International Volunteer Manual

Uganda, Africa

Our Vision A Child. A Village. A Country Meet Jane, seven years old (2007), living with her mother and sister in a small village in Western Uganda. After a horrific attack during the night as the result of a land dispute, her mother and sister died. Jane lived, but barely. Not long afterward, a providential introduction was made between Jane and an American visiting Kampala, Steve Cobin. At that point a series of events were set in motion that would change Jane’s life and have a ripple effect that would touch untold number of lives in both countries. Jane was flown to the United States for medical treatment where she was ultimately adopted by Wake Forest’s Dirk and Paige Hamp. So too was her village. Kaihura - Embrace Uganda grew out of the Hamp’s and Cobin’s love for Jane’s home, for the orphans and other vulnerable children that lived in her village of Kaihura. Since the Fall of 2007, our non-profit, fully volunteer organization has, along with its Ugandan partner, Bringing Hope to the Family, constructed a new home for Home Again Orphanage, finished the building of Hope Again Medical Clinic, made improvements to a public school in the area, and supported clean water initiatives and self-sustaining agricultural projects. We have now received pledge commitments to build a new Baby House at Bringing Hope. Koreng - If you drive the rutted roads east from Bukerere, past Jinja, the source of the Nile River, and on to the plains of the Teso region, you will come to the community of Koreng. The hometown of Michael Okwakol, and Director of African Church Empowerment Ministries, Koreng is a community with a lack of material resources but no lack of spirit. It had a school without walls (they met under a Mango tree). It lacked electricity, basic health care, easily accessible sources of clean water, and proper sanitation. And yet because of the work of Embrace Uganda, Kadacar Primary School now has clean drinking water, funding for additional teachers, 5 teacher houses, and proper sanitation. Educational scholarships are a top priority and regular medical clinics are a goal for the children’s health. In the surrounding community we have now completed 7 clean water wells! We continue to assess how Embrace Uganda can contribute meaningfully to this impoverished area. Embrace Uganda is committed to long-term relationships with Ugandans in these three communities, seeking better educational opportunities for children, quality health care, and sustainable economic development ---all in conjunction with our Ugandan friends and partners. Our mission is nothing less than to encourage and empower a generation of orphans, one village at a time. Will you join us?

Uganda Overview The colonial boundaries created by Britain grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. Because of this, there are over 60 different dialects spoken in Uganda. English is the common language. Uganda gained independence from Britain in 1962. Since then Uganda has undergone a long road to democracy. The dictatorial regime of Idi Amin (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents. Guerrilla warfare and human rights abuses under Milton Obote (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri Museveni since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda.

• Democracy, Independence from British Rule in 1962 • Rocky political and economic history, today one of the poorest nations in the world. • Landlocked, in East Africa, just to the west of Kenya • Straddles the equator • Size app. equal to North and South Carolina combined • Rich natural resources, abundant wildlife • Population 41 million (50% under 15 years of age) • Largest City: Kampala, pop. 1.5+ million • Access to safe water and sanitation 65% • Access to electricity – under 20% • Literacy Rate 69% • Per capita income $670 • Life expectancy 58.65 years • Infant mortality 39/1,000 live births • Physicians 12/100,000 population • Estimated number of orphans 2.5 million

FAQ’s Passport Info A valid US passport, expiration date at least six months beyond expected time of travel. Be sure to purchase travel insurance including medical evacuation coverage. You need to apply for this right away if you do not have one. EU must have 2 photocopies of your passport. A Uganda entry visa (WE WILL OBTAIN WHEN WE GET TO UGANDA). You will carry your own passport unless you want the leader to safe-guard it for you.

Vaccinations/Medical • Evidence of yellow fever and typhoid vaccination, along with international

immunization certificate. Yellow fever and Typhoid vaccines alone cost about $250 per person. We must have 2 photocopies of your official certificate and you carry the original. In addition, when we spoke with "Passport Health", they usually recommend one of everything, as many diseases are endemic in Uganda. This includes

• Recent MMR • Polio • Flu • Hep A • Meningitis • Tetanus vaccination • You will NOT likely need Rabies vaccination.

