TaataKids
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Volunteer opportunities
Be the Change
We offer the opportunity to people from all around the world to come in Mbale volunteering for us.
Teaching/ Assisting in the class
The kids are young and very active, so it is not easy for one teacher to manage a class of more than 50 children. In nursery classes we usually learn songs, good health habits, and educational games. For primary classes we teach reading, writing, counting, social studies, health care and science. Your willingness and/or abilities are very welcome to help us at the classrooms.
Fundraising/ Grant writing
We are focused on improving our school, with many plans for the future. We hope to support more vulnerable children with our recently purchased land close to Mbale town thanks to previous fundraising efforts. We hope to use this space for new buildings for our school as well as a place for orphaned studens to sleep and volunteer house. There is a lot of work being done every day, but still the biggest challenge is money. If you have willingness and/or experience with grant writing, fundraising, report writing; if you know organizations, people or businesses, who/which could support us, you could make a huge difference here and in the lives of the disadvantaged.
Construction of buildings
If you are the physical abilities and the knowledge to build our classrooms, you are more welcome to do so.
Marketing/ Networking
As a growing and ambitious organization, we strive to get on a fast track with our projects. Thus we are in need of marketing and networking our organization and its projects as wide as possible. If you know some good organizations that could support us, or would like to help extend our network, you are welcome to do so.
Teacher Training
Our teachers are qualified and devoted to their work, but still in need of new, more effective, up-to-date teaching techniques and materials, as well as support, encouragement and renewal. We have nursery and primary classes here at the school. If you have the qualities and abilities to teach young children and train our staff, your help would be highly useful.
IT for online growth and support
Our website needs design and systemic improvements, however we lack the tools enabling us to update our website. We would like to have a monthly newsletter to report achievements, challenges and news, but we struggle with editing, design, and implementation.
Video capturing and editing
A volunteer with skills of capturing and editing videos is much needed as well, since people would like to visually see what our Kids are rather than merely reading about it. Sharing this on YouTube, the kids website, and on our Facebook page would raise awareness among a larger number of people, increasing the opportunity for receiving help.
Administration/ Management training
With growth, we meet the challenges of more effective administration/ management of our organization and its projects. We need our organizational structures and procedures to be revised, perhaps new policies to govern our activities to be implemented. We welcome all kind of project management trainings.
Sport education
Children in Uganda are mostly active and physically fit, but we lack professional sport training. The favorite game here is football (soccer) - every boy dreams of being a football player. Thus football coaches would be most welcome. Children are very open to other sports too, like volleyball, basketball, karate, etc. So if you can train any sport and love working with children, you will absolutely enjoy it because the kids are very eager to learn! (Sports days are twice a week)
Music/ Dancing/ Drama education
We have a huge bunch of very creative children at our school (and one drum!) but we lack a professional arts teacher. Music, singing, dancing and/or drama teachers would be very welcome. Our Future vision is to have our own students’ band!
Our Services
Volunteer's house
Accommodation with lunch and dinner
Cost: US $4 per day for accommodation as well as food costs (please check current exchange rate.)
The volunteer house is safe and secure in a quiet area, around 500 metres to school. The home has running water, and electricity. Bedding and a mosquito net is provided. Volunteers will need to bring their own towels.
There is a housekeeper who will keep the house clean throughout the week; however, volunteers are required to keep their rooms and common areas tidy. Volunteers will be provided with lunch and dinner. For breakfast, you can get a chapatti for just 500 USH nearby and other similar food. The volunteer house also has a fridge, so you can chose to make your breakfast in the home before your day starts. African Tea is served at the school at 10am and you could buy sambosa for only 100 Ugandan shillings, as a snack with your tea.
For lunch and dinner, there is a revolving menu of local dishes, which include typical Ugandan stews (beef, chicken, pork, goat, fish and vegetable), beans, rice, chapatti, groundnuts and vegetables. Starchy foods such as white bread, white rice, pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, matoke (boiled green bananas), and cassava are dietary staples.
The tropical climate of Uganda also contributes to a healthy choice of seasonal fruits, including bananas, watermelon, papayas, mangoes, jackfruit, and pineapples.
If you have any special dietary requirements, please let us know well in advance of your program so our local team can make arrangements for you.
We shall do our best to see that you are well taken care.
Touring
Tour and Travel
We give our volunteers an opportunity to travel and experience all parts of Uganda by create budgets depending on which locations they wish to visit and guides can show the wonders of our country without the hassle and stress of being alone in the unknown.
