WASH is the collective term for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene. Due to their interdependent nature, these three core issues are grouped to represent a growing sector. While each is a separate field of work, each is dependent on the presence of the other. For example, without toilets, water sources become contaminated; without clean water, basic hygiene practices are not possible.
The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) entails the provision of safe water for drinking and other domestic use, the safe disposal of waste (toilet and other waste), and health promotion activities to encourage protective healthy behavioral practices amongst the population. Nearly 90 percent of Uganda’s 37 million people live in small towns and rural areas, and roughly two-thirds of them lack access to safe water.
More Water Facts:
- Over half the population in Uganda lacks a safe place to go to the toilet.
- 8.8 million People in Uganda don’t have access to safe water. This is almost a quarter of the population.
- Over 22 million people don’t have access to adequate sanitation in Uganda, almost two-thirds of the population.
- Over 12,000 children die every year from diarrhea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation in Uganda.
Pit latrine coverage in Uganda is low, 47%. A study done by UNICEF(1993) showed that pit latrine coverage was 20% and those families who have pit latrines but do not use them, while others have them but in poor hygienic conditions, and yet others do not have them at all. As a result of this, there is a high incidence of diseases caused by poor sanitary conditions, especially worm infestation and diarrhea diseases. This is where you come in!
What will I be doing?
As mentioned above, the main traditional sources of water in most of rural Uganda are small ponds and unprotected wells, both of which are easily polluted, causing disease and ill health. The ultimate goal of your volunteering effort is to be able to help these communities to access safe sustainable clean water for their home use.
Volunteers in this field work alongside local communities to ensure that water, sanitation, and hygiene projects, programs, and awareness are implemented effectively, professionally, and by the culture and practices of the local population.
Since there are so many processes involved in bringing clean water and sanitation to the communities, volunteers can choose among our three WASH project components including water construction and engineering, construction of Pit Latrines, and community health outreach.
1. WATER CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING.
Volunteers taking on this component work in manual labor such as digging the water wells, constructing of Spring Water Well, and digging of trenches alongside skilled and unskilled local builders to help with the construction work. Volunteers can also help in the Construction and renovation of Boreholes and water wells and Provide Technical Advice and skills to the WASH team in water. Both of these fields are fundamental in creating a working water system. Much of this type of volunteer work requires physical labor, in sometimes extreme conditions Volunteers working on the construction or engineering components of clean water projects abroad should be well prepared for these conditions upon arrival.
2. CONSTRUCTION OF PIT LATRINES.
Goal: Ensuring everyone has access to a toilet is goal 6 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: “By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.”
You will work alongside skilled and unskilled local builders to help with the construction work. These projects will contribute and supporting the capacity building of rural communities through intercultural learning experiences. You do not need prior experience with this project. These are a very hands-on, hands-dirty sort of program. Enthusiasm, a good sense of humor, and a helping spirit are required.
3. PUBLIC HEALTH AWARENESS OUTREACH.
Unsafe sanitation practices and the spread of preventable diseases are a large part of Uganda’s water crisis. Therefore, volunteers are needed to help educate the public, teach basic hygiene skills, test wells and other water sources, and provide affordable treatment to those in need. The importance of marketing, public awareness raising and education, community outreach, and fundraising for a cause cannot be expressed enough; these are the drivers that make change possible. Volunteers who choose these types of WASH project components can expect to coordinate events, monitor and evaluate projects, write newsletters and press releases, and manage overall publicity of clean water projects. Assisting in the preparation of the WASH proposals and Grant writing for WASH Projects funding and fundraising for the WASH projects using the “CROWD FUNDING” Approach.
Project Location
Our volunteer programs are based both in the town of Fort Portal, which is located 300 kilometers from the capital city of Kampala, and in Jinja town about 80 Kilometers east of the capital city of Kampala. The volunteer program begins on the first and third Monday of each month. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for periods ranging from 1 week to 24 weeks.
Date
Our volunteer placement programs run all year round. Though our volunteer placement program start date can be flexible, we recommend that all prospective volunteers set their start date either on the 1st or the 3rd Monday of each month. We advise you to arrive one day before your program is due to start (the day before orientation). Accommodation is provided from the Sunday night before your program starts on Monday, however, if you arrive earlier our staff will organize accommodation for you. This accommodation will cost extra but it is not expensive (expect to pay approximately US$30 per night (B & B). You will pay for this accommodation directly to the Hotel when you arrive in the country. Once you have booked your flights to Uganda ensure you email your flight details to our Volunteer Placement Advisory to ensure you are picked up at the airport.
