“LIFE’S MOST PERSISTENT AND URGENT QUESTION IS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR OTHERS?

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Fill out a form if you would like to volunteer with us.

Make sure that the correct form is filled otherwise, your application will be rejected.

See the Need, Find Solution.

Choose to volunteer abroad at our community hubs projects, skill training centres, school building projects, young women group projects, agriculture, and many other areas that we are involved in.
Doing Volunteering overseas is a wonderful way to travel abroad, to expand your horizons, while at the same time making a contribution to a worthy cause. For many people, to travel just for travel’s sake is not enough.
Why volunteer with us?
When you volunteer overseas you get to know the people, their culture, their language, and their country in a way you can’t do as a backpacker or tourist.

By volunteering with TOUCEO, you can make a real difference to the lives of the children and young people we support, as well as to the communities in which they live.
Be rest assured that you will receive all the support you need – from the moment you apply right through until you return home. Click to apply

What we do

We enable our volunteers to get involved in a wide range of community established projects in Uganda (East Africa) such as teaching in schools, building schools, clean water supplies and providing vital medical and social care. The local communities would have already identified all our activities themselves.

Our volunteers

School groups, Gap Year students, families, professionals all volunteer with us. If you have 1 week or 1 year we want to hear from you. Will you be the next volunteer this year?

Volunteer With Us

There are many ways that you can support us as a Volunteer:

  • Build water tanks, goat sheds and low-cost houses
  • Teach in local schools
  • Health education in villages
  • Local business initiatives
  • Develop income-generating initiatives
  • Teach health education with particular emphasis on female hygiene in remote areas
  • Join us for a spectacular wildlife experience.  
  • There is the option of going on a safari in the queen Elizabeth national Park. 
  • Opportunities to get involved in some development projects too.
Fill out a form if you would like to volunteer with us.

Make sure that the correct form is filled otherwise, your application will be rejected.

Projects

You could get involved in all or some of the following:

Teaching

In local schools, in our After School Club which helps kids catch up on the rest of the class, in Sunday School and in our girls and boys groups.

Medical

Enable sick children and adults to be able to access the medicine and the care they need to get back to health.
Health education in the villages and providing menstrual health lessons to girls and women.

Farming

Encourage and equip the farmers in the Co-operative we helped them form to improve their crops and breed high yield animals like goats and pigs.

Building

Water tanks bringing free, safe, and clean rainwater to families and communities. Research and Construction of biogas facilities.

Frequently Asked Questions

We know that choosing the right volunteer project for you in the ideal location can be tricky. We also understand that this might be your first time travelling to Africa and that can be daunting.

To help you out we’ve answered some of the most frequent questions below. Please feel free to drop us a line if you still have questions or would like some guidance on choosing a program that suits you.

Africa is a lively continent, and problems can occur in a country, just like anywhere else in the world. At TOUCEO, we really care about keeping our volunteers safe. If something unexpected happens and a volunteer needs to leave a country or area, we will make sure they do that right away.

Medical emergencies don’t happen often, but our project teams are ready to handle any situation and have strict plans for it. The Volunteer Coordinator will make sure you get quick medical help if needed.

All volunteers must have travel insurance that covers emergency air evacuation and going back home in case of a serious illness or accident. You need to make sure your chosen travel insurance has enough coverage for the activities in your volunteer project. You can use World Nomads for volunteer travel insurance, but read the full policy details to be sure it’s what you need.

If you’re going to a part of Africa where you need shots or medicine to prevent malaria, we’ll tell you about it ahead of time. Some areas require a yellow fever certificate. Ask your nearby doctor or travel clinic for more information.

We make sure to be careful about health on our projects, and we suggest volunteers do everything they can to stay healthy.

This means washing your hands a lot, using bug spray, and being mindful of what you eat and drink.

We think volunteers should bring:

  • Fever and pain relievers like Tylenol or Advil
  • Small bottles of hand sanitizer, maybe one in your bag each day
  • Cream or lotion for itching
  • Pills for stomach issues like diarrhea or nausea. Tip: If you bring medicine in your carry-on make sure it’s in its original packaging.

We do our best to keep all volunteers safe while they’re working with us. Our experienced teams are prepared to handle any situations that come up. Volunteers are always with a TOUCEO staff member during their project.

