Combine gorilla trekking with volunteering in Kisoro, Uganda
Are you passionate about making a long-lasting change in rural communities in Uganda? Then Bamboo Ecotours is happy to find you a volunteer placement that meets your personal interests! Our volunteers come from different countries and backgrounds. We have had volunteers from the US, UK, Sweden, Netherlands, Spain, among others.
We offer diverse volunteer opportunities listed below. Go through the list, and please let us know which project you would like to support and let you know how much it costs. Plus you have an opportunity to combine gorilla trekking with volunteer opportunities in Kisoro, Uganda.
Emails us at info@bambooecotours.com
We are looking for volunteers to support the following community projects in Kisoro, Uganda:
1. Ecotourism
Two community lodges need your management, hospitality training, website design, and social media marketing expertise. These are Amajambere Iwacu Community Camp located at the main gate of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Mutanda Eco Community Centre, located just 6 kilometers away from Kisoro town. Both lodges are community-owned, and they provide accommodation, food, and camping services to visitors of Kisoro, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and Bwindi National Park.
2. Teaching at a community kindergarten
You will teach English, basic counting, sports, and games to young children between 4 and 7 years old at Mgahinga Community Junior School. A local association founded the school, and the current enrollment is over 150 children.
3. Handicraft group
If you enjoy working with income-generating activities, then come and support a group of local men and women who make handicrafts a source of income. The group has a shop at Amajambere Iwacu Community Camp, and they meet weekly to make handicrafts. The volunteers can help with proposing marketing strategies, improving product design, and training.
4. Public health and conservation
Bamboo Ecotours supports a veterinary project in villages adjacent to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in collaboration with different partners. The project focuses mainly on vaccinating dogs against rabies and deworming livestock to prevent disease spread from community livestock to the wildlife in the national park. If you are a vet, biologist, or interested in conservation, this project is a good fit.
5. Health care
If you are interested in working on health care issues, apply for this volunteer opportunity to work at the front-line of health care delivery in Kisoro. You can work at Gisozi Health Center near Mgahinga Gorilla National Park or Chihe Health Center near Lake Mutanda. If you are interested in working at a much larger hospital, there is a possibility of working at Kisoro Hospital. This opportunity is also open to non-medical professionals. In this case, you can provide support to the nurses when delivering care to the patients.
6. Sports
There are opportunities to train and coach local football clubs. There are two football clubs we work closely with. These are “The Primates Group” and “Gorilla Highlands Football Club.”
7. Computer training
Bamboo Ecotours collaborates with Kisoro Vision High School to offer computer training to students. As a volunteer, you would teach computer basic skills like MS Word, Excel, and Internet browsing to secondary school students.
8. Vocational training
This entails teaching vocational skills like driving, knitting, and tailoring at Kisoro International Vocational Institute.
9. Agriculture
Here you will have an opportunity to work with local farmers who grow Irish Potatoes. You will learn how the farmers prepare the land, plant the seed, and even harvest. You will also have an opportunity to work at a coffee farm. Coffee is Uganda’s leading export earner, and Kisoro produces the best coffee in the country.
10. Project monitoring and operations support
There are opportunities to support office operations of our local partner NGO – Mgahinga Community Development Organization. The office work includes working as a monitoring and evaluation officer and finance and accounting officer. This would be a great opportunity to experience how small NGOs operate in rural Uganda.