Help Improve Livelihoods of Communities in Uganda

Nov. 16, 2009 - PRLog -- Established in 2005, this unique private organization is a brain child of James Kange Nadiope who is also the CEO for IVN together with other several people including ex international volunteers who have joined their hands to share an international focus on sustainable developments for Africa and Uganda in particular by working together to increase the capacity of local communities to provide support services to families, women, youth, orphans and vulnerable children in Uganda.
IVN‘s objective is to promote peace, justice and tolerance through cross-cultural understanding and global cooperation. We are committed to enhancing quality of life in Uganda while preserving indigenous cultures, traditions and ecologies.
Our  volunteer holiday and vacations opportunities targets mission groups, families, couples or individuals and students who are interested in helping improve the living standards of communities in Uganda especially those families affected with HIV/AIDS either direct or indirect and the children, the youth and the women. You will get to meet local people, live in a village for a few days and experience local cultures, while volunteering part of your time assisting the local communities. IVN aim is to use volunteer/ tourists time and funding to alleviate poverty in among the local communities, protect cultures and ways of life, forests, environment wild life, and promote sustainable tourism mindful of the needs of the local people while at the same time giving the volunteer a great time and an Adventurous  Safaris.
Our goal is to empower local communities through the volunteer’s skills and financial donations. We believe that local communities are in the best position to determine their needs, and we provide volunteers to help them achieve their goals. And of course Volunteering is one of the great ways to contribute to the global community and gain experience, and also fosters personal growth. Therefore your volunteer time in Uganda will not just be a routine of work, but an unforgettable adventurous experience.  Therefore if you're open to new challenges and enjoy working with and learning from local people, then you can contribute to and benefit from a service-learning program. What we ask of you is flexibility, patience, a spirit of adventure, and a sense of humor. And again, Most Ugandan cultures are very friendly though some provide a greater degree of predictability than others due to cultural norm.

Our Volunteer Program is available from two weeks to 6 months placements. No application fee is required when applying for our volunteer program. However, when the volunteer has been accepted into our program, we encourage all our incoming volunteers to make arrangements to wire their program fee as soon as they are accepted into the program. When we receive your fee, it helps us be in a better position to prepare for your stay. In general, we need to be certain that our volunteers have a commitment to making the trip, since we put a significant amount of legwork into selecting volunteers from a very competitive pool, clearing volunteers with the local government, securing housing, and other project administration issues. The program fee is $150 USD per week.
Our program fees include the following services:
•   Prompt customer service answering your call and emails.
•   Pre-departure Orientation Guide. Includes detailed travel, safety & cultural information and many tips that will make your trip planning easier.
•   Detailed Fundraising Guide that will help you raise the funds needed to travel, as well as provide donations to the project. Ask us about a Widget
•   Accommodations: Home stay, shared volunteer residence, guesthouses. Safe, clean, comfortable local housing, inspected by our local project coordinator.
•   Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Special meals at request. Vegetarians are catered for too.
•   Airport meets and greet by our IVN project coordinator (At any time, any day!)
•   Guidance and support of a local project coordinator, 24/7 in case of emergency
•   Orientation/city briefing on arrival by our IVN project coordinator.
•   Placement in a quality project, allowing you to maximize your time and efforts in a good cause.
•   Transportation to project site with our IVN project coordinator. Includes introduction to local staff and community members with whom you will be working with.
As for your accommodation, the majority of our volunteers live with a local host family. These families have a working relationship with IVN and are deemed suitable by our Project Coordinator based on sanitation, security and comfort. A home-stay provides firsthand insight into the local culture and helps with learning the local language. It also acts as an additional in-country support network. In some locations, a local guesthouse or shared volunteer accommodations are provided. Although you should not expect western standards, the accommodation are good by local standards, clean and secure. Although we cannot guarantee to meet all requests, we will let you if there are accommodation options for your specific program location.

For further information, please visit our website http://www.volunteersug.net or email us at ivn@volunteersug.net

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International Volunteer’s Network is a private organization which was formed with an aim to mobilize international volunteers to live with and work alongside with local people on humanitarian projects with the goal to help the local communities