MISSIONS
Community Transformation Project - 2024
"Let each of you, look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others" - Philippians 2:4
Join Us
How many team members will be there?
Between five to ten team members visit on our missions programs in Uganda each summer. What does this mean for you? More people to socialize with and travel with, more people to meet from different cultures, more people to volunteer with, more diverse projects to work on, more staff support, better infrastructure for your CTP team experience!
Experience:
Having placed over 650 volunteers in Uganda since 1983, SWOH is highly trusted and experienced volunteer host provider. Our Staff and Directors have traveled to our program's destination and experience our programs first-hand. We have lived in the accommodation and we have experienced the hospitality that our volunteers are offered. We have visited the placements and inspected the projects that our volunteers contribute to. We have helped SWOH volunteers to prepare for their trips and we understand what it is like to travel to a new country for the first time. Our in-depth knowledge and experience means we can provide outstanding service, support and advice to thousands of volunteers every year.
Responsibility:
Excellence and accountability go hand in hand. At SWOH we are dedicated to ensuring our volunteer programs are responsibly run and have a positive impact that is sustainable over time. We set tough standards for our volunteers and work closely with our partners in the country to ensure our programs meet all of our expectations. SWOH volunteers are also briefed about our standards for responsible volunteering before they begin a program, and they are required to adhere to these standards at all times, particularly in relation to interacting with children. We measure the long-term impact of our programs and we work with community participants to understand how specific projects support local needs.
Friendship:
In addition to forming life-long friendships with host families and the people they assist while volunteering, our volunteers also form strong bonds with their fellow volunteers. Although they come from vastly different cultures and backgrounds, the experiences that volunteers share forge strong ties that can last a lifetime. As one of the world’s Christian volunteer organizations, placing volunteers abroad annually, SWOH volunteers are always in the company of like-minded international people.
Support:
From your first point of contact with SWOH until the time you finish your volunteer program, you will receive dedicated support and service from us. Once you become a registered SWOH volunteer, you will gain instant access to a number of value-add features within your My SWOH account to help you prepare for your trip. These features include interactive training, information booklets and checklists that help you to remember key things you need to do before you leave home. Your SWOH Team Coordinator is directly responsible for making your program arrangements and helping you to prepare for your experience. Once you reach your program destination, our local team will become your main point of contact until the day you depart your program. While your SWOH Team Coordinator becomes a secondary layer of support at this stage, we will remain in touch with you via email and will be accessible should you require any assistance. Once you’ve completed your volunteer program, we’ll get back in touch to hear how you got on, and to say a big "thank you"!
Safety:
Volunteer safety is a top priority of SWOH which is reflected in our outstanding safety record. We have clear standards for risk management which we enforce on each program and our volunteers are placed with trustworthy institutions, organizations and families that have all been screened by our local teams. SWOH staff members conduct regular audits of every program to ensure risks are appropriately mitigated and to confirm that we are meeting our duty of care for volunteer safety and security. We also have a big focus on supporting volunteers to keep themselves safe while abroad, and we provide this support and advice through pioneering volunteer training tools and through face-to-face briefings delivered by our local teams. Your destiny is our primary concern.
Esther and students. Our scholars at the Wings of Hope Christian Primary School love to laugh & love!
Where We Need You!
Education:
The objective of the Teaching project in Uganda is to contribute to the development of under-resourced local schools and provide opportunities for Ugandans from disadvantaged backgrounds to receive a quality education. Teaching in a Ugandan school is a truly humbling experience, although the students have experienced tough upbringings, they are extremely polite, cheerful and eager to learn. The presence of mzungu (western) volunteers is always a great novelty for the children too. Volunteers are placed in our partner nursery, primary or secondary schools, where they work alongside local teachers.
Typical subjects include English, Math, Sports, Science, History, Music and Social Studies. Depending on the school in which volunteers are placed, students can range in age from 3 to 20 years old. Schools in Uganda run for three terms per year. During any school holidays, volunteers will switch to another available project. Opportunities to engage sports, technology, business, management, and agriculture education are available.
As volunteers work with the support of Wings of Hope Ministries local team and placement staff, they do not need to be qualified or experienced teachers to participate. We get daily debriefs while on the field and give you enough information to make knowledgeable decision. However, we encourage volunteers to come prepared by completing some relevant training.
