There are many reasons Uganda is one of the best countries to come and help. Obviously there is a lot of poverty in the country and as in many developing countries most of the people are hard-working but just lack that little push, a little help to make their lives better.

To us personally, the atmosphere is a very important reason. Uganda is a beautiful country full of friendly, caring and hard-working people. The climate is perfect because it sits perfectly on the equator, the wildlife is amazing, and have we mentioned it is a very safe country? Sure, in the bigger cities there is a higher chance of problems, but where we operate, theft and crime is a very rare occurrence.

Our founder has been living in Uganda since 2014 setting up smaller and bigger social projects and hosting volunteers. Our biggest success is a plastic recycling project that has transformed in a plastic upcycling project that makes plastic poles and much more from discarded plastic bags and bottles.

After hosting volunteers for eight years, we wanted to do something else, something that we think has a bigger impact on the wellbeing of Ugandans. When someone comes here for an extended time, it gives us the opportunity to really make a difference and to start a project that can last for many years.

Upon arrival in Entebbe a representative of Joeboentoe will await you to either bring you to your lodge (if you arrive late) or to bring you to your project (when you arrive early in the morning).

The same applies for your return; we can only rest assured when we know you are safe and well on your return flight. Therefore, our representative will drop you at the door of Departures – Entebbe Airport, as far as he or she is allowed to go.

* We often get the question if it is possible to stay one or two nights in Entebbe to acclimatize after arrival. This is obviously no problem; just let us know, and we will arrange your stay in a nice lodge, and the same goes for the return flight.

We have multiple local project coordinators who are available 24/7 to provide assistance during your time at the project.

Furthermore, we have a Dutch representative of Joeboentoe who lives in Rukungiri district (south of Uganda) who will be available for questions the local project coordinators can’t answer. He regularly comes to visit you and the project to see if everything is going according to plan.

When you arrive in Entebbe Airport, a representative of Joeboentoe will be there to welcome you and drive you either to your new home for the next months (or to a lodge in Entebbe to acclimatize).

When you opt to stay with a host family in Uganda, they will welcome you into their home, eager to share their customs (and their meals) and have you tell them about your culture and local customs. We believe that this is the best way to immerse yourself in the culture of Uganda and have a truly unique experience.

When you choose to stay in a house, you will have to buy and prepare your own meals. But don’t worry, the basics for a healthy meal are never far away.

Let’s think about it without getting too philosophical; what does it mean to be alive? We are asking this question because over the last years we have hosted many volunteers, and we have talked to many western people doing projects in Uganda. All of them stated that helping people has made them look at life with new eyes.

Most volunteers that come to work with us stay anywhere between three and nine months, and all of them tell us they have learned a lot about themselves and about the importance of gratitude. Most don’t want to leave, and many come back for another volunteer experience.

Thinking about these experiences, we want to give people the opportunity to make a change and experience a whole new life.

The most important requirement is that you need to be a calm and loving person, ready to help where needed. 

We stress that it is very important to be flexible throughout your time in Uganda. An open mind and a strong work ethic are good attributes to have, so that you may make the most of your time volunteering and be of the greatest value to the project.

Personal appearance is important to Ugandans, and therefore we want you to dress appropriate. In Ugandan culture, the knee and upper leg of a woman are something special, so please cover it. Cleavage is of no importance, as Ugandans see breasts as the milk supply for babies (so don’t be amazed if a woman pulls out a breast to feed her baby while talking to you). For men; short pants are worn by boys, so if you want to be seen as an adult, wear trousers. To all; travel light! Uganda has many second-hand clothes markets, so just buy clothes in Uganda and help the local economy at the same time!

Please remember to be respectful and considerate to the people you interact with. The staff and members of the community you are working with will have different cultural expectations and values to those that you believe to be right, or appropriate. The woke ideology of the West is not appreciated, so no They/Them or ‘I identify as a …’ or any outward showing of sexual preference. If you are attracted to the same sex and you are afraid of coming to Uganda; don’t be. The people actually don’t care about it as long as you keep it to yourself.

Another thing you need to learn to deal with is time. To be more precise; time is flexible, waiting is fine and ‘I am on my way’ can mean that the person will arrive somewhere this week or within five minutes. This also applies to our local coordinators, even though we try very hard to make them more Western in the way they keep time. So don’t be frustrated, but let our Dutch representative know when you are constantly running into time keeping problems with your project and/or coordinator.

The minimum age is 18 and there is no maximum age.

There are some subjects that you need to look into before travelling to Uganda.

Travel insurance
You will be living and working in Uganda on a volunteer permit. It is important to discuss this with your travel insurance agency.

Allowed medication in Uganda
Some types of medication are not allowed into the country, so be mindful and discuss this with your embassy and check pages like this one on Tripadvisor. Most medications are easily accessible in Uganda.

Obviously, we will try to advise you on these topics if something is unclear.

COVID
Uganda has had very little Covid cases and deaths, therefore the restrictions are mostly lifted. Just be sure to check with your embassy to see the current requirements.

EBOLA
Ebola outbreaks occur from time to time, they are however not a big issue for the majority of Ugandans and visitors/tourists. Of course, when you are travelling using public transport, you want to be a bit more vigilant, but the chances of getting Ebola in Uganda are very small.