Pre-Departure Packet UGANDA - Project Bududa OVERVIEW
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Pre-Departure Packet UGANDA - Project Bududa OVERVIEW Congratulations! You have completed all FIMRC pre-trip requirements and are now cleared for travel. It is time to prepare for your volunteer experience in Uganda! In the following packet, you will find a wealth of information from packing tips, contact information, arrival logistics and more! Please read all information carefully and, of course, we are always here to answer any questions you may have. A LETTER FROM FIMRC HEADQUARTERS CONTENTS The Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC) is pleased 3 Meet the Team to welcome you to the FIMRC Family. We are looking forward to your service in Uganda and hope that you are too. This amazing experience will allow you to 4 Get To Know Bududa immerse yourself in a different culture while providing unique opportunities to get to 5 Know Before You Go know a community in the developing world. 6 Know Before You Go This packet contains useful information for your trip and will answer many of the 7 Language questions that you may have. Included is packing advice, arrival and housing logistics and an emergency contact list among other things. We hope that you will 8 Do’s & Dont’s take a moment to familiarize yourself with the content so that you can confidently 9 Packing Guide travel to our site in Bududa. We would like to make your volunteer mission as 10 Packing Guide cont. comfortable as possible, so if you have any further questions after reading through this packet, please feel free to contact us. 11 Arrival Process 12 Your Volunteer Mission As a volunteer with Project Bududa, you will carry out vital tasks in support of FIMRC’s mission to provide quality health care to children who are underprivileged 13 Accommodations and underserved. FIMRC realizes that to truly change the health care conditions 14 Transportation of places like Uganda, on-site medical attention is only one piece of the puzzle. Diligence in spreading the word about our mission is also necessary so that 15 Staying Healthy everyone is aware that there are children who do not receive the medical care that 16 Excursions & Departure they deserve. Your impact on the community in Bududa can be felt long after you board the plane home by simply sharing stories of your volunteer mission to friends 17 FAQs and family. We are so excited to welcome you to our FIMRC team and are proud 18 Stay Involved that you have decided to join the effort to create a world in which every child has an equal opportunity to benefit from modern medicine. On behalf of the entire FIMRC team, we thank you for your support and hope your experience is nothing short of extraordinary! Vikram Bahkru, MD Meredith Welsh Founder and Chairman Chief Executive Officer Zane Randell Global Health Volunteer Program Manger 2 MEET THE TEAM BRIAN PARK, Field RICHARD KIMANAYI, Operations Manager Health Outreach Coordinator Originally from Los Angeles, Richard has been with FIMRC Brian graduated from Boston since 2008 and is the Health College in 2013 with a B.A. Outreach Coordinator. He also trains the community in English and a minor in educators and PEPEs. Environmental Studies. ALICE NASAKA, MUSA KUTOSI, Guesthouse Manager Counselor, OVC Coordinator Alice assists the FOM in all Musa is FIMRC’s counseling things related to the Guest psychologist (medical House. She is responsible socialworker) who joined in for purchasing supplies and 2012. He appreciates the clinic’s objectives and developing budgets and vision to take care of children organizing events held at the as it is aligned with his own guesthouse. vision. Brian and Alice are just two of the amazing team members you will be able to work with at Project Bududa. You will also have the opportunity to work alongside our clinic and outreach staff. Meet the rest of the team via the link below! CONTACT INFORMATION Uganda FIMRC HQ, Philadelphia Brian Park, Field Operations Manager Zane Randell, GHVP Manager +256 786 531636 (mobile - available via WhatsApp) 888-211-8575 ext. 2 (mobile) [email protected] [email protected] Alice Nasaka, Guesthouse Manager Meredith Welsh, Chief Executive Officer 0785-80-5962 (mobile) 267-290-8151 (mobile) FIMRC HQ Office When calling Uganda from the US, omit the 0 and add +256, then dial 888-211-8575 the 9-digit number. When calling the US from Uganda dial 000 + 1 + • ext. 1 (Main Office : Mon to Fri 9am - 5pm EST) 10-digit number. For all calls within Uganda, simply dial the 10-digit • ext. 5 (24/7 Emergency Line) number. WhatsApp FIMRC encourages all volunteers to download WhatsApp prior to travel in order to easily communicate with in-country staff as well as friends and family back home. WhatsApp uses your phone’s Internet connection, instead of your cell data, to send text messages and to make voice calls. The app is a free download for iPhone, Android, and Windows phones. 