If you travelled to Uganda last year you will NOT need all these vaccinations again. Make sure your flu shot and other vaccinations are current. You will need to take medication to prevent malaria. There are several choices. We opted for the Malarone, which was covered by BC/BS, but still cost a level 3 co-pay ($40.00) per person. You will need mosquito repellent. Vaccinations are provided through the travel clinic at Wake County Health Dept. There are charges, and there is often a wait. Alternatively, "Passport Health", located in Cary, provides all of these vaccinations as well, by appointment. The Passport Health in Cary will provide a discount for Embrace Uganda, but you will need to let the front desk know. Follow this link to Passport Health: https://www.passporthealthusa.com/triangle/. Follow this link to the CDC page on travel to Uganda for more detail: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/uganda?s_cid=ncezid-dgmq-travel-single-001 Follow this link to the State Department for travel advisories to Uganda: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Uganda.html Follow this link to the Uganda Visa Application site: https://visas.immigration.go.ug Medical/Travel Insurance Everyone traveling in our group must have basic travel insurance with medical evacuation. We will purchase this with our airline tickets. If you want additional travel insurance you can purchase that independently. Medical Insurance: We need two photocopies of your medical insurance card. Housing

While in the village you will be staying in one of the following: Kaihura (Volunteer house/Faith’s house, Home Again) Koreng (Okwakol’s Guest House in Kumi) Kampala (Michael Okwakol daughter and son-law bed and breakfast) Showering/Toilets Up until 2014, in most places (except travel nights at hotels) we bathed from a bucket – water could be warmed over the fire! Also, most toilets were of the “squatting” type. Now, you will be able to take a shower even though many times it is not warm water. Toilets and plumbing are available in most of our ministry areas, as well. Laundry Even though you will only be on this trip for 2 weeks your clothes may still get very dirty, considering that you are in a village. You will need to wash your clothes or pay to have them washed. The kids and ladies in the villages will show you how! Clothes The weather in the village is typically very mild. The days can get to the upper 70’s and the nights can get into the low 60’s. It would be a good idea to bring a rain jacket along with a sweater or sweatshirt for the evenings. While you can obviously bring comfortable clothes, remember that while you are in the village you are a representative of Embrace Uganda. Don’t wear anything that would be inappropriate such as: shirts with inappropriate logos, shorts (for girls), spaghetti straps or tank tops. The typical dress for women in the village is long skirts, you won’t be expected to wear them (you can wear pants or capri’s) but you are definitely welcome to. You will want to bring a nice set of clothes for church. Everyone dresses up for church in Africa! Email/Social Media Computer access is challenging at best. We will attempt to send email blogs back to the US to designated volunteers stateside who will distribute to an email list. Please make sure to turn in anyone who you want on the email distribution list. WIFI is available in some cases and WhatsApp works great for communicating from Uganda to the US. Phones International calls are VERY expensive from Uganda to US. It is not as expensive for calls from US to Uganda. We will purchase 2 cell phones when we get in country and will email those numbers via email to our volunteer coordinators stateside. They will send out the numbers to your family members. Expect to communicate once or twice with your family. We will have a contact person who in the US who will send updates out to your family and friends. Communicating with the Villagers Most of the staff of Bringing Hope to the Family English. Many local community members also speak English. Most those in outlying villages however speak local tribal languages. We will have plenty of our Ugandan partners with us all the time who speak the local languages. However, you will find lots of ways to communicate – so not to worry!

Extracurricular Activities During the trip you may find yourself with some down time. Take full advantage of this time to get to know the staffs of the organizations we are supporting. The kids love to play football (soccer) or sing songs for you! Culture Shocks You will be called Muzungu (Swahili for foreigner) so know that this is not a derogatory term. The poverty in Uganda can seem very overwhelming if you have never seen people living in those types of conditions before. Bringing Hope to the Family is working very diligently to bring about change in Kaihura. While you may be tempted to give money to someone who asks you to while you’re in the village do not give them any money! If the need is legitimate, the chances are that Faith or Michael is already aware of it. If you would like to help meet the need discuss it with Faith and Michael first and make sure that the donation goes BHTF or ACEM through Embrace Uganda. We don’t want to give the impression that Embrace Uganda always comes with a hand out anytime a team comes to the village. The same rule applies to other kinds of gifts you may want to give out as well. It is not uncommon to see women breast-feeding without a covering. It is also not uncommon to see men showing each other physical attention such as holding hands. This is a sign of friendship; there is nothing homosexual about it. If you spend time in any of the surrounding cities the chances are that you will run in to street kids who will ask you for money. It’s wonderful to talk with them and make a relational connection with them but it is better not to give them money. Carried peanuts and other small candies to give them.

