Volunteering

Are you interested in volunteering at one of the seven Molly and Paul Child Care Foundation Schools
in Uganda?

Over the years, volunteers - from several countries, including the USA, Ireland and England - who have worked at
the Molly & Paul Childcare Foundation have provided valuable skills, energy, and funds, helping the Foundation in a
variety of ways. You can read about two recent examples in our last Newsletter.

If you might be interested in supporting the Molly & Paul Foundation in this way, we should point out -

All arrangements are made direct with the Molly & Paul Childcare Foundation; the English charity, The Pearl of
Africa Children's Choir Ltd., is not involved in the decision-making process and cannot accept responsibility for
persons visiting or wishing to visit the Foundation. All responsibility remains with the individual visiting or intending
to visit Uganda. Please recognise that, whilst usually a valued source of help, volunteers can also be a strain on
the Foundation's limited resources. So, once you have sketched out your ideas for a volunteering trip, be sure to
discuss them and agree them with the Molly & Paul Foundation in good time before you begin to make any
commitments, such as flight bookings. Go to the Molly & Paul Foundation website; read their Code of Conduct
carefully and then the Application Form that you will find on the volunteers page.

Also, research and be realistic about local conditions; remember that Uganda is far different from (for instance)
Britain in terms of healthcare, general safety and security. For example, as with many parts of Africa, infectious
diseases such as malaria pose a real risk. We suggest that, in considering a possible visit, you look at the Foreign
Office website and other sources of advice such as -

The Foreign Office
Department of Health
World Health Organisation
Suzy Lamplugh Organisation

Against that background, we offer a few guidelines based on the experience of several volunteers from England.

The cost

Volunteers fund their own costs of getting to Kampala (flight, visa, insurance, health requirements, etc.) and of
traveling, accommodation and sustenance in Uganda. Basic accommodation is available at the schools and there is
a food "kitty"; for board & lodging, there is a recommended minimum donation to the Foundation of £10 per day.
Travel around Uganda is inexpensive and can be arranged where necessary.

Here is a rough idea of the cost of a visit:
- Return flight to Entebbe, £450 - £700 (depending on the time of year)
- Visa, £25 for 3 months
- Travel immunizations, £60 - £120
- Board & lodging allowance £10 per day (minimum)
- plus Insurance (health, travelling, etc.) and incidental expenses

Projects at the Molly & Paul Childcare Foundation

You will be expected to help with one of the many projects to improve the standards of education and care of the
children at the Molly & Paul schools. This might be helping with the building programme; nursing in the
clinic/dispensary; teaching English/Arts/Crafts/Science; developing IT or management skills; teaching carpentry or
helping on the farm project.

There is something for everybody. In filling in the Application Form, give the Molly & Paul an outline of where your
talents and interests lie, so that, if your application is accepted, they may identify suitable projects for you to help
with.

Fundraising

We would encourage you to consider fundraising for the Foundation long before your departure, in order to
provide some of the essentials for the project you will be working on. How you raise the necessary funds is up to
you. You might decide to raise some corporate sponsorship, go on a sponsored walk, or hold a tea party - It's up
to you!

For example, past volunteers have helped towards building a chicken house - so that the children's diet can be
improved with the addition of animal protein from the hens' eggs - and installing solar panels on the roofs of school
buildings, in order to counter the unreliability of the electricity supply, and to reduce utility bills to be paid for. During
their stay, the volunteers joined in with the construction work, and before their departure, they raised funds to
enable the Foundation to buy the building materials.

The pound sterling (or the US dollar) has huge buying power in the local economy. This means that your donations
will be valuable - even modest sums can go a long way. It also highlights the problems of economic disparity: that
your money has the power to create dissent as well as good. Therefore, as the Code of Conduct points out, it is
essential for the proper running of the Foundation - and to avoid worries about favouritism - that all your donations
or gifts are given and accounted for through the official channels, and not handed, e.g., to the individuals you will
be working alongside.

We would encourage you to consider fundraising for the Foundation long before your departure, in order to
provide some of the essentials for the project you will be working on. How you raise the necessary funds is up to
you. You might decide to raise some corporate sponsorship, go on a sponsored walk, or hold a tea party - It's up
to you!

For example, past volunteers have helped towards building a chicken house - so that the children's diet can be
improved with the addition of animal protein from the hens' eggs - and installing solar panels on the roofs of school
buildings, in order to counter the unreliability of the electricity supply, and to reduce utility bills to be paid for. During
their stay, the volunteers joined in with the construction work, and before their departure, they raised funds to
enable the Foundation to buy the building materials.

The pound sterling (or the US dollar) has huge buying power in the local economy. This means that your donations
will be valuable - even modest sums can go a long way. It also highlights the problems of economic disparity: that
your money has the power to create dissent as well as good. Therefore, as the Code of Conduct points out, it is
essential for the proper running of the Foundation - and to avoid worries about favouritism - that all your donations
or gifts are given and accounted for through the official channels, and not handed, e.g., to the individuals you will
be working alongside.

What else?

These are Christian schools and as such Christian ethics should be respected.
Please be conscious of the term dates - if you would like to teach, then it must be during Ugandan term time!

The children at the schools remain in the charge of their teachers and guardians, even while you are participating
in classes or other supervised activities. Nonetheless we recommend that, if you may be spending significant time
in the company of minors, you obtain (if you do not already hold one) a CRB clearance. We say this, as a matter of
best practice, even though naturally UK legislation does not apply in Uganda.

For further information on the CRB Regime, and recently introduced changes please visit the Criminal Records
Bureau website , if you do apply, please remember to apply far enough ahead of an intended visit to obtain the
clearance in good time.

What next?
In order to start the volunteer process, please complete the volunteer form which is can be found on the volunteer
page of The Molly and Paul Childcare Foundation website and send it to the address shown.