You will be staying at Mama Flo's Guest house in Jinja. Beds are foam mattresses and bedrooms are shared with your fellow volunteers and crew. You may have a social area such as a living room and there may be a garden to relax in after school. Storage will be limited and your backpack must have a lockable compartment in it. Your accommodation is selected in a secure location in close proximity to the school. A local cook is provided who often will be a member of the host family within whose house you are staying.
Your house will not have running water. There is a shower cubicle either indoor or outdoor, in which you can make use of the traditional 'bucket shower'. Ten minutes down the road you will find water at the Nile River Camp. Electricity may not be available but alternatives will be provided usually paraffin lamps which create quite a cozy environment in the evenings. You can charge your phone at least every weekend if you choose to do independent travel away from the project site.
We expect you to keep your room and personal belongings tidy at all times and participate in any chores as required for the cleanliness of the shared facilities.
Arrival Information
Your transport from Entebbe to Jinja will be with the Pineapple Express Shuttle. The shuttle leaves Entebbe at 14:30 and will take you straight to your accommodation at Mama Flo’s in Jinja, where you will arrive at 19:00. It may take you up to an hour to clear immigration, collect your bags and get through customs. Once you are outside in the busy pick up area look for your Pineapple Express Shuttle driver, he will be holding a Pineapple Express signboard and wearing the T-shirt.
If you have any trouble or miss your flight you can call:
SAVE Reservations: +27 73 333 4338
Volunteer Manager: +256 (0)792 070172 / +256 (0)772 620498
Pineapple Express Shuttle: +256 (0)787 992277 / +256 (0)753 794030
If your flight arrives later than 14:30, you should arrive on a Sunday. The volunteer organisation will assist with booking extra accommodation and transfers for Sunday night.
Getting to the Project
The project site differs daily and as such, local transportation is at volunteers’ own expense.
Departure Information
We will organise for the Pineapple Express to take you back to Entebbe. The shuttle leaves every day at 07:00 from Mama Flo’s in Jinja and arrives in Entebbe at 10.00. If your flight is earlier than this, we can help you organise to stay in Entebbe the night before.
At your accommodation you will have a local cook who will cook at the house on charcoal stoves. The food will be of good local standard. Breakfast will be a simple affair consisting largely of bread, jam and fruit, and dinner will consist of good quality local food; this being any combination of rice, potatoes including sweet potatoes, ugali (a maize meal stiff porridge), chapattis, spaghetti, cabbage, spinach, beans, seasonal vegetables, eggs, beef stew, with sauces of a tomato base. Most meals are vegetarian.
You will be given a 5000 UGX allowance per day for lunch. This can be used to order lunch from Mama Flo, or you can use it towards a meal in the village or local camp site.
Please also help our crew by notifying them on time of any food items that we are running low on. We make weekly shopping trips to the market, which you may want to join with the cook. We can cater for most dietary requirements; it’s just important that you inform us of them before you arrive. However, we do not cater for picky eaters, so please be respectful of the local food, cultures, traditions and give everything a try.
Ample drinking water will also be provided at the house and the school, this being clean spring water that has been boiled thoroughly and kept in a sterile covered container. Bottled drinking water can also be bought in Kampala.
Please note: We need to be informed on any dietary needs or restrictions prior to your departure. Volunteers with very specific dietary requirements may be required to supplement their meals at their own expense.
Important information regarding visas:
Visas for Uganda are required by most nationalities. Visas are available at the point of entry (ie. airports and land borders) to most nationalities, however, some nationalities require visas to be purchased in advance. All nationalities should check with the Ugandan Embassies for more information as requirements do change from time to time. The type of visa you need is a Tourist Visa that has a validity of 3 months and allows you to simply be in Uganda. To purchase your visa on arrival, you will need new, clean American dollars in cash. The cost for the visa is around $50 USD.
Completing your landing card and visa arrival form:
As you are undertaking a relatively short travel experience with us, you are classed as a 'tourist'. If you mention that you are doing 'voluntary work', you may be charged for a more expensive visa and also asked to fill in lengthy forms which we can hold no responsibility for.
Completing your landing card and visa arrival form:
Our partner is an international social enterprise that supports local NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) and CBOs (Community Benefit Organizations). As you are undertaking a relatively short travel experience with us you are classed as a "Tourist" so please tick the appropriate box.
Note: When people are going to work for an NGO, typically for longer periods in organizations to do things like relief work, then a work permit needs to be applied for but this is not relevant for our community projects. This is what we have been advised on, however, if you mention that you are doing ‘voluntary work’ then they may charge you for a more expensive visa and also ask you to fill in lengthy forms which we can hold no responsibility for.
The purpose of your visit to Uganda is "Tourism". Details of contact person, address and telephone in Uganda will be the starting point hostel provided below. If you are getting your visa on arrival at the airport, please ensure you have all the correct information handy to fill in, and it’s a good idea to bring a pen.
