Your flight will need to take you all the way through to Entebbe, arriving on the morning that your summer program starts, where you will be met by your AV project leader.

After leaving Entebbe, you will travel to Jinja, for an introduction to Africa and a one-day briefing on your project. It is a chance to settle in, unwind after the hectic few days leading up to your departure and get to know your AV group. The briefing is important for making sure you’re fully prepared for the five weeks ahead. As well as covering the teaching and community work you will be involved with, the course will include the following:

• History, customs and culture of Uganda and its people
• Teaching techniques and lesson practice
• Safety, health and security
• Some Swahili lessons

After your briefing you will start your project. You will be living and working in the communities in and around Busesa, with day-to-day support from your AV project leader. There are three schools within a short distance of each other, where you will help in the classroom. The teaching that you will be doing will only be subjects that you are happy to do (English, maths, science, music, arts and crafts, etc) or a wide range of PE/sport activities. You might even like to start some after school clubs for drama or even a choir. For part of the day you may be able to put your artistic talents to good use by painting educational murals or preparing visual aids.

At the end of term you will have the opportunity to help with a community project. The schools are enthusiastic about the project work you will be doing, which could involve classroom or dormitory renovation, painting and decorating or cementing mud floors. You will assist our team of skilled craftsmen, providing an extra pair of hands for the heavy jobs, helping with the unskilled work whilst also learning new skills on project.

Although you may do renovation work in the school where you taught, it could be that there will be other schools where the demand is greater – prepare to be flexible.

Each day you will spend time socialising with the villagers, usually over a cup of chai (sweet tea) or lunch.  This is a great chance to make new friends – they will be keen to talk about where you are from, your family and life at home, whilst you can practice your Swahili or learn Lugandan!

In your free time you can do as you wish and explore the area – the source of the Nile is a perfect location for white water rafting, bungee jumping, quad biking and more!

On your last day, you will have the chance to do some shopping on the journey to Kampala before getting you to the airport at Entebbe for your flight home.

Your house, which is situated on the edge of Busesa town, is within easy walking distance of the schools. An important part of the AV project is to live in local accommodation, shopping at the markets and helping where you can. The house will probably have a bedroom(s), a communal/cooking area and somewhere to wash. Electricity is intermittent at best, and you may not have running water or flushing lavatories. Instead there will be an outside pit latrine or ‘long drop’. Wherever you will be staying, you will grow to love it and soon feel very much at home!

We encourage independence; you will be doing your own washing, keeping your new house tidy and help to prepare meals. This is the best way of getting to know people, being involved in the community and gaining the best possible understanding of living there – you are not a bystander watching from afar.

You will need to boil water from a local source or buy bottled water.

Before departure:

• Pre-departure information, support and advice
• A nominated member of the UK volunteer support team
• Advice on individual flight arrangements

In-country:

• In-country representative
• 24/7 in-country backup
• Meet and greet at airport (if arriving with the group)
• Airport transfer (if arriving/departing with group)
• In-country briefing
• Transport whilst on project
• Accommodation whilst on project
• Food whilst on project
• Accompanied by a project leader
• Management of emergencies, including lost passport, illness, etc. whilst in-country

Upon returning home:

• Returning home advice
• Full telephone debriefing

What’s not included:

• Flights
• Travel Insurance
• Country visas
• Meeting of non-group arrivals
• Accommodation for early/late arrivals
• Medical expenses, e.g. inoculations, malaria prophylactics
• In-country medical expenses
• Drinks, or bottled water
• Tips/gratuities – No tips/gratuities for AV staff are necessary or expected
• Spending money
• Extra activities that you choose to do
• Weekend activities, transport, food, accommodation away from the project
• Independent travel