The Uganda Classic Volunteer Program offers six and twelve month opportunities starting in March and September.

The Uganda Classic Volunteer Program was started in 1991. Each year Visions houses three to eight volunteers in Kampala in a group house environment with volunteers from around the world. Our Uganda Country Coordinator eases volunteers into the Ugandan way of life during orientation and provides support for the duration of their service.

Volunteers interested in working in Uganda have the option of staying six or twelve months. Programs begin in March and September with an orientation program led by the in-country coordinator. Throughout two intense weeks, volunteers receive Luganda instruction each day and are exposed to Uganda's history, ethnicity, culture, geography, economics, and development issues through guest speakers. During the orientation volunteers interview and select their placement with a volunteer organization.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

• Demonstrated commitment to international development
• Must be 20 years of age or older
• All nationalities are eligible
• Prior overseas and cross-cultural experience preferred
• A college degree or equivalent experience

APPLICATION DEADLINES AND FEES

Program fees include housing, health insurance, orientation, staff support, visa fees and program administration. Volunteers also receive a USD 50 monthly stipend from Visions in Action to assist with daily living expenses. In addition to the program fees listed below volunteers are responsible for a USD 45 application fee and a USD 300 deposit. If the regular application deadline has passed, please contact us regarding space and availability. Those applying late will be subject to a USD 100 late fee.

POTENTIAL VOLUNTEER PLACEMENTS
Below are some potential organizations that volunteers could work with. This is just a sample of the many organizations that have requested Visions volunteers. Once you have committed to the program, you will receive a complete listing of organizations and volunteer opportunities.

Social Welfare
InterAid (formerly International Christian Aid)
InterAid is a US-based NGO offering positions in project management and evaluation, child sponsorship, and newsletter production. A good mix of field and office, the group has projects in the Rakai and Luwero districts, and in Kampala.

Advocacy, Human Rights and Refugee Organizations
Refugee Law Project
Established in 1999, the RLP aims to protect and promote the rights of forced migrants in Uganda, both refugees and internally displaced. In their own words, they assist refugees at the legal level. It operates as an autonomous project within the Faculty of Law of Makerere University and focuses on legal assistance, training, research, and advocacy. The RLP began by focusing on refugees in Kampala but has begun to extend its activities to other areas of Uganda and neighboring countries. http://www.refugeelawproject.org/

American Refugee Committee
This is an international NGO working in refugee camps in Northern Uganda and the Sudan. The principle goal of the Sudanese project is to improve the health of refugees, displaced persons and returnees, by providing primary health care services and training. Focusing on women and children, it also aims at establishing community mechanisms and strategies for the transition from emergency relief to self-sufficiency. As with many refugee-focused organizations, the American Refugee Committee usually prefers someone with previous development or refugee experience, or a specific skill. http://www.arcrelief.org/site/PageServer

Environment
Joint Energy & Environment Project (JEEP)
JEEP needs someone in their environmental education department. They are a small NGO working to promote energy-saving techniques such as the use of fuel-efficient stoves. Projects have included designing posters and brochures, leading rural workshops, and producing their environmental radio show.

Theater
Ndere Dance Troupe
Based at the National Theater, Ndere Dance Troupe is an innovative group performing traditional dance and music frequently around Kampala and abroad. They put on Ugandan plays, dances and musical compositions, and have an ongoing project recording traditional music, plays, and folklore. Past volunteers have performed a wide variety of tasks, including coordinating publicity, rehearsals, tours in Uganda and abroad, budgets, cultural recordings and documentation.

Journalism/Photography
The Daily Monitor
As the country's largest independent newspaper, it is outspoken and often critical of the current regime. Past volunteers have worked as photographers, reporters and copy editors. http://www.monitor.co.ug/