Are you and your church considering doing a mission trip? Not sure where you should go? If so, we’d love to share with you our Uganda mission trip opportunities! This once-in-a-lifetime experience will allow you to spread the good news of Jesus, provide hands-on support to our team and Ugandan families, and leave you changed. We’ll cover what you can expect on an Okoa mission trip to Africa.
Your travel day begins bright and early! From Okoa’s office location in Florida to Uganda, time in the air and layovers can make the travel day range from 20 to over 24 hours, so get ready to watch some movies, read a book, and sleep throughout the day.
While this may sound like a long time to travel, there’s no need to worry. We’ve found these travel days are full of excitement and spirits are high in anticipation for the days ahead. Before you set to depart, we recommend you read through the following tips to make sure your flight is comfortable.
Your first day in Uganda is an exciting time! It may be your first time on this side of the world or even in the southern hemisphere. (Yes, you are below the equator!) You’ll quickly learn from all the signs that this beautiful country is appropriately called the Pearl of Africa. After a long day of travel, we’ll get you set up in a hotel and let you rest as you adjust to the new time zone.
What may surprise you is most of the signs and text you’ll see are in English. In Uganda, English is actually the official language, so you may find the language barrier to be easier to overcome while on your trip. However, we do also provide translators with you in case you’re talking with someone who doesn’t speak English.
For your trip, we create your schedule to match the current needs or initiatives of the ministry. Most of your time will be spent in ministry or tangibly providing relief to families and children in Uganda. We’ll outline some of the main activities you can expect to be a part of on an Okoa mission trip.
Often, our team’s favorite part of the trip is visiting our Rescue Center. Here, over 100 children work, play, and live, and they’re always so excited to meet visitors. You’ll get to play with these sweet little ones—perhaps, you may find a child in need of a sponsor and feel called to join their care team.
You also may be able to go to local schools and minister to the children there. If you’re lucky enough to come to our center during a child’s birthday, you’ll get to experience our birthday barbeque where you can try traditional Uganda food and eat cake and ice cream with the birthday boy or girl!
Right near our Rescue Center is our House of Joy Hospital. Not only does this hospital serve the children at the center, but it also provides necessary care to all the surrounding areas at reduced rates. You’ll get to see its dentistry office, sterile surgical center, lovely waiting room, and nourishment center for malnourished children. It sees over 400 patients a month, not including the Okoa children, and you’ll get to hear directly about their impact on the health of local residents.
Okoa fights tirelessly to end gender-based violence (GBV) in Uganda, support survivors, and bring perpetrators to justice. Two ways we accomplish this are through our Gender-Based Violence Shelters and our TOP Campuses. Both act as a shelter for young children and women in need of a safe space to heal—the GBV Shelters for a short-term period until a safe home is found for them and the TOP campuses for long-term stays. During your trip, you’ll get to tour these centers and see the lives that have been saved and changed through this important work.
Our Disability Rehab Center serves over 60 families with children who have disabilities. This center provides free physical and occupational therapy to help children gain mobility and fine motor skills. Parents will also learn how to care for their child with disabilities so they can support them outside of the center. During your visit, you’ll get to tour the facilities and minister to the families and workers.
If you’re with us on a Sunday, you’ll get to join us at church and experience a true Ugandan worship service and sermon. Afterwards, we’ll let you rest a bit as you listen to presentations from local pastors, and perhaps, you’ll even get the chance to see one of our Bible Schools!
When we have a mission team with us, we like to set up a medical camp in a community that needs care. At this camp, you’ll help set up the tents, evangelize to the people through a translator while they wait for their medication, and help organize the needed supplies for each patient.
These camps are so important as they provide life-saving medication and care to local residents for free, and they also teach the community about the gospel of Christ. We can see anywhere from 500 to 1,500 people at these camps, and often, tens if not hundreds of people are saved thanks to the work of the mission team.
Another common activity we like to do with mission teams is building a mud kitchen or home for a family. These families are identified by a local pastor as being the most in need of help in their community. Sometimes, they could benefit from an entirely new home, but others simply need a dry, fire-safe place to cook their meals. You’ll get to build a home right from the mud in the ground and bless a family in need with a sturdy, new addition to their land.
At some point during your trip, you’ll get to hear from our Collaborative Community Initiatives (CCI) partners. You’ll hear stories of how they’re supporting young mothers in their communities and their methods for building a sustainable community initiative. If you want to help support their efforts directly, you can purchase a number of items created by mothers in the program, such as baby clothes, dried fruits, and coffee beans.
Similarly, you’ll also get a chance to learn about and shop at our One Stop Market Center. This center is designed to teach people with disabilities practical skills, so they can make and sell items to support themselves. This is our favorite place for handmade souvenirs, so make sure you bring some spending money!
And with that, your trip is done. On the way to the airport, we may be able to stop at the equator, so you can take photos standing on the center of the world. We know you’re tired, but your heart is full. Heading back, we hope you take the time to reflect on your experience and get some well-deserved rest. Take some time to consider how you can share this experience with others, so they can learn about all that Okoa does.
If any of these activities sounded like something you want to be a part of, we would love to have you on our next mission trip! We’re so grateful for anyone who volunteers their time and energy to join us in God’s work being done in Uganda and East Africa. Experience a life-changing trip, and check out our upcoming Okoa mission trips!
