We have seen many hearts stirred for international missions through short term trips to our ministry, as well as church and community groups committing to support Hope Speaks after seeing our work first hand. We believe there is nothing more powerful than the personal testimony of someone whose life has been changed, and we want to make sure that those stories are shared in the most ethical, edifying way possible.

For the most part, group trips take on an observation role - participants get to visit our outreach centers, meet the parents and children, and spend time with our team. We believe that one of the most important roles of these short term trips is to support and encourage those who are working in our programs long term.

In the past we have seen this done through:

• Mission team led retreats
• Family respite camps for our Clients
• One-on-one staff encouragement
• Group biblical training and support
• Using your gifts to serve the needs of the Hope Speaks team

To ensure that team members are best prepared to visit with Hope Speaks, we require the following:

• Personal reference for each member from a current pastor or previous volunteer experience
• Willingness to undertake 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 trip

Hope Speaks operates a very comfortable guest house with access to western style amenities. Our Guest house has 5 bedrooms with 6 bathrooms and can accommodate up to 25 people. Our guest house is open to groups, even when they are not visiting Hope Speaks programs.

Trip Costs can be personalized to include:

• Airfare
• Western style lodging with 24/7 security
• Meals
• Transportation to and from related activities
• 2-3 day Safari
• Tourist and Cultural Activities
• Travel insurance
• Wifi (at lodging and clinic)
• Laundry
• A donation to Hope Speaks programming
• Processing and application fees

Our Mission

Our staff prides itself on the mission of inspiring hope in low-income communities by helping disabled children raise their voice. Many children in the Uganda region are born without adequate clean water, they lack education, and are accompanied by a high rate of life-threatening illnesses. This has produced disabilities in about 19 percent of the nation's youth population.

At Hope Speaks, we celebrate every child and work with them to understand their fullest potential possible. Through the help of speech pathology, these disabled children are learning how to communicate with others in their community and speak up for what they believe in. Seeing these children blossom into capable community members is something that is hard to put into words. You truly need to experience the feeling for yourself!

Where We Work

Known as the Pearl Of Africa, Uganda is home to about 40 million people. The sad truth is that about 75 percent of the population lives on about $3 per day. With about 65 percent of the population being under 30, there's a huge need for helping those who are disabled speak up for their community.

Our staff members work out of seven locations throughout the country of Uganda.

These locations include:

• Dawn Childrens Centre
• Kampala School For The Physically Handicapped
• Mukisa Foundation
• Mercy Childcare Ministry
• Angels Center For Children With Special Needs
• Katanga Slum
• International Schools

Why Volunteer For Hope Speaks?

Volunteering for Hope Speaks ministry work allows you to see the world from a whole new perspective. You get to spend time with children who are creating the next generation of Uganda. By assisting them with speech therapy and rehabilitation services, you can change the future of Uganda one child at a time.

When we first started speech therapy in this poverty struck nation, our focus was solely on the disabled children who didn't have a voice. As word got around, more and more middle and upper-class families have chosen to hire Hope Speaks to perform speech therapy on their children. Thanks to the donations of these families, we're able to provide free speech therapy and rehabilitation services to lower-class children.

How You Can Help

Becoming a volunteer for Hope Speaks greatly helps us with our mission of giving the disabled children of Uganda a voice.

If you're unable to commit to our programs, we also have an available option for donation.