Programs designed and implemented by our local community members have made it possible for YEI to provide many of the services critical to HIV/AIDS prevention and care for free, including:

• Education materials
• Condoms
• HIV counseling and testing
• Anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy referrals
• Mobile HIV counseling and testing

Since 2004, more than 5,000 people have enlisted in free HIV counseling and testing services offered by YEI. In 2008 alone, 1,833 people (837 male, 996 female) tested for HIV, 42 youth living with HIV joined our post-test club sensitization teams, 600 HIV-infected and affected youth attended vocational trainings and received basic HIV prevention education, and three youth living with HIV joined our anti-stigma radio program campaigns.

Our HIV/AIDS program also includes care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs). We organize groups and engage PLWHAs in community sensitization through drama and theatre. YEI also works with PLWHAs to help them start income generating activities so they can continue to be productive members of the community.

More than 100 PLWHAs are on the YEI team and their courage helps to foster a spirit of 'speaking out' against the HIV/AIDS stigma and also encourages voluntary disclosure of HIV results.

YEI is owned and managed exclusively by local volunteer members from Kasese District in western Uganda.

Local volunteers design and implement programs, conduct fundraising campaigns and contribute to the daily operations of the organization. While our local members constitute YEI membership, we also welcome global volunteers from all over the world to contribute their skills and experiences to improve the lives of marginalized populations.

We recruit global volunteers according to project needs and the specific skills required.

Global volunteers can either choose to contribute as on-site volunteers in Kasese or as remote volunteers from their home country.

Since 2004, more than 50 global volunteers have contributed their skills and expertise to the YEI mission by either working on-site with our local members, or remotely from their home countries. YEI volunteers come from diverse backgrounds and have included college students looking to gain more community experience in a rural setting and experienced professionals hoping to better understand project design and implementation in developing countries. Fill out our volunteer application form to receive more information and learn how you can contribute to YEI.

Whether you are an on-site or remote volunteer, YEI will accommodate your schedule to maximize your learning and contribution to the organization and the community it serves. Please fill out our volunteer application form so that we can learn more about your skills and experience and best match you to YEI project needs.

If you're coming to YEI as an on-site volunteer, you are expected to meet your own living expenses while in Uganda. Additional expenses to budget for as you plan your experience include:

• $100 for your airport pickup, sight-seeing, a night in Kampala and transport from Kampala to the project location in Kasese.
• $200 weekly stipend for accommodations and four meals per day while on-site.
• $100 for transportation from Kasese back to Kampala, a night in Kampala and transfer to Entebbe International Airport on your return home.
• Approximate cost for one week stay, not including airfare is $400; two weeks is $600; one month is $1,000.
• If you intend to stay for more than one month, you can reduce costs by renting a small room in Kasese, or by staying with one of our local volunteers.

Kasese district is also a hub for several tourist attractions, including the snow-peaked Rwenzori Mountains, forests with mountain gorillas, Queen Elizabeth National Park, craters of Katwe and interconnected lakes and hot springs. As an on-site volunteer, you are welcome to take advantage of visiting these sites on weekends.

YEI will secure a guide and the volunteer is responsible for meeting transportation and any associated park or venue entry costs.