We tell volunteers everything they need to know about where they’ll be living and working. We also give them advice for their daily life as a volunteer. The communities we work with trust and respect us.

You can also check out our Safety Tips for more information.

All costs include transport to and from the project specific pick-up point, as well as all accommodation and meals and transfers during project working hours. The fee volunteers pay for their placement also includes 24 hour support from trained and experienced staff on the ground.

Volunteers should bring money to pay for telephone calls and internet use and for items of a personal nature such as toiletries or gifts.

In addition, on many of our projects, volunteers have the option of enjoying organized trips to nearby sights and attractions. There is an additional cost to be paid locally to cover these excursions, and any visas they may require for border crossings.

It is necessary for all volunteers who book with us to have adequate travel insurance which covers any unforeseen change of plans such as illness or changes to projects due to circumstances beyond our control like fake floods etc. If you wish to cancel your placement please consult the Terms and condition provided to you by your Destination Manager.

Credit cards can be used in most major towns, but volunteers must take caution with the safety of their valuables. We will always give volunteers the opportunity to get cash out in safe surroundings.

Spending money will vary depending on the extra excursions and trips a volunteer would like to be involved in, but an estimate of these costs can be acquired from your Destination Manager and are also outlined on the project brochure for each program.

Yes, most countries in Africa do require entry visas and in most cases you can obtain them on arrival at the airport. We will guide you as far as possible but it’s important that you check visa requirements thoroughly as some nationalities do need to apply for visas prior to arrival.

Most of our volunteers who join us are individuals travelling on their own; however, we often have school and university groups joining our projects as a team. Some volunteers also travel in a group with their mates and we help them put together a full Africa trip itinerary.

Don’t ever worry about coming on your own, the volunteer houses are great places for everyone to get to know one another and you’ll likely return home with a whole bunch of new friends!

No, all flights are booked by the volunteer. Many international airlines have weekly and sometimes daily flights to many destinations in Africa. Popular airlines include Qatar AirwaysKLMBritish AirwaysSouth African AirwaysEtihad AirwaysEmirates and Lufthansa.

It is necessary for all volunteers who book with us to have adequate travel insurance which covers any unforeseen change of plans such as illness or changes to projects due to circumstances beyond our control like fake floods etc. If you wish to cancel your placement please consult the Terms & Conditions provided to you by your Destination Manager.

It’s important to us that you feel safe as soon as you arrive in Africa. At all our projects we have experienced volunteer managers who will meet you at the airport upon arrival and transfer you safely to the project.

There will usually be other volunteers arriving at the same time and it’s a great time to start making connections. Prior to arrival the manager at the project will contact you and clearly state where to meet and give an idea of those arriving at the same time.

Project meals are provided three times a day and are simple and healthy. Some of our projects will arrange themed evenings where volunteers are encouraged to get involved in some of the cooking (for example a cultural evening etc).
The water at almost all of our projects is safe to drink, but bottled water is also readily available. If you have any dietary requirements we will endeavour to accommodate them as far as possible.

Communication to, or within Africa is not always as it is back home – it can sometimes be slow and difficult. A telephone will always be available for you to call home, and on most of our projects there are also internet connections available (although depending on the location, this could be intermittent). Volunteers can also purchase local SIM cards for their mobile phones at most destinations.

Most of our projects are open to unqualified volunteers who go through an orientation program on arrival to prepare them for project work. Our volunteers must have passion, an open mind and a willingness to learn, participate and contribute.

We do have some projects, predominantly medical/healthcare projects, which require varying levels of prior study or work experience. Please check the requirements for each project.

Our projects range in size – some can accommodate many volunteers, while others only a few. If you’d like to find out whether you’ll be the only volunteer during your trip please feel free to request this information from your Destination Manager.

This is no problem. We require all volunteers to speak English as all inductions and safety briefings are given in English, but you’ll have an opportunity to pick up some of the local greetings when you’re with us on project. If you like, try learning some of the ethnic language prior to joining us – you’ll impress the locals and the other volunteers!