In the mornings, when the sun is rising above Mountain Elgon there is opportunities to do hiking into the tropical mountains or shower in beautiful waterfalls surrounded by coffee plantations. You can also eat mixed tropical fruits like pineapple, mango and jack fruit for breakfast with passion fruit juice and tea.
In the evenings you’re always welcome to play football or any game with kids and youth, chat with them, sing and learn African songs or go for a walk in hilly village areas. Local people and especially children are very happy to spend their time with “Muzungu” (white person). Anywhere you go they greet you “Muzungu, how are you?”
On the weekends and other days-off it’s a good time for touring and exploring Uganda – the pearl of Africa. We have plenty wonderful touring opportunities in our area.
Mbale - Mountain Elgon National Park with Sipi falls, local tribes, picturesque nature, etc.
You also have the opportunity to visit BCU, a coffee factory just outside Mbale, which has been appreciated among previous volunteers.
Lake Victoria- Take a boat ride out to see the island with a chimpanzee sanctuary and discover a huge variety of African wildlife.
Jinja- A beautiful town home to the Source of River Nile and many other attractions like white water rafting, bungee jumping and kayaking.
Karamoja region – Highly populated by uncivilized herdsmen tribes, retaining their traditional religious beliefs and unique lifestyle
Kampala – Our bustling & vibrant capital city with lots of opportunities to go to western style restaurants, hotels and clubs. You can also visit the Mandela National Football Stadium and watch the Ugandan football team take on different opponents.
Entebbe – Not only the location of Entebbe International Airport (Uganda’s main airport), this is also a cozy little town surrounded by Victoria lake with a zoo, botanical gardens, and sandy beaches along the shore of the lake.
Informations
Other useful informations
TRANSPORTATION FROM AIRPORT TO OUR GUEST HOUSE IN MBALE.
Its 8 hours from Airport which is cost $100, with your bags,drinking water, food, public toilet use and also with our guide if you wish to pick-up you from the Airport which costly he/her to come and back on that same money! But if you wish to come by yourself, it cost $ 51 only. From Airport to Kampala use special car (TAXI), Kampala to Mbale by big bus and Mbale town to our Guest House by BODA-BODA (Motorcycle). And if you wish to stay in the Guest house for a night around Etabbe Airport cost $50 per night without food and drinking water.
VISA INFORMATION
Most visitors to Uganda need to obtain a visa including Europeans, Americans and nationals from Commonwealth countries such as New Zealand, Canada, Australia, and the UK. Volunteers are advised to obtain a tourist visa to enter Uganda. Work permits and “CLASS G1 WORK VISAS – VOLUNTEERS, NGO WORKERS, MISSIONARIES” usually are too complicated to get. A single entry tourist visa (valid for three months from the date of issue) is available upon entry into Uganda - by land or air. Upon arrival, you will fill out a visa application form which you will submit alongside a payment of 100 USD (exact sum) to receive your visa. Acquiring the Visa upon arrival is cheaper and the process straight forward, moreover the chances of Visa denial are almost zero if you can meet the simple entry requirements.
A six-month multiple entry visa. Other categories of multiple entry visas (12 months, 24 months & 36 months) can be applied for at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kampala. Information on these other categories can be found on the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Where visitors seek to stay longer than the period granted on arrival, extension of the period should be sought from the Immigration Headquarters in Kampala before expiry of the initial visitor’s pass.
Below is a list of countries whose National do not require to pay for a visa to enter Uganda: Angola, Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Burundi, Comoros, Cyprus, Eritrea, Fiji, Gambia, Grenada, Italy (Diplomatic Passport holders only), Jamaica, Ireland, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, Madagascar, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Vanuatu, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Nationals of these countries are issued gratis (free of charge) visas upon their arrival.
Passport: You need a valid passport, one that is expiring at least 6 months from the date you enter Uganda.
Visa
• Sufficient Funds: No amount is currently specified by the immigration, but having a Credit Card and a return ticket are good evidence to convince the immigration officer that you have enough money with you.
• Return / Onward Tickets: This is your evidence to prove that you have enough money on you, however, if you possess a one-way ticket, be ready to do some explaining to the immigration officer who might think you do not have enough funds to buy a flight out the country.
International Health Certificate: You may sometimes be requested to present this document to show that have received a yellow fever vaccine shot. You should do the vaccination at least two weeks before arrival to Uganda, as it starts working in your immune system in 10 days after you get shot.
Internet Access:
When it comes to internet access, we do not have any wifi at the guest house or the school. However, most volunteers get a national SIM card for a maximum of $1, and load it with 3G. There are also wifi and internet cafes in Mbale town and a boda-boda (motorcycle) ride there is only about 30 cents (US).