Volunteer in Ghana

Volunteer in Ghana with International Volunteer HQ today. IVHQ’s local staff in Ghana require volunteers NOW! IVHQ  has a wide range of volunteering projects in Ghana, including Teaching, Orphanage, Agriculture, Sports Education, Medical and Construction and Renovation.

LOCATION OF GHANA VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

IVHQ has volunteer placements located in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana in rural villages and townships.

START AND DURATION OF GHANA VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

Programs begin on the 1st and 15th of each month. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for periods ranging from 1 week to 6 months.

GHANA VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS

Volunteers must be 18 years or older at the beginning of the program and have at least a high school education. All volunteers must provide a criminal background check to IVHQ partner staff on arrival in Ghana.

HOW MANY OTHER VOLUNTEERS WILL THERE BE?

GHANA VOLUNTEER PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS

ORPHANAGE WORK

The Ghanaian orphanage program seeks to address the numerous problems that many children without proper education, health care, food, love and attention face as a result of their parents not being there for them. Orphans everywhere need care and volunteers will be placed in either rural or urban environments where they will teach, love and care for these less fortunate children. Volunteers will design and execute effective teaching programs, activities and events to inspire and develop the children’s talent and abilities through human interaction and care. This program will also give volunteers an opportunity to explore and understand the Ghanaian people and their culture. Volunteers can bring along sweets, books, pencils and music instrument to help entertain the kids and assist with activities. These supplies can generally be brought in country if packing is limited (IVHQ actually encourages this as it brings more money into the Ghanaian economy as opposed to buying the goods in our home countries).

IVHQ EXAMPLE PLACEMENT: Handi Children Outreach Home
Handi Children Outreach Home is located in the North of Accra and is home to over 50 children. The children admitted range from 3 years to 16 years. Most of them are orphans or street children brought to the home by relatives and friends. NB This is only an example placement which is one of many offered by IVHQ in Ghana and not necessarily the one you will be working at.

TEACHING

Although Ghana is an English speaking country, many school children cannot communicate effectively in the English language. This is a common phenomenon in both rural and urban areas of Ghana, hence the need to recruit and place volunteers in communities where there are simply insufficient teachers (or teacher’s who have inadequate English) to cater for the number of children. The project seeks to stimulate the interest in school children to study and speak proper English whilst at the same time offering our foreign volunteers a unique opportunity to learn and experience the Ghanaian culture. Music, math and arts are also incorporated into our program and volunteers are encouraged to bring resources that can assist with the teaching. Volunteers also have the opportunity to teach French if they wish to. Volunteers are effectively placed in rural and urban communities where they will teach solo and assist the few teachers available. Project is based on the syllabus of the Ghana Education Service and this will be made available to all volunteers after their orientation. NB Volunteers DO NOT need to be a qualified or experienced teacher.

IVHQ EXAMPLE PLACEMENT: Frankadua EP Primary School
Frankadua EP Primary School located in the relatively small Ghanaian town of Frankadua has over 250 children that attend. Volunteers generally teach between the hours of 7:30am and 2:30pm. Classes vary dependent on volunteer ability and experience but general classes include math, English, science, arts and physical education. In addition to school classes, volunteers can also assist children with their homework and assignment after school and in the evening. NB This is only an example placement which is one of many offered by IVHQ in Ghana and not necessarily the one you will be working at.

SPORTS TEACHING

If you are a lover of sports and enthusiastic to work with kids, but are not confident enough to take on a teaching program, then this is a great program for you. Volunteers will work with young children and sometimes older people base on a volunteers request to develop their interest in a range of sports and increase their skill base. In addition to the obvious physical benefits of physical education, the program helps to give the children mental discipline and heightens alertness and coordination. The program will generally involve physical training, teaching the kids how to work as a team, bringing the best out of the players and also give the children more self confidence. Football is extremely popular in Ghana (as it is in most African countries) and therefore volunteers are encouraged to introduce different sports to the children (volunteers may need to bring special material and equipment for this as there is a chance it cannot be purchased in Ghana). However, football training can still play a large role in the program and generally football matches will be also arranged between volunteer teams and others from neighbouring villages or towns.

IVHQ EXAMPLE PLACEMENT: Timber Nkwanta SDA Primary School
Timber Nkwanta is a small rural community with a small population of mainly farmers. This placement is rural. Volunteers work at Timber Nwanta SDA Primary School where they take sports education classes from 2:30pm until 6:30pm. Volunteers will also arrange games against other schools in the community and region. Most children are in school between 7:30am to 2:30 pm in the afternoon. Therefore during these hours, volunteers will generally take one or two classes at the school to ensure they are busy and fully contributing. NB This is only an example placement which is one of many offered by IVHQ in Ghana and not necessarily the one you will be working at.

