International Volunteers Network, Inc ,Medical Nurse and Doctors are needed to work in a rural area

Volunteer
Opportunity description

Volunteer Abroad with A Purpose!
International Volunteers Network programs provide an opportunity to do
something so rewarding, that we guarantee you will never ever forget it. Have
you considered a volunteer vacation? Why not spend your summer vacation, school
holiday or u
niversities break with us? Make a lasting impact that changes lives
and provides you one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. The key to
ending poverty and creating harmony throughout the world begins with each
individual person and how they choose to live their lives. One person may not
be able to change the World, but they can change a life! • Experience the
happiness, struggles, aspirations and dreams of the people you assist – all
while discovering the beauty, history and culture of a foreign location. • Work
on social, medical, conservation, community development projects side-by-side
with members of the community and actually see the results of your hard work. •
Expect to immerse yourself in the community – eat local food and drink, learn
common phrases, listen to local music, really get to know the people you serve.
See what really makes a destination truly unique – the people, not just the
tourist sites. If you have an open mind, a dedication to fostering cultural
exchanges, a passion to help and a sense of adventure, Traveling with a Purpose
is perfect for you! Our programs serve the most vulnerable community members in
Kamuli District and Mpigi Districts of Uganda. We offer community development
projects including Widows House Constructions, and repairs, home repairs,
health/HIV/AIDS, youth and child education, water and sanitation (including
well construction), vocational skills development, or other skills that can
help us transform the community.

With our volunteer program we
allow you to discover the wonders of African in more in particular Uganda while
doing meaningful and rewarding community work. This is a great opportunity to
explore life in rural Africa, live and work amongst the locals and realize one
person can make a difference. International Volunteers Network – IVN
collaborates with those organization whose efforts are created and directed to
address the enormous challenges faced by millions of African children who have
either been orphaned by AIDS or live with parents who are sick or dying from
AIDS-related illnesses. Established in 2005, this unique organization has
joined hands to share an international focus on children in Africa by working
together to increase the capacity of local communities to provide support
services to orphans and vulnerable children in Africa and more specifically in
Uganda. The goals of IVN to strengthen the capacity of African communities to
advocate, care for and support children impacted by HIV/AIDS and prevent
further spread of HIV; improve orphans and other vulnerable children’s welfare
by increasing access to education, adequate food, psychosocial support, basic
health services, and legal rights, and to catalyze a global partnership to
expand the resources available to achieve these goals. IVN is based on three
fundamental principles: it is child-focused, community-based, and committed to
ensure that their programmes are integrated. Since HIV/AIDS-related problems
cannot be adequately addressed by any single solution or intervention, many
different interventions are needed to respond to the broad range of needs of
children, their families and communities. Amongst other projects, IVN provides
technical support in community mobilization to community-based organizations
working with people affected by HIV and AIDS in order to gather support for
children made vulnerable by the disease. It also has an advocacy policy,
seeking to strengthen voices from a range of organizations to speak out on
behalf of HIV/AIDS affected children and reduce the stigma associated with the
pandemic. While creating strong alliances and networks with other local NGOs
and community-based organizations to scale up successful programs and
interventions that ensure a brighter, better future for orphans and vulnerable
children, at the global level IVN is striving to be the lead partnership
organization of international NGOs mobilizing additional resources to reduce
the impact of HIV/AIDS on millions of African children and their families. IVN
has many opportunities for mission groups, families, couples or individuals who
are interested in helping AIDS orphans and widows in the heart of Africa. There
are opportunities in all aspects of IVN’s operations. Anyone with a heart to
reach out and serve orphans and widows in Africa will find exciting projects to
bring God’s love to these deserving people.

Whether you are a Construction
worker, a painter, an administrator, a manager, an evangelist, a pastor or an
individual with no specific skill – your time and knowledge and skill will be
put to great use! Some specific areas of need are listed below but IVN is open
to whatever your interests as you desire to support the children of Uganda.

