WASH is the collective term for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. Due to their interdependent nature, these three core issues are grouped together to represent a growing sector. While each 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 the pit latrines but do not using 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 part 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 project, programs, and awareness are implemented effectively, professionally, and in accordance with 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 healthy outreach.
- 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 extremely conditions Volunteers working on the construction or engineering components of clean water projects abroad should be well prepared for these conditions upon arrival.
- 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 be contributing and supporting the capacity building of rural communities through intercultural learning experience. You do not need prior experience this projects. These are a very hand on, hands-dirty sort of program. Enthusiasm, a good sense of humor, and a helping spirit are required.
- PUBLIC HEALTH AWARENESS OUTREACH – Unsafe sanitation practices and the spread of preventable diseases are a large part of Uganda 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 component 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 Fundraise for the WASH projects using “CROWD FUNDING” Approach.
Project Location
Our current volunteer programs are based both in the Jinja Adventures city, which is about 80km East of the capital city of Kampala and Fort Portal Tourism City which is about 300km west 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 2 weeks to 12 weeks
At Justice Tourism Foundation (JTF), we offer very affordable program fees with high-quality service and a level of transparency to all our volunteers and intern. 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 home-stay 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$150 to secure their placement. Deposit is included as part with the program fee, it is not an additional charge. Full payment of program fees is due on arrival in Uganda.
(Note: JTF reserves the right to change its policies, review cost and inform volunteers accordingly before their arrival. All fees and arrangements on this website remain final.)
Please Note: There are no extra charges such as application or processing fees. Program fee outline below is exactly what you will pay. However, we encourage all our prospective volunteer to setup a fundraising for their project donation using the GoFundMe platform prior to their arrival at the project site in Uganda. To convert these prices to your local currency please click here. Program fee paid is non-refundable.
Program Fee Description 2 Weeks 3 Weeks 4 Weeks 5 Weeks 6 Weeks 7 Weeks 8 Weeks
Program fees for Solo Volunteers or a group less than 10 volunteers $1,100 $1,500 $1,900 $2,300 $2,700 $3,100 $3,500
Program fees for a Group 10 Volunteer’s and above $550 $750 $950 $1150 $1350 $1550 $1750
Weekly Volunteer Program Fees (Program fee is quoted in US Dollars)
What is Included in the Program Fee? What Extra Costs Will I Have?
Airport Pick-up
Volunteers will be met by our program coordinator at Entebbe International Airport in Entebbe town upon arrival after which you will be transferred to your project site. Please email your flight details to our program placement coordinator once you have booked your flight.
Ugandan food is tasty, diverse and 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. (On season)
Depending upon the particular location and placement, volunteers will either stay with a host family or within our Volunteer Guest House. 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.
Note: Our home stay are 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 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 offer 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 own sleeping bags and other accessories necessary for their personal comfort.
A Day In The Life Of A Volunteer:
| Time | Activities |
|---|---|
| 06:00 - 07:30 | Rise and shine! Volunteers wake up early to start a great day. Take breakfast of cereals, bread, tea or coffee. Refreshed and nourished you are ready for your project work. |
| 08:00 | Travel to the project! It typically takes 15-30 minutes to reach your volunteer assign |
| 09:00 - 13:00 | Dig into the project! You do your volunteering job assignment. |
| 13:00 - 14:00 | Lunch break! You will return to your home-base or host family for a delicious lunch. If the distance is too great, you’ll enjoy the box lunch you brought with you. |
| 14:00 - 16:00 | Finish up your volunteer project work! There’s always plenty to do |
| After 16:00 | End your work day and enjoy your leisure time! You can rest, explore the local area, hang out with other volunteers, study or plan for the next day, whatever you want! This is your time to spend it how you like. |
| 19:00 | Dinner at your volunteer house! After dinner, you’re free to continue your local explorations before settling down for the night, thinking ahead for another fun, busy day |
| Saturday & Sunday | This is the time to enjoy safaris with our beautiful country, exploring Uganda and its many attractions. |
Well, we couldn’t really be Justice Tourism 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 in the vast Bwindi Impenetrable National for Gorilla Trekking or 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. Read More
Trip Booking Form
With our local experts, plan your trip to meet what you want, where you want, how you want and at what budget you plan to spend. You will have a well coordinated and organized trip without devoting too much time on planning.