Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is one of the most beautiful countries in East Africa, and is described by many, including Winston Churchill, as the ‘Pearl of Africa’. Uganda is landlocked by Kenya in the east, Tanzania in the south, Rwanda in the southwest, the Democratic of Congo in the West and Sudan in the North.
Despite being landlocked, Uganda has access to a number of large water bodies, including Lake Victoria, which is the world’s second largest fresh-water lake, and is widely accepted to be the main source of the Nile. The Republic of Uganda is located astride the equator; it has a surface area of 241,039 square kilometers and has a population of 32.5 million (2009).
The most significant cities are located in the south, near Lake Victoria, including the capital city Kampala and the nearby city of Entebbe. Life expectancy for people in Uganda is around 49 years for men and women, with prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS at roughly 6% in adults. The average salary for a Ugandan is around US$250 per year and so there is little to spend on healthcare or infrastructure.
Why Help
There are literally thousands of volunteering opportunities in Africa. The voluntourism industry – combining volunteer work with sightseeing – has exploded in recent years, as has a wave of quirkier volunteering projects.
Working with children in schools or orphanages, conservation work to save the rainforests or helping out in a third-world medical clinic are all popular and common ways to give back.
But if you want to get off the beaten path and do something far more unusual, why not travel to Uganda and help mountain gorillas! This will be the most memorable experience of your life.
Best Volunteer Programs in Uganda
These are some of the most popular ways to help:
• Community outreach
• Orphan and childcare support
• Enterprise skills development
• Teaching and sports coaching
• Wildlife conservation
“My most memorable experience in Uganda was the children coming early and waiting patiently for us, their faces full of smiles.” – Paige, UK