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. Here is a sample of
available projects: • Family Empowerment Program • Primary Health Care •
HIV/AIDS awareness projects • Education/Vocation projects • Medical and Dental
projects • Construction / Community Development projects 1. Family Empowerment
Program The husband is the traditional breadwinner in most African families of
and therefore the impact of the husband’s death on the family is devastating.
The family losses financial security and sharp decline in living standard. The
economic hardship is put on both the widow and her children in order to
survive. Families are unable to absorb the expense of caring for another child.
Many times, the widow whose husband has died of AIDS has no marketable skills.
IVN assists caregivers and foster family siblings with practical skills to
enable them to support themselves and care for their children. IVN provides
startup equipment and funds to start small businesses. These efforts indirectly
impact the lives of hundreds of children. The Family Empowerment Program
therefore seeks to address the needs of the family by getting the families
involved in practical skills, such as raising and selling of goats for profit,
knitting and making of African crafts to support their family and keep their
children in school. One of the major activities in this project is the
construction of a pigpen or chicken coop to enable widows become self reliant
on income. If you wish to supplement your time in this project, please
understand that it costs $500 USD to set up the building supplies, hire local
labour, purchase feeding material and buy the animals, so if you can fundraise
ahead of time towards this end, it would greatly enhance the opportunities for
the local women who benefit from it

This project needs a lot of
initiative and development with IVN on activities. This takes someone who is
independent and feels that they have skills and resources to implement
programs, previously researched, and depending on what the program is, it could
be a full – time position. Rural communities comprise of a large percentage of
Ugandan Communities. Most rural communities are faced with challenges including
poor sanitation, limited access to health care and educational resources and
lack of economic opportunities. The lack of economic power of the local
community, especially among the women, is a major obstacle to long term
development. By providing the villagers with alternative income sources, the
income generation programs form a crucial part of promoting a sustainable
development in the area. Through the programs, the villagers learn crafts and
agricultural methods, as well as gain a basic knowledge of practical and
marketable skills. The aim is for the local people to learn some new skills or
recapture traditional Ugandan ones using only local materials.

2. PRIMARY HEALTH CARE PROJECT

Volunteers with medical experience
are needed to work in a community health clinic outside of Kampala. Most
clinics are very busy, understaffed; with limited medical supplies and
equipment. There is a wide variety of cases but disease such as malaria,
HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and syphilis, as well as childbirth/maternity needs are
most common. Medical volunteers; doctors, nurses, EMT, physical therapist
participate in direct patient care such as diagnosing, injections, IV starts
and lab work. Nursing and medical students are welcome and assist with tasks
like dressing wounds, record and immunization chart keeping, helping dispense
medications, helping to screen and organize patients and assisting with
administrative needs or seminars. Although it is not expected; if you are able
to bring some medical supplies with you as a donation it would be greatly
appreciated. IVN aims to increase access to basic healthcare for the rural
people, decrease the prevalence of the endemic disease and improve the overall
village health by providing public health projects and promoting health
education in the villages.

3. HIV/AIDS PREVENTION &
COUNSELING PROJECT HIV testing generally runs on Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays. This project focuses on providing culturally sensitive methods of
awareness raising and education with the goal of preventing transmission of the
disease within the target populations. There is a great lack of HIV/AIDS
awareness among the rural indigenous community and especially among the youth
in primary and secondary schools. You will visit local communities to educate
them about prevention, transmission and the reality of HIV/AIDS

