Get Involved
At The Peace Centre we are always interested in hearing from people who would like to volunteer. This may be as part or all of a gap year after finishing high school or later on in life. Equally, it may be that you would like to spend your university summer holiday working alongside our staff supporting and developing the children in The Peace Centre. Whatever your situation, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us via e-mail or via our FaceBook page and we will provide you with more information about the opportunities available. Click here to volunteer.
What does Volunteering Involve?Everything to do with The Peace Centre revolves around developing strong relationships, be that with the children, staff or local community. The actual work that you would do out there is flexible and can be adapted depending on your skill set and interests, but would certainly involve working closely with the children in the orphanage.
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The children range from 5-17 years old and will love interacting with you. As they are typically more than one year behind in school, helping to support literacy and numeracy is very important, but there will also be many other opportunities. You can read with them, play sport with them, do art with them, play games with them, and all of this will go down wonderfully with a very warm, caring group of young people. Having a role model is something that these children have previously lacked, and as such they respond incredibly well to it.
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Where will I be living?
You will be given accommodation right next to The Peace Centre in Bukinda, which allows you to become a real part of the family. Accommodation is basic but clean.
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Hearty, local food will be provided, eating three meals a day alongside the children and staff at The Peace Centre.
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You will have one day a week off, and this is an opportunity to go into Kabale, the regional capital, with a wider selection of goods available should you be missing a little bit of home!
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What are the costs?
The outlay is very economical compared to many other gap year organisations. The cost is GBP £600 for the first 3 months, and includes the following:
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For every additional month there is a cost of £150. You will need to pay for your own flights, visa and insurance, as well as any travelling you wish to do.
What opportunities will I have to travel?
Either side of your stay in Bukinda, you may well be considering travelling around Uganda, and there are plenty of opportunities should you do so. Lake Bunyonyi is not far away; you can go gorilla tracking in the very Southwest of the country; safari abounds with national parks such as Mburo and Queen Elizabeth, and from Jinja you can experience the exhilaration of a Grade 5 white water raft along the Nile. With Uganda bordering Kenya and Tanzania, neighbouring countries also offer a great deal.
How do I apply?
In order to apply we require that you fill out an application form.
We aim to respond to all applications within a week, and will typically follow up by requesting a phone call or Skype interview. This is so that we can get to know you and further understand your reasons for applying, as well as the skills you will bring to TPC, but it is also an opportunity for you to ask questions and get to know us as well.
We will get in touch with your two referees in order to further verify your application. If you are under 18 and/or still at secondary school then we will also get in touch with your parents to confirm that they give permission and support your volunteering.
If accepted as a volunteer at The Peace Centre, we will be in regular contact before your departure in order to provide you with more detailed information about your work, as well as more cultural background and training. We will of course also send you payment details and a payment schedule.
We aim to respond to all applications within a week, and will typically follow up by requesting a phone call or Skype interview. This is so that we can get to know you and further understand your reasons for applying, as well as the skills you will bring to TPC, but it is also an opportunity for you to ask questions and get to know us as well.
We will get in touch with your two referees in order to further verify your application. If you are under 18 and/or still at secondary school then we will also get in touch with your parents to confirm that they give permission and support your volunteering.
If accepted as a volunteer at The Peace Centre, we will be in regular contact before your departure in order to provide you with more detailed information about your work, as well as more cultural background and training. We will of course also send you payment details and a payment schedule.