2 3 GET TO KNOW PROJECT BUDUDA Project Bududa is located in Eastern Uganda, approximately 150 miles east of the capital city of Kampala. FIMRC operates a Level III Health Center in Bududa that delivers acute and preventative healthcare to the under served Ugandan community. FIMRC’s first clinic in Uganda was originally constructed to meet the health and nutritional needs of children sponsored by a local school. However, due to the severe lack of access to medical facilities in the area we have moved to a new facility a few kilometers away. The new clinic serves patients from many surrounding villages in a wide geographical area. With over 30 full time staff and local volunteers, FIMRC provides high quality medical care and access to health education resources to a catchment area of over 40,000 individuals. To date, Project Bududa is FIMRC’s largest operating site. Project Bududa is a model for FIMRC strategy in the developing world, supplementing the lasting work done by temporary volunteers with the long-term investment of community involvement to create sustainable change beyond the clinic. BACKGROUND Setting: Rural Population Size: 40,000 Climate: Tropical Communities Served: 14+ CLINICAL CARE Facility: FIMRC’s Level III Health Center Patients Served: 75 - 200 daily Services Offered: • Primary care: patients of all ages • Maternity ward • Antenatal care • Pharmacy: medications, pharmaceutical counseling • Laboratory: various diagnostic tests (STI, HIV, malaria) COMMUNITY OUTREACH Health Education Programs: • Orphaned and Vulnerable Children Program • Post Test Club for HIV positive patients • Community Garden • Community Health Educator Program • Malaria net treatment campaigns • Patient Education Program in waiting room 4 KNOW BEFORE YOU GO CURRENCY BUDGET TIPS Exchanging Money & ATMs Volunteers generally incur costs during their trip for activities Uganda’s national currency is the shilling (UGX). There is not included in the daily volunteering program. The following no need to exchange money for your trip; you will be able is a list of common weekly expenses: to exchange your currency in the airport after landing in Entebbe. When exchanging currency, bring $100 bills newer • Tourist visa: $50 USD than 2009 for the best exchange rate, and receive small bills • Spending money: $100+ (miscellaneous expenses (20,000 UGX or less) to save yourself future hassle. ATMs such as local travel, meals outside of the house, and are available in Kampala, Jinja, and Mbale. As a general basic souvenirs) precaution, do not carry more money than is needed for the • Excursions: $100+ (dependent on excursion preferences) day. Uganda will not exchange any wrinkled or torn bills and NO currency before the date of 2009. TOURIST CARDS Notifying your Bank Before travel, you should notify your bank or credit provider Tourist cards may be provided on board the aircraft prior to that you will be traveling abroad, as unusual credit card use landing; if not, stop to fill one out after exiting the aircraft may trigger fraud protection and freeze your account. and prior to entering a visa line. Be sure to keep the yellow copy, as it will be requested upon departure. Visitors from any country must hold tickets and other documents for onward or return journeys; if passengers arrive without PASSPORTS & VISAS meeting this requirement, they may be asked to buy a ticket or possibly be refused entry and deported, at their own expense, on the first available flight. Immigration officers are To travel to Uganda, you must possess a passport. It is your very strict on this regulation. responsibility to have a passport that is valid for at least six months beyond the date of your trip. Your passport must contain at least two blank pages (Please note: pages reserved for amendments and endorsements cannot be used for visas). Be sure to carry a copy of your passport at all times. All visa applications must be completed via the Government of Uganda’s website. Under the new application process, you must apply online for all immigration services such as visas at least two weeks prior to travel. The fee for a single entry tourist visa is $50. Application Link: https://visas.immigration.go.ug SAFETY & STEP Visa or permit type: Visa Category: Uganda Ordinary/Tourist FIMRC is committed to volunteer safety, Subcategory: Single Entry security, and health. Upon your arrival, our team will give you a detaiiled orientation, which will Contact Person in Uganda: Brian Park include details on how to stay safe and healthy during +256 736 521636 your volutneer experience. Purpose of Visit: Tourism You may also register for the U.S. State Department’s Volunteers who are not U.S. citizens must check with their Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive consulate or a visa agency to determine what personal information from the U.S.