Packing WHAT TO BRING Documents and Dollars

• Passport, Visa receipt/letter, Shot Record (yellow card), Insurance Card • Meal money for traveling to and from Uganda – all meals on rest of trip are

covered. • $50-100 US dollars for 36 hour travel front and back end • Spending Money for Uganda (suggested $100-$150) *For the best exchange

rate cash should be in $100 bills from year 2018 or higher. • Clothing (all your clothing must fit in a carry-on suitcase) • 2 pairs of sandals/flip flops (1 pair showering and 1 pair for indoor shoes. Tennis

shoes aren’t worn inside the house.)

• Tennis shoes or “chacos” – you'll be doing a lot of walking so make sure you have a comfortable pair of shoes.

• 1 or 2 long sleeve shirts (an under shirt is good) • 5-6 short sleeve shirts • 2-3 pairs of pants • One set of nice clothes for church. • Week worth of underclothes • Light jacket or sweatshirt • Rain jacket/small travel umbrella • Sunglasses and Hat

Supplies

• Towel and wash rag/sponge • Any personal medicine (don’t forget malaria medicine) • Sunscreen and mosquito repellant • Personal hygiene products: soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste,

feminine products, razor. • Hand Sanitizer/GermX • Baby Wipes (for face or hands – very easy way to stay fresh) • Water bottle – that can be refilled with bottled water. • Snacks (granola bars, trail mix, nuts, etc) • Bible and Journal • Camera and batteries. • Flashlight and batteries. Every individual needs his or her own flashlight. • Voltage Converter for those bringing equipment that needs charging.

WHAT NOT TO BRING

• Electronic devices. (limit your cell phone to communication home) • Purses. A small backpack purse or fanny pack is better. • Jewelry. Ladies must NOT wear an excessive amount of jewelry. Less is BEST!

It must be conservative in style. • Guns, Knives or any kind of weapon.

Trip Expenses Covered in Your Mission Trip Fees Your Mission Trip Fee of $3000 cover the following:

• Flight • Travel Insurance (**If you select more extensive insurance then you pay

difference) • Food • Lodging • Ground Transportation • If you are on the 1-month team there is an additional $400 fee.

Other Expenses Shots: $200 -$600 -Depending on what you need and where you get them. We recommend check with your primary physician first, since some of the shots may be covered by insurance. The health department or Passport Health. Money for meals while traveling to and from Uganda: $50 Approximately 4 meals not covered Breakfast and lunch on way to airport when leaving for Uganda Lunch and dinner on way home from Uganda Meals will be provided on flights but if you want additional food at airports you need to bring $ for those expenses as well. I strongly recommend packing snacks for travel – it saves TONS of money. You cannot pack drinks. Spending Money: $150* or more depending on what you plan to buy. We will visit local craft markets. If you are part of the Kaihura mission team, you will most likely have the opportunity to go to a Wildlife Refuge/safari day trip. *This additional cost varies between $75 -$125. (optional) – We will decide prior to departure if this something the team would like to do. It is a lot of fun! Tip Money (optional): $50 – You will encounter several kind Ugandans during your travel time will be providing services such as cooking, laundry, serving, driving, cleaning, carrying bags, etc. The people who are providing these services are almost always living in poverty conditions. It is customary for tourists to tip the people who are providing such services. While the cost of all of your services is included in your mission trip fee, you, you may consider carrying some extra cash to tip our Ugandan friends. *All cash to be exchanged for Ugandan shillings should be in $100 bills from year 2018 or higher. *Credit Cards are not accepted many places in Uganda.