Volunteer at the farm

Volunteering at stone house farm and Busu village in Iganga-Uganda

Volunteering at Stone house farm in Uganda is a great experience for everyone involved. Not only is it a valuable learning experience for the volunteers themselves and a way to meet lots of interesting, fun and like-minded people, but it is always good for us at the farm to meet and get to know new people with new ideas for what we can do with the projects in Busu community.

Volunteers have had an important role in much of the development on the farm, in Busu village community development efforts with our Environment, School, and in final our host of permaculture projects.

The farm recommends a two to four-week length of stay so that you get better knowledge for the workings of the farm and get the most out of your experience. Some volunteers stay for 2 to 12 months and acquire in-depth knowledge of sustainable agriculture in villages in Uganda.

Who would be a good fit?

Age is not an issue here at Stone house farm, we have had volunteers from 16 all the way up to 72 years old! There is always a use for you, whatever skills you have.

Notable useful skills are:

Knowledge of permaculture and farming techniques
Bee keeping
Building, construction and carpentry
Computer and technical comprehension
Bookkeeping and data entry
Teaching arts and crafts
Photography
Social media and communications
Hospitality and ecotourism
PR
Fundraising
Experience living in community before

Other learning opportunities: volunteering as a part of the four week Cultural and Sustainability Program

We are offering an opportunity to combine half time volunteering with the other half day in unique cultural experiences, read about it

A typical volunteer day at stonehouse farm

Morning

At 7:30 we have breakfast and everyone then has some time to find a grass hut and relax before starting farm work at 8:30.

At 8:30 we meet and the morning’s work is divided up, with each volunteer or group of volunteers working with one of the farm staff in the area they’ve been assigned to for the day. Everyone needs to be ready for work at 8:30, with boots, sunscreen, water and anything else you may need ! Work in the mornings will normally consist of duties such as planting, transplanting, composting, weeding, fertilizing, irrigating (in the dry season) and seeding activities – depending on what needs doing, the time of year, and the lunar phase.

Midday

At 12 p.m. we stop for lunch (vegetable soup, Ugandan fruit juice and a second course normally with rice, chapati, beans, salad and cooked vegetables). A midday siesta is often the popular choice! Free time is until 2:00 p.m., when we meet again to distribute the afternoon activities.

Afternoon

Afternoon work is in projects, which can be done with farm staff or with other volunteers, depending on the nature of the work and the knowledge/skills of those undertaking the project. Projects are generally of a more long-term nature, and often less physically demanding involving construction and maintenance on the farm, community development work, computer work, canning, art work.

At 4 p.m. we finish work for the day, and the rest of the afternoon and evening is yours to enjoy as you wish.

Evening

Dinner is at 6 p.m., consisting of fresh fruit/herb tea. When we do an evening activity such as campfire we typically start at 7:30 p.m.

On Wednesdays we have “Ugandan cultural afternoon”, when we all join in a range of activities based on the local Busiga culture; Such as crafts making, Ugandan music workshop, cooking a typical Ugandan dish, etc. Cultural afternoon activities are optional, but they are always great fun, so don’t miss out! If you are here for a long stay, you will have done all the activities and Wednesday afternoon just becomes free time.

Stone house farm Uganda volunteer Prices

Individual volunteering

Note:
All prices are per person.

The cost covers your food and accommodation and contributes towards the work of Stone house Farm, both on the farm and in the local Busu community.
Payment is required before arrival in the village for your volunteering.

You will need:

Volunteers are required to bring gardening gloves and rubber boots with them.

Prices for all volunteers are £600 per person for the first 2 weeks.

Group volunteering

If you are interested in doing a volunteer project as a group, please contact us. We are happy to help come up with ideas of how you could help and facilitate the volunteer program in Uganda.

Internships

Prices for all internships are £600 per person for the first 2 weeks with accommodation and food provided.