10 weeks in Uganda

I plan on going to Uganda as my 1st outreach. I am inspired by my friend Mulondo. He is a resident of Uganda. He thinks that moving to the USA will benefit him. I feel the best thing I can do is show him support and help him get out of the hole using our hands and minds as friends to build hope. Something I want for us all. This is where I start....

Volunteers with a green thumb, or those who want to plunge their hands into deep, rich, African soil, will be interested in an organic farming placement. This village based placement teaches and promotes modern methods of organic farming in rural Ugandan communities. Volunteers work alongside Ugandans digging and maintaining demonstration gardens. Activities include raised bed and double-dug farming to best utilize soil and make planting, harvesting, and fertilizing easier. Volunteers also teach water conservation by lining large pits with plastic bags to collect and store rain water. The organization composts garden refuse and spreads it as fully organic fertilizer, and shows how to create pesticides by mixing ingredients such as tobacco, chilli pepper, and onion. Volunteers are given basic training upon arrival. A small nursery school is a recent addition to the placement, and can be a refreshingly shady place to volunteer after a morning of digging. It benefits the severely rural poor and orphaned children of the area. Volunteers are given a private room at the organization’s headquarters, with their door opening directly onto a lush, green farm. Most projects have little or no resources, so international volunteers with different ideas and experiences are highly valued.