Visit Child of Hope in Uganda

Visiting Uganda and Child of Hope is an amazing and life-changing experience, especially if you have never had the chance to visit Africa before. It is an opportunity to learn about the culture of Uganda and specifically Namatala, where our programmes are based.  

You will receive a very warm welcome from our staff and families. Uganda has been voted the friendliest nation by ex-patriots! The country is exceptionally beautiful with many tourist activities (Mt Elgon, Jinja, Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth Park to name a few) and we encourage our visitors to make the most of their trip by including some of these activities if they’re able.   

It’s also an excellent chance to get a more wholesome understanding of the complexities of development work. Talking to our staff and beneficiaries will enable you to gain a clear picture of why there is no ‘simple fix’ for poverty and be amazed at how the local community can overcome such difficult situations. When seeing poverty and development programmes first-hand, your immediate response is likely to be that you will want to help practically – and perhaps you do have some skills which we can find useful. But it’s important to remember that although some skills are ‘inter-changeable’, the massive difference in culture and local ways mean that you would need very close assistance from our local staff. Imagine if we sent one of our staff to your work place… they would gain a great deal in knowledge but would probably struggle to be practically useful to you! 

So we advise that the majority of our visitors see their trip as a learning experience and, therefore, they would fit within the tourist visa criteria. However, if you have experience of working in development and are keen to commit to volunteering with Child of Hope long term (ie 3 months or more), then you would require a work permit. Whatever your reason for coming, we look forward to welcoming you!

Visitors will need to be a minimum of 18 years old, unless visiting with their family or as an organised trip with a group leader.

Please first complete our online application form. After that, we will supply you with a full information pack to help with your planning. This will include all the details you need on immunisations and costs.

One slight word of warning… healthcare facilities are not the same as in the West and you will need to think hard about a visit if you are allergic to nuts or fruit, or suffer from a chronic condition which could have acute consequences (eg angina, uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled asthma, severe allergies, etc). Also – for cultural reasons – smoking and alcohol are not permitted during a visit.

Visits to Mbale can be expensive; costs include accommodation, food, transport, flights and sightseeing. Our information pack gives you the details. Child of Hope has no funds to support visitors or volunteers, so you will need to cover all your costs.

All visitors are also requested to fundraise a minimum of £200 per person per trip as a donation to Child of Hope’s work, in addition to the costs of your trip. We have resources to help you raise this (click here), and our UK team will support you.

But don’t let any of that stop you! Time spent volunteering with Child of Hope or even during a short visit may change your whole outlook on life and will certainly challenge and fulfill you!

UK Churches: mission opportunities

Volunteer in the UK or Ireland