Program Cost
At Africa Sustainable Tourism Care Foundation (ASTCF), we offer very affordable program fees with high-quality service and a level of transparency to all our volunteers and interns. We work hard to make our prices as reasonable as possible while maintaining our personalized service and standards of excellence. Our fees reflect unmatched support for the volunteer and real service to sustainable projects in the community. The program fee covers the cost of decent homestay accommodation or in the volunteer’s guest house, meals, orientation, and in-country program support during your entire volunteer stay. Our program fees are determined according to the length of stay.
Volunteers are required to pay a deposit of US$300 to secure their placement. A deposit is included as part of the program fee, it is not an additional charge. Full payment of program fees is due on arrival in Uganda.
(ASTCF reserves the right to change its policies, review costs, and inform volunteers accordingly before their arrival. All fees and arrangements on this website remain final.)
Please Note: No extra charges such as application or processing fees exist. The program fee outline below is exactly what you will pay. However, we encourage all our prospective volunteer to set up a fundraising for their project donation using the GoFundMe platform before they arrive at the project site in Uganda. To convert these prices to your local currency please click here. The program fee paid is non-refundable.
Weekly Volunteer Program Fees (Program fee is quoted in US Dollars)
Airport Pick-up
Our program coordinator will meet volunteers at Entebbe International Airport in Entebbe town upon arrival, after which you will be transferred to your project site. If the volunteer’s project placement is in Kampala, you will be transferred directly to your project site after being picked up from the airport. If a volunteer’s project is in Fort Portal, you will spend the night in Kampala at the Guest Inn and transport you to our project site the next day.
NB: Airport Pick-Up will attract a fee of 150 USD.
Ugandan food is tasty and diverse. Volunteers can expect to experience flavors and meals during their volunteer experience. You will be provided with 3 meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Meals will consist of local foods (matooke, posho, cassava, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, yams, and rice), served with green/vegetables, beef, chicken, fish, beans, or ground nuts stew. The country’s tropical climate contributes to a healthy choice of fruits which include bananas, watermelon, papayas, mangos, jackfruit, guava, passion fruits, sugar canes, and pineapples.
Depending upon the particular location and placement, volunteers will either stay with a host family or within our Volunteer Guest House, a rented house or lodge Within our Volunteer Guest House accommodation, we offer simple but clean, safe, and comfortable living spaces where volunteers can reside in either a single or share a room with fellow volunteer of the same gender.
Homestay Model Homes have selected homes that are upgraded to a level where host families can host tourists. Our host families are chosen carefully and are esteemed community members and experienced in hosting international volunteers. They have a strong interest in our volunteers’ safety and well-being and demonstrate this with caution and care. The family is trained in visitor handling, nutrition, hygiene and sanitation, and waste disposal. It is expected that community tourism will economically empower families and provide cross-cultural exchange between hosts and visitors.
Thus, staying with a host family offers a strong and supportive system to volunteers during their program and it’s a great way to learn about local people’s culture and customs. Volunteers are recommended to bring their sleeping bags and other accessories necessary for their comfort.
A Day In The Life Of A Volunteer:
Here is an example of a typical weekday at the project. This serves as a guideline only and we ask that volunteers stay flexible as itineraries may change to best serve the community.
Well, we couldn’t be Africa Sustainable Tourism Care Foundation without extra tourism adventure could we?! As part of your experience, in the majority of our projects, we give you the chance to take part in a range of different adventure activities.
Uganda is a large and extremely diverse country in terms of both culture and nature. For three days you can undertake a safari that ushers you into the vast Bwindi Impenetrable National for Gorilla Trekking The Murchison Falls National Park for Uganda Wildlife Tour or the famous Queen Elizabeth National Park for Uganda Bird Watching, or the Kibale National Park for Uganda Chimpanzee Trekking. We also offer a range of mountain climbing trips, from Mt Ruwenzori, to Mt Elgon, to Mt Mgahinga! The adventures will provide you with a break from your project, a chance to see your host country from a different perspective, and time maybe live out a few dreams. Learn more