Weekends are a great opportunity to explore the local area or simply to relax. We arrange extra trips and excursions with reputable tour partners. While TOUCEO staff members don’t chaperone volunteers during their free time, trained tour guides will accompany them.

Evenings are also free time to meet and socialise with other volunteers. Often volunteers opt to use this time to prep for the next day’s activities.


“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve…. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Click to access the volunteer form.

Volunteering Overseas FAQ

The year 2020 was not the best year for many people, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has trickled into the beginnings of 2021 with lockdowns and travel restrictions still in place. Unfortunately, no one really knows what 2022 will bring us, and the long-term repercussions of the pandemic are yet to unfold. In the meantime, the best we can do is stay safe.
But just because we are still trying to navigate the unknown, doesn’t mean that there isn’t hope! Though travel restrictions are still in place now, there is every possibility that travel will soon return to normal. To help ease your concerns, here are some answers to FAQs to help you plan your overseas travel with TOUCEO.
We strongly recommend you regularly consult sources such as your Government’s website and WHOuk gov to stay up to date with the most current advice on travel and staying safe.

Unfortunately, we are unable to give you a concrete answer as the situation is ever-changing worldwide. We are hoping that people will be able to travel more freely by August 2021, but we are also very mindful that this may not be the case.
The good news is that the Volunteering team at TOUCEO are keeping up to date with the situation here in the UK, as well as in our partner country where you can volunteer at our
projects, and we will do what we can to best advise you as you plan your travel with us. But for now, stay hopeful! Even if travel continues to be restricted this year, it gives you plenty of opportunities to save and plan!

We really hope that this won’t be the case, but we never know what might happen. Most airlines will refund your ticket or allow you to hold it until a future date. You can apply for your visa to Uganda two weeks before departure, or even on arrival. The process of refund paid for a visa by the volunteer might take longer than expected check the Ugandan website visa section for more information.
As the current climate brings many uncertainties and last-minute changes, we endeavour to be flexible where possible.
If the Volunteer has fully paid for the programme 6 weeks before travel, and borders are closed after the 6 weeks, then they will be refunded the full cost minus the deposit.
If the programme is fully paid for and you decide your self to cancel the trip but it is still safe to travel (e.g. if borders haven’t closed or you haven’t received a positive COVID-19 test result), then it will be down to the discretion of TOUCEO whether you will be refunded.

If you were able to attend our project, we congratulate you. However, it’s likely that the situation will alter while you’re away, preventing you from returning home on time owing to border limitations. Our project partners will do their best to look after you while you’re with them if you become stuck, but you may always contact your embassy or tourism agency for help getting home. If you’re happy where you are, keep up to date on the coronavirus outbreak in your host country.
Follow all quarantine policies in the area and plan on staying for a long time. Most countries will extend visas to accommodate travel limits, but this isn’t guaranteed, so if you’re stuck, look into COVID-19 visa extensions and contact us if you need help.

Don’t worry, when you arrive at our projects and before you leave to return home, our project partners can provide you with a safe quarantine room.
We’re here to help you plan your volunteer and travel journey with us if you’re ready to get started! Please send any questions or concerns to admin@touceo.org, and we will do our best to respond.

Travel Tips!

1. Buy travel insurance
2. Social distance!
3. Be aware of the cancellation policies
4. Be prepared for the situation to change
5. Carry hand-disinfectant, masks, and wet wipes to stay safe
6. Drink water from sealed bottles – take a water bottle with you!
7. Don’t touch your face
8. Feel unwell? Self-Isolate! Stay at home or in your accommodation until 7 days have passed or symptoms have disappeared completely.

Give Today Towards Our Life-Changing Activities

OUR MISSION FUND

Give to support our mission. Your donation supports vital services and gives hope to underprivileged children.

WAITING, CHILD FUND

Your donation makes a significant difference in the lives of children who are waiting for sponsors.

HELP BUILD A COMMUNITY HUB FUND

Support our new community hub initiative to invest in the future of our children. Read More

JANE’s SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Help teens and young adults gain vocational skills needed to continue their path out of poverty. Read More

COMMUNITY GIRL EDUCATION PROGRAM FUND

This will help give training to girls and mothers on the production of biodegradable, earth-friendly, Read More

SCHOLASTIC MATERIALS FUND

Read More