Beacon of Hope Uganda

PRE DEPARTURE: I was very nervous because I had never traveled alone before and have not done much traveling outside of the US. Isaac was so helpful and made me feel as comfortable as I could. He had me call the volunteer house at night so that I could speak to volunteers who were already there and he gave me emails of others who had recently returned from volunteering. This helped so much.

PLACEMENT: Excellent. I was placed at New Hope Junior School & Homeland Secondary school which is a half hour walk from the house. I chose to walk because the scenery is beautiful and the local people are very friendly (most of them are parents of the students at New Hope and Homeland. These are schools that need a lot of help but have amazing students and teachers who only want the best for each other. They are looking forward to having more volunteers.

HOST FAMILY AND MEALS: Amazing. It really felt like I was at home and that I was part of the family. Scovia really takes care of us and you can tell that she really cares. When I was on safari for four days I actually felt homesick and missed Scovia, Happiness, Diana and Helen. Safety was a big issue for me and I always felt very safe here. The meals were great. Scovia is a very good cook and everything tastes very fresh. It is also great to eat local food.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PLACEMENT: The people I met in my placement and the interactions I had with them was the best part for me. They were so interested in learning about America and I loved learning about how they do things here. Through there interaction, I think we all changed the way we look at the world. They have changed my life more than they will ever know.
My unique experience: My favorite part of this program was meeting other volunteers. It is amazing to spend time and get to know people who are interested in the exact same things like you. Karin and I were together for a week before more volunteers came and it was during this time that she became one of my best friends. We plan to stay in touch after this experience.

WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FUTURE VOLUNTEERS?: Yes - very much. This experience has changed me as a person FOREVER. It is a little tough at first because everything is new and the culture shock... But once I got used to it, I felt I could do anything. The project itself makes you very appreciative of what you have. It is a very humbling experience.

COMMENTS: Isaac is a very honest and professional coordinator, I really appreciated his work in Uganda, I actually I admired his creativity. He is very young energetic and very innovative.
I also think if a person is debating whether to go alone or with a friend then go alone. The experience is more meaningful and powerful because you are forced to leave your old life behind and are free to be opening mind and soak up everything around you.

Arriving in Uganda was a bit of a whirlwind for the Australian volunteers myself, Heyrold, and Abba. After a 36 hour journey spanning 3 continents, we arrived exhausted at the Mukono Volunteers Guesthouse, the home of Beacon of Hope Uganda in Mukono town, Mukono District. Within ten minutes of arriving, 3 other volunteers gathered in the dark (the power was off, something we'd experience continually throughout the month) to listen to the Director Isaac tell us about his achievements and what will be our work in the next couple of weeks, although it seemed like an eternity because we were so exhausted, it was a great experience learning more about him, and meeting other volunteers.

The next couple of weeks were enjoyable, 6 volunteers living, eating, bathing, washing and working together was a pretty a good experience. We learnt about Beacon of Hope Uganda’s objectives and more in particular about sexual reproductive health and livelihoods in the Ugandan context. We all made friends pretty steadily and every morning, afternoon and evening was a continuous stream of greetings "Yee, how are you? Oli otya, how was your night? Are you fine?" Our food consisted of matoke (stewed savory bananas), soup, G-nut sauce (purple coloured peanut sauce), a 50 cent-sized piece of chewy meat, the same amount in cabbage, sweet potato, pumpkin and potatoes. Our diet was always varied and the accommodation was always clean and a mosquito net was provided and clean sheets. Although at some point, I fell sick, Isaac and team were always available to rush me to a local clinic. We stayed for 2 weeks in Mukono and then we'd found out we will be going to Rekai in south-western Uganda, staying and working with Rev. Cornelius a community volunteer and we shared home with his family. As we ended four weeks of volunteering (teaching classes, community outreaches, sustainable organic farming techniques, club formation in schools and conflict management in rural Rekai) we were all ready and prepared to go back home. It was a great and educative experience, I learned more than I could deliver!