Two months as a volunteer teacher in Uganda – what I learnt and my impressions

My Long-Term Volunteering Experience

Valentin spent time in Uganda as a long-term volunteer with SCI Switzerland. Here, he recounts his placement, during which he worked as a teacher at Alliance High School in Nansana after completing his vocational baccalaureate and before attending military training college. He describes his first impressions, the challenges he faced in the classroom and his experiences with the local community. He also shares insights into his travels across Uganda and explains what he learnt about cultural diversity.

Having completed my vocational baccalaureate, I was facing an unplanned future. With the idea of volunteering in mind, I searched online, found SCI and, four months later, found myself on a plane to Entebbe, Uganda. A world completely unknown to me lay ahead. Although I knew a little about the country and my placement thanks to the preparation provided by SCI and my own research, I had never left Europe before. Consequently, I didn’t have many expectations; I just let things take their course, full of anticipation and a little nervous.

I doubt I’ll ever forget the journey from the airport to my new home in Nansana. For a start, the streets of the capital were already very busy at six o’clock in the morning. The direction of traffic also adjusted dynamically: as more people travel to Kampala for work in the morning than in the opposite direction, drivers cross the centre line and use three of the four lanes for that direction. Traffic lights are often ignored, and turning off the main road requires a fair amount of confidence and courage.

After a few introductory days with the local organisation ‘Uganda Pioneers Association’ (UPA), I visited my project for the first time. I was to be working as a teacher at Alliance High School for the next two months. Following a brief discussion with the person in charge, my timetable was finalised: I took on four classes in Mathematics and Physics at Senior 1 and Senior 2 levels, corresponding to pupils aged 13 and 14. After half a week of observing, I was fully integrated into the timetable and found myself standing alone in front of classes of between 60 and 80 young pupils. It was a steep learning curve; I was impressed by the responsibility entrusted to me, wanted to fulfil it, and had many questions. Why, for example, do they place so much trust in a 19-year-old who has just completed his teacher training, has never worked as a teacher before and whom they have never seen at work?

Outside school, too, I wanted to learn as much as possible about the country and its people. During my very first week, I’d organised my first training session with the Makerere University handball team, and over the following weekends I also played matches for them in the National Super League. Once the school year was over, I travelled north, where other volunteers from the ‘EMOTER’ organisation showed me their project and what life is like in Nebbi.

As well as taking home many memories, I also returned with a strange feeling. I left Uganda after three months, whilst many of the people I’d got to know would love to visit Europe one day. For them, however, obtaining a visa is anything but easy. A 19-year-old from Uganda would certainly not have the privilege of being allowed to work at a Swiss school for two months. One Swiss franc is worth roughly 4,000 Ugandan shillings, which made me something of a millionaire whilst in Uganda. It symbolises the change in social status that I experienced during my placement. This account is, of course, far from complete – anyone who has had a similar experience can imagine just how much happened between the lines. For me, it was an incredible experience!