The Jewish Agency has opened an international volunteering center in Uganda as part of the agency's Project TEN Tikkun Olam initiative. The center, in Namulanda between the capital city of Kampala and Entebbe, was established in cooperation with local authorities. Volunteers come to the center from Israel and from Jewish communities around the world to work with local disadvantaged communities. They build and develop infrastructure and community projects in the fields of education, health and agriculture that can later be run by locals for the long term. Among other things, volunteers assist with health care in poor areas and in rural elementary schools. Volunteers will also work with the children of refugees from South Sudan, some of whom have lived in Israel in the past, in an effort to help with their education. The volunteers will further work to establish a local youth group, as well as to train a group of leaders in the fields of technology and education. The first group of volunteers from Israel flew to Uganda last month to gain an in-depth understanding of the community's needs and to draft a plan. They will work together with Brit Olam International Volunteering and Development and with other volunteer organizations operating in the country. The center is the third in Africa established by the Jewish Agency under Project TEN. The other two centers are in Ghana and South Africa. There is another volunteer center in Mexico and one in Israel, which works to assist the Bedouin community as well as groups with special needs. There are plans to set up additional centers in South America and in East Asia. Project TEN Director Yarden Zornberg said, "The volunteer centers allow young people to integrate their desire to see the world with their desire to volunteer and have an impact. The center also serves as a meeting place for young people from Israel and young people from the Diaspora, who work together for a shared purpose. "At the end of the volunteer period, the young people return to Israel with motivation to continue contributing and to be social activists."
