From this blog,
you will find the musings, reflections, thoughts, and grievances as well as
highlights of the volunteers working for the United African Orphans and Widows
Foundation (UAOWF). The organisation was founded in 2004 and has since then
hosted various individuals from all corners of the globe. These encounters have
been enriching for both the interns as well as the organisation itself, as
working in close contact with other cultures will always yield new insights to
life. Here, we will do our best to give you a good impression of what you can
expect from your time as a volunteer in a foreign country and in particular
with the UAOWF. This is of course a mere glimpse of the whole volunteer
experience and in order to discover what it truly means, you will have to
experience it yourself. We in any case hope that this blog can assist you in
making the right preparations and evolving correct expectations so that you can
enjoy your volunteer experience to the fullest.
Before continuing to the everyday pragmatics of the volunteer life
in Iganga, Uganda, here are a few words to sum up the actual meaning and value
of the experience itself. No matter where, when, or why you choose to volunteer,
the period will be among the most meaningful in your life.All that you need to
do beforehand is to make sure that you are equipped with an open mind and a
positive attitude as those will be the resources that transform the
occasionally overwhelming cultural clashes and shocks into unrivalled life
skills. Upon your return back home, you will find yourself viewing the world
from an alternate viewpoint as the horizons of your perception have been
stretched beyond the limit you thought possible. We hope and believe
that the mental resources that you acquire during your volunteering experience
will facilitate any of the future challenges emerging from changing environment
or differing takes on life.
