Living Conditions in Uganda

General considerations

To learn more about living and working in Uganda, applicants are encouraged to connect with a recruiter to discuss any specific considerations that could affect their service. In addition, please visit the U.S. Department of State's Uganda travel information pages for the latest on travel advisories, local laws, and special circumstances.

Applicants who undergo an interview will have additional opportunities to raise questions or concerns. If, upon learning more information, an applicant would like to be considered for a different assignment from the one they have been assigned to serve in, the Peace Corps can often find an alternate option that may be a better fit.

Communications

Mail

Letters take a minimum of two weeks to arrive in Uganda if sent by airmail; packages take longer. If family and friends send letters within the first 5 weeks after your departure, you can use the following address:

[Your name], Peace Corps Trainee

P.O. Box 29348

Kampala, Uganda

You are responsible to provide your address to those sending letters and packages.

Email access and telephones

Volunteers often purchase portable internet connection modems, and most Volunteer sites have at some mobile internet connection. Access may be slow and intermittent. Volunteers often travel to an urban area for access to decent Wi-Fi or internet cafes. Some Volunteers may access email and internet as little as once or twice a month, but the majority have much greater access. Volunteers are provided with a basic mobile phone to maintain contact with Peace Corps staff. Most also choose to purchase a local SIM card for their smartphone and secure local phone services through a “pay as you go” plan. This means they pay for every minute of a call. Unlike the U.S., received calls are free to the receiver. Volunteers in Uganda receive a tablet, and many choose to bring a personal laptop to support work, social connections, and leisure.

Housing and site location

Volunteers live in urban, semi-urban, and rural areas in villages and towns, at school campuses, and in clinic compounds. Living conditions vary widely. The host organization is required to provide you with two rooms, access to water, bathing, and toilet facilities. One room typically serves as a bedroom and the other room a kitchen and sitting room. These rooms can be standalone small houses or attached to a row of houses. Some basic furnishings may be provided, and you will also receive a modest settling-in allowance from the Peace Corps to help with additional basics for your household.

Some houses do not have running water or electricity, although many do. Electricity, when present, is often unreliable. Many Volunteers use pit latrines, a kerosene lanterns, and gas stoves. Although Peace Corps staff makes every effort to collaborate with communities and organizations to see that housing is ready for Volunteers when they arrive at their sites, there may be delays due to limited resources. At nearly all sites, privacy will be extremely limited. Children may be around constantly, and they are often very curious. You will likely have a a more public life than you are used to.

Living allowance and money management

Volunteers receive a monthly allowance in local currency that is sufficient to live at the level of their host country counterparts. The allowance covers food, household supplies, clothing, transportation to and from work, utilities, recreation and entertainment, and incidental expenses. The Peace Corps discourages Volunteers from supplementing their living allowance with funds from home. However, Volunteers often bring additional money for vacation travel to other countries. For this, credit cards and debit cards are preferable to cash. U.S. debit cards can be used to withdraw cash from ATMs throughout the country. If you choose to bring extra money, bring an amount to suit your travel plans and needs. 

Food and diet

You will generally buy food from outdoor markets or small shops. Most Volunteers cook for themselves. The local diet is basic but healthy, including a variety of plant protein foods (beans, peanuts, soybeans), and there are a lot of vegetables, greens, and starches. Fish and meats are easily sourced. There are likely local restaurants at or near your site. Imported foods, while expensive, can be found in larger towns. During training, there will be sessions on safe food preparation and proper nutrition. There is a Peace Corps Uganda cookbook that demonstrates how to use local ingredients.

A vegetarian diet is relatively easy to follow in Uganda after you become familiar with the local food. Vegetarians should be prepared to explain the concept of vegetarianism to others.

