Volunteer Accommodation
Volunteers in the garden of the Project Manager's family compound where the accommodation is.
Volunteers live in purpose built accommodation at the home of
the Owino family which is near Bujagali Falls, about 4 miles from Jinja in
Uganda. Moses Owino is the Project Manager and a teacher at our school. Living
with him and his wife Florence are their 4 children, 2 adopted children, his
sister and her child and his aunty. People are dropping in and out of his home
all the time. He has at least fifteen dependents.
Not only is the volunteer building
new, but so are the beds, bedding, mosquito nets, floor covering, shelving,
chairs and bedside table. The photos do not do it all justice due to the
difficulty of photographing small rooms. Moses has worked hard to make it as
comfortable as possible without detracting too much from the African
experience. Living in this Home Stay with the family you
will have a safe experience of Africa which you would not have if you lived in a
guest house or hostel. Each room is equipped with a broom, a floor cloth, a bucket and a bowl. Volunteers are responsible for cleaning their own rooms as this is Home Stay and not a hotel. A small radio is available for you to borrow, but you will have to provide the batteries as they are expensive and Moses can't afford them. Also, as radios are expensive for Ugandans to buy, if you break it you will be expected to buy another one before you leave. The sights and sounds of life and the birds in and around the compound are so interesting and enjoyable, plus having the company of other volunteers, you probably won't feel the need to listen to the radio much, anyway!
You will
never feel lonely here. There are
adults to talk to, children who just love to play with you. They don't know your
children's games, so you can have a great time teaching them! They also benefit
from your English language conversation so even when you're at home you will
benefit the children. Then when you want time to yourself, you can go into your
room and shut the door!
Below are photos of the
accommodation, some of the family and their
animals!
The Owino family compound through the trees Dinner with the family on the verandah
The volunteer accommodation building. The ground is still fairly rough in this picture
as the photo was taken not long after the building was finished. The ground will be
grassed and there will be a gravel path, when there are funds to do this.
The inside of one
of the four single rooms. You can see the left hand side of the room with the bed. On the right hand side there is a large set free standing of shelves. There are also coat hangers to hang
clothes along the wall rails, a wall mirror, a chair and a small table. This is a rare luxury in Africa!
There is also one double sized room in the accommodation building. It has two single beds plus the other
furniture and 2 chairs.
Chris Mercer with Moses Owino, his wife Florence and some of the
family.
Florence Owino with Lucienne Bonici, preparing food for
lunch
Aaron Micallef with Florence, Winnie, David and Dan -
and the family pig!