Description:
“Bery’s Placeâ€, is primarily a dedicated sexual health facility to provide a wide range of medical, para-medical and mental health services to young paediatric/adolescent pupils, residing on various Ssese Islands. Secondarily “Bery’s Place†offers also a temporary shelter as well as counselling services for the physically or emotionally abused youngsters, in need of such temporary shelter and/or related care and services.
“Bery’s Place†is a small-scale private initiative of a Belgian humanitarian, who wants to give young, infected, affected, abused, violated or vulnerable youngsters, a chance to have a worthwhile future, without becoming a young victim of their society due to a lack of alternatives.
Thus, by providing initially the necessary clinical and para-medical aid to heal the more superficial wounds as well as the necessary counselling, educational knowledge as well as the ever so important Life-Skills that might help them to deal with the less visible wounds. If we, over a period of time, are also able to add some vocational skills, then we really achieved our objectives.
As we are still in the starting-phase, in need of building renovations, upgrading, modernizing, etc… from A to Z, as well as additional buildings and furnishings for our kids , volunteers and staff, I like to have a very independent functioning and creative volunteer builder/handyman, preferable for a longer period, to teach and work with our kids to construct the facilities required directly or indirectly for them. Of course, such off and on supported by local craftspeople of all sorts and qualities. As our funding for all such is currently almost non-existent, I would really appreciate if the same person can also help with the necessary fundraising, etc… to realize all this.
General Information :
Housing :
Location ; A 150m2, free standing brick house on a 1.5 HA beach-property, located within the Kasirye's Plantation on the outskirts of Mweena (a fishing-landing site) on Bugala Island, the main island and district capital of the Ssese Islands.
Facilities : Currently all of us, meaning staff, volunteers and even patients are sleeping in one house, cared for by a local housekeeper that cooks, washes and cleans for us. In this simple but comfortable beachfront house, I can provide for volunteers, one room with 2 single and 1 double bed. Additionally, a clean common flushing toilet and cold water shower. Otherwise all other rooms are common, therefore not really providing much privacy if such is needed.
Utilities : No access to grid electricity although we have one solar panel for the charging of batteries and mobile phones as well as a small generator for the occasional laptop use, or even in the evening a DVD. Therefore also no access to fixed phone lines, DSL, internet. (Alternative: a suitable Pocket PC)
Water : Water is relative clean spring water, but as the spring is not capped, we use bottled water for drinking purposes.
Expenses : (Please understand that we are working and living on islands, requiring that all and everything has to be purchased and transported from the mainland by boat / ferry which is time-consuming and adds expenses to all and everything.)
Volunteers are paying for their own expenses, meaning ; personal inoculations / vaccinations as required, a decent national- and international flights, health-, accident-, hospitalisation- and repatriation insurance, ad-hoc funding for any extraordinary or medical expenses until the insurance takes over, local transport, etc.. as well as common shared living/staying expenses like meals (min. 3 daily), beverages (bottled water, thee, coffee), laundry, generator fuel, cooking gas, general housekeeping, fixed and other variable expenses, etc... (all together roughly 30,-USD a day for each person, payable after your arrival in advance.) In addition any other private purchases, excursions and/or other perks.
Volunteers, which prove to be highly productive and effective, not abusing us as an inexpensive vacation resort, will receive our consideration in regards to Room & Board, but sadly enough currently no other perks.
Liability : Bery's Place, the founder, the hosts, etc... can't be held responsible / liable for any expenses, fines, costs or dues you generate / encounter during your visit. Of course, if in need, we will help you practically as much as we can, but can't be held responsible for any expense connected to you or such.
International Flights : Please inform us in advance as I'm able to get via Brussels Airlines / American Airlines additional luggage allowances and the most flexible terms.
Miscellaneous : Of course, we understand that you have many more questions, and we are gladly willing to answer these in all detail. Therefore, don’t hesitate to contact us should you be unable to find answers locally or via the internet to such.
I’ll gladly respond and assist, but please….understand that I’m there for patients, therefore count on your talents and abilities to overcome basic challenges yourself.
