Volunteer
Opportunity description

Hope of Children and Women
Victims of Violence (HOCW) was founded in 2008 by refugees and international
volunteers who had a passion for the plight of women and children. A non-profit
humanitarian organization, HOCW’s mission is to instill hope, provide
opportunities, and offer support to the community of Ndejje, Uganda.

HOCW’s clients include an
ever-changing population of Ugandans and refugees from the Democ
ratic Republic
of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and other African
nations, many of whom have experienced war, internal conflict, natural
disasters, gender-based violence, and extreme poverty.

We have a small, full-time staff
composed mostly of refugees. We rely on volunteers to provide the manpower to
help us carry out daily activities as well as share expertise and collaborate
with our staff.

HOCW is a community center that
provides services to an average of 50 people a day. We do our best to meet the
needs of refugees through several programs: adult education, health services,
youth activities, social development, and community collective.

Volunteer Information:

HOCW is recruiting 2014
summer and fall volunteers for an array of programs and short-term projects.
The ideal candidate will possess a strong interest in HOCW’s mission. We
encourage our volunteers to assist with a program that serves their interests,
such as teaching English classes, starting an art project, creating and leading
youth activities, or providing help with the organization’s administrative
needs (fundraising/grant writing, website design/operation, etc.).

Volunteers with a mental
health background are encouraged to apply. Many of the people we serve are
victims of rape and other acts of violence. There is very little mental health
infrastructure in Uganda and HOCW does what we can to work with victims of
trauma and war. Based on volunteer skills and appropriate training, we have
offered popular art and group therapy sessions.

The HOCW compound is located in Ndejje,
a rural village approximately 11km from Kampala’s city center. The compound
contains a volunteer house (bedrooms, bathroom, common living room), the
Executive Director’s house (where all meals are served), office, classrooms,
and small outdoor space.The volunteer house provides all the basic amenities —
running water, electricity, bedding, and wifi.

Volunteer fees are $150 USD per
week for volunteers who stay four weeks or less and $100 USD a week for
volunteers who stay more than four weeks. Fees include: pick-up from Entebbe
airport, accommodations in the volunteer house, and three delicious home cooked
meals per day. In addition, you will need a weekly budget of approximately $20
USD to cover bottled water, local transportation, and other personal expenses.

Public transportation (matatu or
shared taxi) to Kampala is easily accessible. The capital is a busy, bustling
city that some volunteers enjoy spending time in. For those who prefer to stay
away from the hustle and bustle, there is also a shopping center in Lubowa,
about a 25-minute walk or a short bodaboda (motorbike) ride away. Lubowa has a
bank, grocery store, coffee shop, bar and a few restaurants. Uganda is a
beautiful country- we encourage volunteers to travel on the weekends!

HOCW Programs:

Adult Education:Many of the refugees that come to HOCW are
from countries that do not share common languages with Uganda, such as DR
Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi. This language barrier means that adult refugees
struggle to find employment; have difficulty carrying out daily tasks; and
often feel isolated from their neighbors. In the adult education classes,
volunteers help these refugees learn English, facilitating their integration
into society, opening the doors to jobs, and having a lot of fun along the way.
We offer basic literacy classes and three levels of English.

Health:Zanta Clinic, one of the few public
clinics in Kampala, is a short walk from our compound in Ndejje. This bustling
primary care center offers services including HIV testing, prenatal care and
preventive services. Zanta provides health care to a large population of
vulnerable people and refugees, including most of the people we serve. HOCW
partners with Zanta to provide health professional and health professional
student volunteers.

HOCW also provides health
education seminars and classes- volunteers with expertise in this area may work
with HOCW staff to plan and conduct workshops.Language barriers and
discrimination can be barriers to refugees as the access the health services
they need. Volunteers can accompany HOCW clients to medical appointments to
advocate on their behalf.

Social Development:Many of the people we work with are
incredibly talented and creative. We work with them to nourish these talents
and turn them into viable businesses. We have a small tailoring shop as well as
groups of women that produce jewelry and baskets. We are working to create a
collective of artists and craftspeople. We welcome volunteers that have
creativity or business lessons to share.

Youth Activities:State run education in Uganda is very
limited. The reality for the families we serve is that if they cannot afford
school fees, their children cannot go to school. Because of this, many children
spend long periods of their childhood not in school. We serve many children who
are not in school at all and many more that are far behind in their studies.We try to provide as many
organized activities as possible including academic lessons, sports and arts.
We are looking for volunteers who have experience teaching academics, coaching
sports or are interested in teaching music, dance, drama or other cultural
activities. Currently, this is a part-time program.

Community Collective: HOCW founded and hosts a Community
Collective, where women make a variety of products to sell in Uganda and
abroad. The Collective is comprised of the Tailoring Group, Jewelry and Crafts
Group, Embroidery Group, and Soap-Making Group where the emphasis in each group
is to empower women by providing them with job skills, stable sources of
income, and opportunities for social engagement.

How to apply

To apply for volunteer placement,
please send your resume to kelly.hocw@gmail.com along with details of when you
would like to volunteer; how long you would like to stay; and what HOCW
programs you would like to be involved in.

Once you have been accepted and
your volunteer dates have been confirmed, you will receive a Volunteer
Information Packet that contains an abundance of useful information about
living and working in this beautiful country.

If you have any questions about
volunteering, please direct them to Kelly Rigney, our Volunteer Coordinator.
She will be happy to respond to questions big and small as well as share some
of her own stories about volunteering in Uganda.We look forward to hearing from
you!

Ms. Kelly Rigney

[[tel:617-694-0338|Tel:617-694-0338]]

Email: kelly.hocw@gmail.com

For further information or to
inquire about volunteer opportunities, please email Kelly.

Please also visit our website and
facebook page: www.hocwug.net
or https://www.facebook.com/hocwug.net

HOCW has fiscal sponsorship from
Visions Made Vaible, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in the United States (tax
ID number: 26-2214003). Fiscal sponsorship means that the HOCW has legal and
tax exempt status under a sponsoring organization which has agreed to offer us
administrative overhead and consulting help, freeing up our energy to be
directed exclusively at achieving our mission. Our fiscal sponsor is Visions
Made Viable, a 501(c)3 non-profit based in California and committed to helping
seed projects launch, and many of which “spin-off” to become
independent non-profits.

This also means that all
donations, including the cost of flights, made through Visions made Viable are
tax deductible for US tax payer.