Elena's volunteer work at the Children's Center in Uganda

Elena spent a total of four months in Africa: first, she spent two months as a volunteer in a kindergarten in Tanzania and then two months in a Children's Center in Uganda. Here is her report from Tanzania.

The onward journey to Uganda

On October 27th my adventure continued. I flew from Tanzania to Uganda via Kenya. The view over Uganda from the plane window alone told me why Uganda is also called the "Pearl of Africa"! I lived with a host family in a place about 1 hour from Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Joseph and Irene were really great hosts and parents of four (the fifth is on the way) children. There was always something going on and we had a lot of fun.

The volunteer work at the Children's Center

My project was about half an hour away, in a very poor village. I worked at a children's center. This was a home for children with cancer, who received a place to sleep, food, medical care and transport to the hospital free of charge.

Unfortunately, since I only found out on the spot which project I was going to be involved in, it took me a few days to process it and warm up to the children. In retrospect, I can now say that I am incredibly happy and grateful to have worked there. During my time in Uganda I took care of the children. We played, sang, danced, did handicrafts and taught English.

Personal initiative was required here, but that wasn't a problem for me. Despite the illness, many of the children were very alert and were very happy that someone was there for them. Unfortunately, there were also situations that made me very sad, e.g. B. when I found out that they could no longer do anything for a child and we then had to organize a hospice. In these moments you had to be strong and in turn remember the beautiful moments, e.g. B. when a girl was allowed to go home because the cancer was finally beaten after a long time.

Leisure time in Uganda - travel and excursions

I also used the weekends in Uganda to discover the country and the beautiful and diverse animal and plant world. Be it a weekend in Entebbe, in Jinja at the source of the Nile, in the national park or trekking with chimpanzees - Uganda has a lot to offer.

My conclusion

Finally, I can say that I am very grateful for these four months, because I learned a lot and it was an experience that I will never forget! I keep in touch with all the lovely people I met in both countries and will definitely return to those places.

Elena's volunteer work at the Children's Center in Uganda, by Elena S., February 2019