Dear Volunteer,

I am glad to hear that you are interested in a volunteer trip to Uganda. We would love to

work with you to see if Fount of Mercy is the right fit for you. Let me start with a brief history.

Fount of Mercy was started over four years ago and was birthed from Fount’s Executive Director master thesis project on the situation of orphans in Uganda. Since that time Fount has spent four summers in Uganda. The first summer was a research scout trip where we met with and got to know the organizations that we are currently work with. Most of the organizations that we work with offer a free school for their orphan population and are attempting one or two vocational training programs for the orphans and the widows in their communities. All of our partnering organizations are very grass-root and are under development.

For the last three summers we have been working to build each partnering organization's

capacity by focusing on educational development, operational development, vocational

training and public health. This development has included workshops, one on one

consultations, seminars and the distribution of resources. In most cases we have enlisted

professionals here in the States as volunteers and have worked with each volunteer team

and individual as they seek to develop the educational, vocational, operational and public

health needs of each Ugandan organization, their orphan population and those in the

community they seek to serve.

So essentially we seek to understand each partnering organization's structure, programs

and vision and we seek to further develop their work through capacity building, resource

mobilization and networking.

So thats what we do. If you are still interested, I would like to get to know you some

before guessing how you could volunteer with Fount or with one of the organizations that

we work with. We like for our volunteers to utilize their experience, skill sets and personal interests when they volunteer. If you could complete the questionnaire below we can begin to explore how and who you could work with this summer. Once I receive your answers I will give you a call and we can discuss this further.

Thank you for your time and interest and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have

any further questions.

Best,

Michelle Averna

Executive Director

Fount of Mercy

Getting to Know You

Please answer the following questions.  Your answers will help Fount of Mercy determine how you can utilize your unique experiences, skill sets, education and interests to best meet the needs of orphans, vulnerable children, widows and their caregivers.  Please send your answer to Fount of Mercy via mail or email.  Thank you!

Name:

Volunteer team (if applicable):

Email:

Phone Number:

Age:

Part I: Skill Set 

What is your current occupation? 

Please describe what you do in your occupation. 

Work History (please describe previous jobs that have given you unique and valuable training.) 

Please describe your educational background listing all degrees. 

Part II: Personal 

What are your hobbies? 

What do you do in your free time? 

List three adjectives that best describe you. 

Part III: Traveling Abroad 

Why would you like to travel to Uganda?

What is your traveling experience?

What is your volunteer experience?

What was your most rewarding volunteering experience?

What was your most challenging volunteering experience?

How do you handle sadness? 

Provide an example of when you experienced culture shock.

What is your comfort level when traveling? (ranging from, “Ill sleep anywhere” to “I need somewhere nice to stay after a hard day of work”)

What are your expectations in volunteering with an organization caring for orphans and vulnerable children?

Do you have any fears associated with traveling to Africa? If so, what are they? 

Part IV: References

Please provide contact information for two references (for individual volunteers only).