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How to stay safe on your trip
Andrew and his children
Safety and health are, of course, key concerns for Volunteer Uganda, for you (and for your parents!)
All travel has its risks and many gappers have never been this far off the beaten track before, so there are new issues to understand.
Please read this page carefully and think about what preparations you need to take to ensure that you stay safe on your trip.
How safe is it?
Uganda has one of the lowest crime rates in Africa. At the time of writing (2009) the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) summary said:
I received a lot of support from Mr Ambrose who was the teacher I was paired with. All the staff were friendly and helpful right the way through.
"Around 15,000 British tourists visit Uganda every year. Most visits are trouble-free. The main types of incidents for which British nationals required consular assistance in Uganda in 2008 were for hospitalisations (8 cases), and replacing lost or stolen passports (53 cases)."
However, please read the full UK FCO and US Department of State travel advice for Uganda to get a fuller picture of all the risks.
Kinkisi is a small community region far away from the hustle and bustle of Nairobi, Mombasa and, to a lesser extent, Kampala. It has a lower risk of crime but there are still considerations of security and accidents.
What special issues are there?
You are traveling off the beaten track ... and Volunteer Uganda is the first organised project of its type to bring groups of volunteers to this part of Uganda ... so you should expect to handle some of the difficulties and frustrations involved in visiting rural Africa.
Previously a few teachers, charity workers and missionaries have stayed in the area for a few weeks or months. Some independent tourists pass by on their ways to Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth National Parks. But this is a remote rural community - that is why we go there!
What precautions do Volunteer Uganda take?
We have taken what we consider to be sensible precautions based on our risk assessment.
These include:
- A representative to see you off at Heathrow (if you take our recommended flight)
- A representative to meet you at Kampala (again, for our recommended flight)
- Escorted road transfer between Kampala and the camp
- Resident camp manager on site
- Provision of mosquito netting
- The camp itself is enclosed with 24/7 watchmen
- Safety and crisis policy in place
- Emergency telephone on site
- Facility to lock up your passport and valuables
Volunteer Uganda Ltd. has a public liability insurance of £2m.
Sunrise from the Volunteer Uganda lodge
What precautions do we suggest you take?
As a condition of you booking your trip with us, we require you to agree to basic safety standards:
- Provide us with a copy of a suitable travel insurance certificate
- Confirm that you have had all inoculations recommended by your GP
- Agreement to take appropriate anti-malarial precautions
We also provide a list of safety suggestions:
- Out of respect and to avoid temptation, do not wear metal jewelry or expensive watches outside the camp
- Do not use motorcycles on the rough local roads