Only 420€ per week!
Culture Week
Kajjansi - Uganda
Learn about Ugandan food, culture, customs, and immerse yourself in the local surroundings while making friends with the community members!
Get familiar with the things you may prepare you for your stay in Uganda. Learn how to cook Ugandan food and how to make local handicrafts. Wald around the city center! You’ll have the chance to immerse yourself in the culture and enjoy visits to main sights and attractions such as the famous Victoria Lake.
Program
Living
Kajjansi
Uganda
Program Description
Learning about the culture and lifestyle of the community you are visiting is one of the most important aspects of travelling. By doing so, you will get a feel for how things flow and how to interact with locals. Being aware of local customs and getting a better chance to fully immerse yourself in your new surroundings will likely make your experience even more enjoyable.
Our culture week sets out to do exactly this!
It is designed to introduce you to the language, the food, the people and the daily flow of life in the community. This week of exploration helps to ease you into a more relaxed pace that is common in Uganda and inspire you to fully engage with the community members you are bound to meet!
Aims & Objectives
- Help you get familiarized with your new surroundings
- Teach you helpful Luganda and Swahili phrases
- Broaden your knowledge of the local customs, history, and culture of Uganda
- Provide you with a full induction, preparing you for a longer stay
Schedule
Monday
After breakfast, we will have an Introduction meeting, House rules, Setting Expectations, Health and Safety Advice and handling of documents. Followed by Ugandan Do's and Don'ts, Culture introduction and country history and Swahili and Luganda Language Lessons. Then after lunch a walking tour around the compound and local area to familiarize you with where to find local shops, and arrange a sim-card if necessary..
Tuesday
After breakfast, we’ll visit the Botanical Garden and the Wildlife Conservation Education Center then have lunch outside at a local restaurant in town. In the afternoon, we will pay a visit to Victoria Lake, where you can relax and enjoy the lovely Ugandan weather and atmosphere or have a leisurely stroll about.
Wednesday
After breakfast, we’ll prepare for a day out visiting a local museum, palace, and other significant local sites. In between we will stop for a nice lunch before continuing on our cultural quest. When we return you will have some free time to enjoy before dinner.
Thursday
After breakfast, we will head to meet some of the elders of the local community and then shop at the weekly market to buy the ingredients for our dinner. After enjoying a satisfying lunch, and a bit of free time you will get to work on creating your first traditional Ugandan meal in our cooking class. Do a good job because your efforts will become your dinner, so pay close attention!
Friday
After breakfast, There will be a program discussion, where you can learn about our programs in Uganda and ask any further questions! We will pay a visit to all of our projects in the area so you can get an insight of what we do. After lunch, we will take a Ugandan handicraft-making class.
Note: This schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on weather conditions, local conditions and unforeseen circumstances.
Participant Criteria & Requirements
Standard Requirements
Minimum age: –
Maximum age: –
Minimum English level: Basic
CRB required: On Signup
Passport copy required: No
Resume copy required: No
Required qualification: None
Additional Requirements
There are no further requirements for this program.
Additional Equipment
No specific equipment required for this program.
Location
Enjoy the local life in this rural township in central Uganda. Your accommodation location provides you with a great opportunity to see and experience Uganda on an authentic, local scale.
About the Accommodation
You will either be staying at our homestay or in our rural accommodation center. The homestay is a bit more comfortable with the family setting, but in our farm accommodation itself is quite basic and authentic. All participants are expected to be environmentally aware and to use all resources with restraint, especially water, paper, and electricity. You will be expected to clean up after yourself, and to play your part to keep the accommodation neat and organized. There is no WIFI in either location and you will need to purchase a local SIM card in order to access the internet.
Food Arrangements
Food will be Ugandan-style, which means lots of vegetables, potatoes, bananas, bread, and pancakes. Some dishes may have meat, but if you are vegetarian just let your coordinator know.
Facilities
There are many shops located near our homestay, all within 10-15 minutes walking distance.
Transportation to Kampala is available from the homestay. Local transport from Farm accommodation is much less frequent, but arrangements can be made and/or information provided to assist you with getting to Kampala, the capital of Uganda.
Activities & Events
No scheduled activities outside the program.
Sights & Surroundings
Kampala
There are many things to see and do in Kampala, the Ugandan capital. It is located within a 30-90 minute drive from our center and is filled with culture and history.
Transportation
From this location we do not provide free transport to other locations.
Quick Facts
Name: Republic of Uganda
Population: 40 million
Capital: Kampala
Language: English, Swahili, Luganda
Currency: Ugandan Shilling (UGX)
Time zone: UTC +3
Country Information
For a small country, Uganda has everything an adventurer could wish for. It has everything and more than its neighbouring countries do, including the famous “Big Five” must see animals of Africa. More than that, the country is home to the tallest mountain range and largest lake in Africa. Half the remaining mountain gorillas in the world reside in this country, making wildlife watching a unique experience!
Climate
Uganda boasts a tropical climate across most of its surface area, except in the mountainous regions (which can get quite cold and some even receive a bit of snow). Temperatures range from 21-25°C (70-77°F), with the hottest months from December to February. The wet months occur from March to May as well as October and November. The dry season occurs between January and February as well as June to September.
Culture
Uganda’s culture is made of up many ethnic groups making it difficult to generalize. For example, Lango and Acholi people dominate the north, while the Iteso and Karamojong people rule in the east. Moreover, Pygmies can be found living in isolated rainforest regions in western Uganda.
At least 40 languages are spoken in Uganda, with Luganda language being the most common despite English being considered the official language. In fact, English is barely spoken. Swahili is also widely used.
Uganda has a conservative Muslim and Christian society. This means that it is often not acceptable to wear clothes displaying too much skin. There are exceptions to this rule such as Kampala, however, it is advised to dress as locals do in order to blend in and be taken seriously outside tourist hotspots. Another important thing worth noting is that you should never criticize religion in presence of a Ugandan, as this is taken seriously and can be of great offense.
Gastronomy
Ugandan cuisine has been heavily influenced by English, Arab and Indian dishes. The most common ingredients used are vegetables, potatoes, yams, bananas, chicken, pork, fish, beef, goat and mutton.
Transportation
Boda-Boda
Boda-Bodas are motorcycles or scooters, which are a fun and inexpensive way to get around in big cities such as Kampala.
Buses
In Uganda, there are two classes of buses “matutus” which are minibuses with fixed routes, and coaches which run less frequently (i.e. they only leave Kampala in the morning). These two options run between major cities. Note that neither of these modes of transport run on fixed schedules and usually depart when they are full up.