Medical Exchange Program:
Our Medical and Health volunteer projects provide international volunteers of different experience levels with the opportunity to work alongside local healthcare professionals and/or teach healthcare education to local communities. Based on volunteers’ current medical qualifications and where they choose to volunteer, volunteers are placed in a range of settings - clinics, hospitals, hospice care, hygiene and public health campaigns, special needs facilities and home care. Work and independence in Medical projects depend on volunteers’ specific experience and qualification levels.
We established and operate two major hospice and palliative cares and in Eastern Uganda. Hospice Jinja and Hospice Tororo plus an inpatient unit Jinja Hospital but we also work with local hospitals and healthcare centers where we are located. Therefore we need Health care workers like doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, hospital technicians, Pharmacists, labs or x-ray, medical technology or just a compassionate individuals, etc. You help execute the assigned work and also train a native to carry it on when you leave.
Technology, Construction Renovation:
The improvement of local infrastructure provides instant benefit for the communities we work in. Our volunteers work alongside locals to build new structures for community use, renovate existing community buildings and improve civil infrastructure initiatives. Often construction projects are undertaken to support the placements in which SWOH volunteers works, including orphanages, schools, clinics, community centers and recreational facilities. The specific tasks of volunteers will vary depending on the location, community needs and different phases of construction work. We currently own and operate a primary school but also work with other secondary and colleges. We also bring with us tools like visual projector for improving community education
Community Transformation Project (CTP): Community Development projects offers a variety of opportunities for volunteers share and to improve the conditions of local communities. The work is often quite mixed and requires initiative to get projects off the ground as well as interaction with different groups of people. This is a discipleship outreach program that utilizes volunteer experiences in reproducing oneself.
Sightseeing in Uganda
River Nile Jinja:
A trip to Uganda is never complete without a visit to Jinja, the adventure sports capital of East Africa. Located on the shores of Lake Victoria, close to the source of the Nile River, Jinja is Uganda’s second largest town after Kampala. Originally a fishing village, Jinja has quickly gained a reputation as a hot spot for adrenalin junkies. World famous as a white water destination, where the massive Lake Victoria is squeezed into the Nile River, Jinja has diversified in recent years and now offers bungee jumping, 4x4 adventures, horseback safaris and jet boat rides, in addition to the white water rafting trips.
Murchison Falls National Park:
Murchison Falls National Park is the largest national park in Uganda and is the main national park used for many traditional safaris, where team members are looking to spot the Big 5 (elephant, lions, leopards, giraffes and water buffalo). Renowned for its rough roads, the beauty of the park and abundance of wildlife certainly offset the hardships safari goers have to endure while traveling to Murchison Falls.
Fort Portal:
The small town of Fort Portal is located 320 kilometers from Kampala and sits at the base of the picturesque Rwenzori Mountains. The town is popular as a base for tourists to access the stunning national parks surrounding the area and team members also travel to these national parks in their free time for sightseeing and hiking trips. From Fort Portal, you can easily visit the Semliki Valley Wildlife Reserve, Crater Lakes Region, Kibira Rainforest, Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Rwenzori Mountains.
Gorilla Trekking:
Uganda is one of only three countries in the world (the other two being Rwanda and Congo DRC) where you are able to trek into national parks and see gorillas in their natural habitat. Spending an hour with mountain gorillas is one of the most exclusive wildlife opportunities available anywhere in the world, owing to the fact that mountain gorillas are endangered, with only 650 left in the world. Team members who have done these trips speak very highly of them, however the only downside is that the fees associated with gorilla trekking are incredibly expensive (trips start from around US $1,700), which does limit the ability of most of our team members to do these treks.
Mount Elgon National Park/Sipi Falls:
Mt. Elgon is an extinct volcano that first erupted more than 24 million years ago. With the largest surface area of any extinct volcano in the world (50 km by 80 km), Mt. Elgon is the fourth highest mountain in Eastern Africa, with the second-highest peak in Uganda (Wagagi Peak – 4321 meters). Mt. Elgon contains crater covering over 40 kms at the top of the mountain, surrounded by a series of rugged peaks. There are many other national kingdoms sights, exciting culture settings and natural resources not mention above that may interest of the interest to YOU as a team member. We encourage you to bring some extra money and visit them.
Are you interested? Need more information? Contact us at ctpdirector@swoh.org or using our Contact Form