Transportation

Volunteers travel primarily by foot, bicycle, or public transport. Public transportation to and from the nearest urban or trading center is available near every site—in most cases several times a day. Public transport is likely to be crowded. Sometimes transport is infrequent and unreliable. To facilitate fieldwork, Volunteers are given an allowance to purchase a bike. Some Volunteers must be able to ride a bicycle in order to do their jobs. When riding a bicycle, Volunteers must wear helmets (provided by the Peace Corps). When traveling to and from major cities, there are large, comfortable buses that operate on schedules. Tickets that designate specific seat numbers are purchased in advance or near the time of departure. To get around in a city, Volunteers often use taxis known locally as “private hires.” Peace Corps Uganda prohibits the use of motorcycles by Volunteers as drivers or passengers because of the extreme safety risks they pose.

Professionalism, dress, and behavior

Professionalism in the Peace Corps requires an awareness of the host community workplace culture, community values, and your self-presentation. To maintain a positive, culturally appropriate professional standing within a host community or workplace, Volunteers may need to adjust their style of dress, hair style, facial hair, make-up, piercings, manner of greeting others, etc., to demonstrate respect for local culture and customs. How you present yourself, in both informal and professional settings, reflects you as an individual and you as a representative of Peace Corps and the United States. In the U.S., dress (and other elements of personal appearance) may be seen as self-expression and a personal freedom. In Uganda the way you dress and present yourself may be interpreted as an expression of regard—or disregard—for host community members.

Volunteers are encouraged to spend time in their communities, develop their language skills, and get to know the individual members of their community to better understand their traditions, culture, and local norms. As mutual trust is established over time, there may be opportunities for Volunteers to adjust their personal appearance and dress outside of the more rigid local standards. Volunteers are encouraged to discuss these potential adjustments with staff and other cultural mentors.

Ugandans view dressing appropriately as a sign of respect for others. Dressing in neat, clean, and conservative clothes is considered professional and can assist integration into the community.

For men, clothing should include pants and a dress shirt. In some environments, a nice polo shirt is acceptable. Ties are worn for formal occasions and major functions. Polo shirts are also acceptable in more casual work settings.

For women, dress pants, skirts, and dresses at or below the knees are considered appropriate in most professional environments; tight pants, short skirts and low-cut or spaghetti strap tops are inappropriate. Dress pants may be acceptable in some sites. Volunteers are encouraged to observe their surroundings and assess norms around appropriate clothing.

In general, jeans, t-shirts, and casual sandals are not considered appropriate in the workplace.

Facial piercings are not generally accepted (other than earrings for women) in professional settings and may make it more difficult to integrate into the community. Tattoos are uncommon in Uganda. Volunteers with tattoos can expect to receive questions about them and should plan to cover them if possible, especially at the start of service when they are integrating into their community.

For men, beards are acceptable if they are neat and trimmed.

During pre-service training, Trainees are oriented on culturally appropriate behavior and cultural competence.

Social activities

In Uganda, the most common form of entertainment is socializing with friends and neighbors. Learning the language and being open facilitates integration. Relationships in the community are key to a successful service.

Volunteers integrate and socialize in their communities by participating in weddings, funerals, birthday celebrations, and other events. They can visit other Volunteers at their sites or other locations on weekends or holidays (within “time away from community” policy requirements). Some larger towns have cinemas.

There are many opportunities for outdoor activities—bird watching, wildlife, hiking, chimpanzee trekking, and so much more. Water activities, including taking boat rides down the Nile River or boating/sailing on Lake Victoria, are popular.

Sports

Participating in sports such as football (soccer), cricket, rugby, basketball, swimming, and volleyball is common in many places in Uganda.

Some locations may have small gyms, boxing centers, or other venues for physical activity. Pool tables are common in semi-outdoor locations.

Some Volunteers engage in jogging, hiking, and biking. This should be done with knowledge and information about the safety and security of engaging in these activities. These may be more safely done with others rather than alone.

There are locations in Uganda which are known for adventure sports such as bungee jumping, white water rafting, and tubing on the Nile. Volunteers strongly advised against participating in these sports because emergency medical care may not be locally available. See Medical Care During Service for more information on adventure sports.

Whatever physical activity Volunteers engage in, if done in the community knowledge about appropriate dress while doing it is critical. Appropriate dress means wearing shorts with a pair of leggings and a long shirt.