Reviewing and improving BUWODA’s accounting mechanisms,
b. Exploring opportunities for reducing costs
c. Providing technical support for establishing BUWODA’s income generating projects
d. Evaluating current income-generating activities  
e. Developing new opportunities for income-generating activities
f. Writing grant applications and letters of inquiry
g. Contacting current and prospective donors
h. Developing fundraising strategies
i. Updating BUWODA’s website. 



Important Information for Volunteers

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Cost

BUWODA is a grassroots charity with very limited funding and cannot afford to meet the expenses of volunteers.  Volunteers are responsible for arranging and purchasing their plane tickets (typically between $1500-2000 for a round-trip from the US).  In addition to the plane tickets, volunteers are asked to contribute some money for feeding.  This will cover all the volunteer’s food, accommodation, security and ground-transportation costs.  Volunteers are also encouraged to budget $15-20 per week for bottled water, Internet usage fees, and international phone calls.

 

Accommodation

Volunteers typically live in home-stays with Ugandan families that have close ties to the orphanage.  Volunteers also have the option of staying in a local hotel.  This can be arranged through BUWODA administrators at the volunteer’s request.

 

Food

Volunteers living in a home-stay eat three meals a day with their host family.  Host families serve Ugandan food, which includes matooke (boiled plantains), rice, beans, chicken, beef, potatoes, sweet potatoes, posho (ground corn), peanut stew, green vegetables, bread, tea, and fruit juice.  Volunteers with food allergies must inform BUWODA before arriving in Uganda to determine whether the host families are able to accommodate the Volunteer’s needs 

Transportation to/from the Airport

Representatives from BUWODA will meet volunteers at the airport in Entebbe, Uganda, and escort volunteers to jinja.  Volunteers should email copies of their flight itineraries to BUWODA: buwoda2021@gmail.com as soon as the plane tickets have been purchased.

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Health Issues

There are many health concerns associated with traveling to Uganda and it is very important that all volunteers discuss their trip to Uganda with a doctor several weeks before departure.  Volunteers will need to get several vaccines before leaving home and must bring anti-malaria medicine with them.  It is the responsibility of volunteers to speak with their doctor about their travel plans to Uganda and obtain all necessary vaccinations and medication.  A complete list of vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control is available here: < http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationUganda.aspx >

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There are medical clinics in jinja equipped to deal with minor medical issues and cases of malaria.  However, more serious cases may require evacuation to Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, or Nairobi, Kenya, where advanced, western-style medical facilities are located. If you use prescription medicine, it is highly recommended that you bring it with you as there is limited availability of prescription drugs in Uganda.



Insurance

Volunteers are strongly encouraged to check with their insurance provider to determine whether they have coverage during their in Uganda.  Volunteers may wish to purchase traveler or evacuation insurance.

 

Questions??

If you have any questions or concerns about volunteering with BUWODA, please do not hesitate to contact us at buwoda2021@gmail.com