Graduate Students | Volunteer Opportunity | Hope Speaks
Hope Speaks offers a state of the art Clinical Fellowship program to graduates seeking to expand the scope of their studies and experiences. While you get a once in a lifetime experience, Hope Speaks is able to increase their services to hard to reach communities and individuals through our Fellowship program.
Our Clinical Fellowship program includes hands-on experience working in both our outreach programs and our private clinic setting. CFs will have the opportunity to partner with Ugandan SLPs to gain a unique perspective and approach to speech therapy in a global setting while receiving supervision and mentorship from an ASHA-certified SLP.
- Patient Evaluations
- Creation and implementation of treatment plans
- Community Outreach and Education
- Familiarization with reporting tools such as Fusion
- Clinical Supervision as per ASHA requirements
- Day-to-day program needs
On the weekends, CFs get to enjoy the best of what Uganda has to offer - safaris, a trip to the source of the Nile River, cultural experiences and more.
- Applicants must be graduates from an ASHA accredited program
- Must be able to commit to a minimum of ten months in Uganda
- Pass background checks and clearances
- Complete a pre-trip course that includes cultural preparedness and child protection training
- Sign and adhere to Hope Speaks’ Code of Conduct for the duration of your CFY
- Be able to fully or partially fund your fellowship whether privately or through fundraising
- Please email deb@joinhopespeaks.org for more information regarding partial funding.
The cost of each of the 3-week trips for 2026 will be $5,000 for May/June trips and $5,300 for July/August trips due to increased flight prices in peak summer months. If flight costs increase beyond our budgeted range due to short-notice bookings or other factors, the volunteer is responsible to cover the difference.
Cost includes: Airfare, lodging in a beautiful guest house with 24/7 security, 2 meals/day, ground transportation while in country (either Hope Speaks vehicle or public transportation with Hope Speaks staff), travel insurance inclusive of Medevac while in country, WiFi internet, laundry, utilities, a donation to Hope Speaks programming, and processing fees.
Not included in the cost: Immunizations prior to travel to Uganda, $50 Ugandan visa (online prior to trip), phone data, snacks and dining out, souvenirs, personal expenses, and excursions (safari and other optional outings). Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Hope Speaks welcomes volunteers year round outside of these scheduled trip dates. If our scheduled summer trip dates do not work with your personal, work, or school schedule, we are very flexible and will try to make other arrangements so that you are able to serve with Hope Speaks when it works best for you.
For the following trips, the first date is the date you will arrive in Uganda. The last date is the date you would fly out of Uganda. For planning purposes, you will be leaving the day before the first date, and returning the day after the last date.
A non-refundable $100 deposit is required after your application is approved and before a background check is run to secure your trip reservation.
Following background check approval, you will need to have the amount indicated below in your fundraising account page in order for flights to be booked. The balance will be due 2 weeks before your departure.
|
2026 Trip Dates (In Country) |
Trip Deadline |
Deposit Due for |
Trip Balance & Due Date |
|
May 15 - June 5 |
February 15 |
$2,000 |
$3,000 - April 30 |
|
June 12 - July 3 |
March 12 |
$2,000 |
$3,000 - May 28 |
|
July 10 - July 31 |
April 10 |
$2,200 |
$3,100 - June 25 |
|
August 7-28 |
May 7 |
$2,200 |
$3,100 - July 23 |
- For Undergraduate students YOU MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY an SLP or supervising professor in order to serve with us. They must travel with you to Uganda. No unaccompanied undergraduate students will be able to serve with us by themselves. (new policy from clinical committee)
- Custom travel dates are available between September 2025 and May 2026
- If our scheduled summer trip dates do not work with your personal, work, or school schedule, we are very flexible and will try to make other arrangements so that you are able to serve with Hope Speaks when it works best for you.
- For professionals who can only volunteer for 2 weeks, the cost is $4300. Volunteers coming for 2-week trips ideally should be able to arrive on the arrival dates listed above so that team training and orientation activities are all done together with the team at the beginning.
- If you would like to join us for longer than 3 weeks, the cost is $5000 for initial 3 weeks for the May/June trips or $5300 for the July/August trips + $90/day for every additional day beyond the 3 weeks.
- If you stay longer than 3 months, the daily rate is reduced to $85/day, plus the cost of your flight and a donation to Hope Speaks for programming
- If you would like to complete your CFY with us, please request additional information from our U.S. volunteer coordinator, Deb Bratt at deb@joinhopespeaks.org
When it was discovered that no one in Uganda, even the wealthy, had consistent access to high quality speech and language therapy services, Hope Speaks developed their One for Two model. Under this plan, services were expanded to include paying clients. Funds collected support the organization and subsidize therapy for families who are not able to afford it.