Outreach visits to those who are
already suffering from AIDS are conducted several days per week. We expect you
to come prepared with research on counseling tactics and resources. You will
report to IVN project coordinator on your activities with this project and
please ask first before initiating any new ideas. IVN collaborates and works
with trained TASO Counselors and other CBOs in Uganda who have developed and
adapted HIV/AIDS educational materials to the local village population. With
these tools you will visit local communities to help AIDS victims not only with
their emotional well- being through counseling and companionship, but also with
daily tasks. You should be willing to help wash dishes and clothing, tidy up,
etc. This is definitely one of the more difficult projects to participate in,
due to the extremely emotional demands. You are up close and personal with the
suffering that AIDS causes. There is a translator from IVN who accompanies you
on the outreach visits, however, there will be times when you will not know
what to say. This is why it is helpful to prepare beforehand, for your
counseling visits. 4. Child education / Vocational Training Volunteers needed
for nursery and primary school levels (ages 4yrs-13yrs) to teach English and
other subjects. Teaching experience is not required. You can begin working with
some children, teaching English and basic math. These are rural schools for the
children of the community. The objective of this program is to contribute to
the academic development of the school in order to provide the best opportunity
for the orphans to receive quality education. Volunteers support the local
teachers; encourage students to learn and play and instill pride in their
schooling. School terms vary from year to year but are approximately as
follows: February 1 to April 30, and May 20 to August 30, September 15 to
November 15. Volunteers can assist with the physical upkeep of the school;
painting, decorating, mending desks etc. Most important volunteers should try
to develop activities/programs that can be sustained in the future. Prior
teaching experience is not required; volunteer simply need an open mind, caring
spirit and a compassionate nature. Community Development / Building Program
Volunteers are needed for the on-going construction and water building projects
in the community. Volunteers needed for manual labor jobs working along side
skilled and unskilled local workers. Some tasks include farming, pig rearing,
construction of the volunteer center, expansion, water well building and
renovation work. Volunteers do not need prior experience, but skilled workers
are very welcome. This is a very hand on, hands dirty sort of program.
Enthusiasm, a good sense of humor and helping spirit are required. Volunteer
can also spend time in the children’s school teaching classes. Each Program
Includes: For all IVN volunteer placements, Accommodation is provided either at
a homestay where you will stay at a host family or at the Volunteer House 10
miles outside of Kampala. All volunteers accommodation has electricity, running
water, indoor plumbing and access to internet. All IVN programs, except the for
the HIV/AIDS program and the Primary Health Care Programs, are within walking
distance to the accommodation facilities. You will be living with several other
volunteers and the accommodation is regarded as more than adequate considering
the normal standards of Uganda. Three local meals per day are provided.
Breakfast food choices generally include tea, coffee, hot chocolate, bread with
jam, margarine, or peanut butter and some type of egg (boiled or scrambled).
For lunch and dinner, there is a revolving menu of dishes which include beans,
rice, sautéed cabbage, avocado, potatoes, noodles, cooked spinach, sautéed
eggplant, tomato sauce, etc. Chicken and beef dishes are served several times a
week. Starchy foods (i.e. white bread, potatoes, white rice, pasta, matoke
(boiled bananas) manioc, and cassava) are dietary staples so you’ll have no
shortage of carbs. Also, the country’s tropical climate contributes to a
healthy choice of fruits which include bananas, watermelon, papayas, mangos,
jackfruit, and pineapples.

Vegetarians can eat well here, but
the variety of dishes will be limited and you may get bored of the “same
old, same old”. Your main sources of protein would be the beans at lunch
or dinner and the eggs at breakfast. If this will not be sufficient for you,
you may want to bring along some protein supplements. Airport pick up and drop
off at Entebbe airport. Our IVN Project Coordinator will provide orientation
tour on arrival, project briefing, an introduction to work placement and local
host family.

A US$150 application fee (fully
transferable) will secure your place on the program, with your program fee due
for payment eight weeks before you begin your placement. You only pay your
application fee once and then you can access any of IVN’s volunteer programs
over the next 5 years.

Your application fee includes the
following benefits:

Personal Staff Support
Your Uganda Program Guide
Your Fundraising Guide and Software
Access to Your Own Online Journal

Once your application fee is paid
the remainder of the cost for your time in the Uganda program is as follow and
is due within 45 days prior to your departure.

Cost for 1 week – USD $150
Cost for 2 weeks – USD $300
Cost for 1 month – USD $600

To see the cost in your local
currency, we recommend you look herelook here.

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.
Airport meet 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.
Departure transfer by our IVN project coordinator.
A Feedback page on our IVN website with pictures of your
trip.
The Presidents Volunteer Service Award lapel pin
(Bronze, Silver or Gold)
Personalized Presidents Volunteer Service Award
certificate of achievement.
Letter of completion from International Volunteers
Network

Not included: Airfare and travel
expenses; passports, entry/customs requirements, all applicable visa fees, airport
departure taxes, travel medical insurance, meals outside the program,
sightseeing and free-time expenses, items of personal nature (such as laundry,
medicine, emails/phone calls).

For more information visit our
website at http://www.ivnuganda.net

How to apply

Application Process

All applicants will be notified
by email as to whether their application has been successful.

1. Complete the Application Form:
Fill out the online application form at http:www.ivnuganda.net Try to
fill out as much details about yourself and interest to allow for a successful
placement since we do not know you .Upon receipt of the form we will assess your
suitability for the program within two working days. 2. Contact You: If you are
successful we will then email you a letter of acceptance. 3. Confirmation: Once
the program fee is paid, we will contact you to ensure everything is organized.
We will also send you the link to our program guide which covers topics such as
country information, travel links, visa application process, fundraising ideas
and much more! 4. Communication & Support: Throughout the application
process, we are committed to working with you to answer any of your questions
or concerns. During your placement we are also available as a form of support
to you as a volunteer and will email you while in country to discuss how the
program is going.