MEDICAL

The Ghana medical program is a rural community based program with the aim of helping  smaller Ghanaian communities deprived of basic medical access and health care. In the major cities of Ghana such as Accra, medical care is fairly good and accessible relative to other African nations. However, once you leave the major cities, the standards drop considerably and there is a shortage of trained medical professionals to work in the communities and provide even the most basic health cares. Volunteers on the Ghana medical program, will be placed in small rural clinics where they will work closely with the local staff. Some medical placements are also available on our orphanage programs where medical volunteers will visit the various orphanages we work with, providing medical care and guidance to those in need.  It is important to note, that facilities and resources on this program are extremely limited and will be a much different working environment to what most medical volunteers have experienced before. NB Volunteers on the Ghana medical program must be a qualified medical professional or have at least two years medical training (such as medical school or nurses college) behind them. Midwives are also able to work in one of our rural clinics. Medical qualifications, or a letter and transcript from your college or school need to be provided to staff in Ghana on arrival.

IVHQ EXAMPLE PLACEMENT: Frankadua RC Clinic
Located in the Asuogyaman district in the Eastern region of Ghana, Frankadua Roman Catholic clinic serves a population of approximately 6000 people from a variety of small townships and villages. It is a small clinic with poor infrastructure, a lack of medical equipment and very few staff. The clinic has local doctor and one nurse who handle all medical cases. Volunteers will be working closely with the local staff in providing medical care and assistance to this rural community. NB This is only an example placement and one of many offered by IVHQ in Ghana, not necessarily the one you will be working at.

AGRICULTURE

The Ghana Agriculture program is designed for those who enjoy the more physical aspect of volunteering and want to get their “hands dirty”. The main aim of this program is to address the difficulties facing our orphanage programs in terms of food for the children. By assisting the orphanages with developing and expanding agriculture programs, it assists these institutions in providing more sustainable food sources for the children and in some cases an added source of income for the orphanage, whereby the orphanage can sell the goods to local communities. Work consists of both crop farming (eggplants, capsicums, palms, etc) and animal farming (rabbits, goats, chickens, etc) dependent on the season and where you are placed. Volunteers will be clearing land for growing crops, assisting with fertilizing the land, developing land for cropping, planting crops, nurturing crops, teaching farming techniques to the older children and local staff, assisting with purchasing stock, caring for stock, fencing and moving stock. Those with previous agricultural experience will also be able to assist the orphanage in developing systems to help grow their crops and animals more effectively. 
The Agriculture program is designed to help the orphanage homes where we work. Volunteers on this project will also be able to assist with teaching in a local school to ensure they have sufficient work. Therefore, agriculture volunteers must also be prepared to participate in some teaching work. NB While previous agricultural experience is not a prerequisite for this program, the more experience you have, the more you will be able to assist with developing the program and teaching techniques to local staff and older children at the orphanages. It is also important to note that resources and machinery are extremely limited and most work is very labour intensive.  

Frankadua farm is located in Frankadua in the Eastern Region about a 2 hour drive from Accra. Frankadua is a farming town, and there is a small market in the town where some of the produce grown on the IVHQ Agriculture program is sold to earn income for the farm. Some of the produce is also given to the local orphanages to feed the children. Currently this is a Rabbit and Goat farm as well as crop farm, growing eggplant, capsicum and a palm plantation (palm is a staple in Ghana used for oil, wine and a range of different local meals).

CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION

Based in rural Ghana, the Construction and Renovation project offers volunteers the special opportunity to work alongside local people to help improve the infrastructure in small rural communities. This project focuses on the construction and renovation of orphanages, clinics, community centers, toilets facilities and schools. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to meet chiefs and community elders, and learn about the various cultures of the different communities through music and dance.

Volunteers work closely with the local people and IVHQ Ghana staff and roles include painting, brick laying, plastering, digging, block shaping, carpentry, steel bending mortar mixing etc. If you’re a keen outdoors person with a good level of fitness, this will be a perfect project for you. Please note, projects and volunteer roles will vary from community to community. Volunteers should bring gloves, flash light, scarf or hat, insect repellent, working boots, water bottle and sleeping bag.

Please note, this project has an additional fee of US$5 per day for construction and renovation materials that are used during the project.

GHANA PROGRAM COSTS

One of the strengths of IVHQ is our extremely affordable fees. Click here to see the program cost to volunteer in Ghana and what you receive in exchange for your fees.

ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS

Volunteers are accommodated in a volunteer house where they will live with other volunteers and local staff. On some programs volunteers will also stay together in a volunteer house alongside a local family. We give that local family or staff (depending on your placement) money from your fee for support, food and board. It is exciting to stay with local Ghanaians; that way you will learn the Ghanaian way of life, meet local people, eat local food, speak the local language and engage in local customs and traditions. Living is basic but the large majority of the volunteer houses have electricity and running water (some rural houses may not have electricity or running water during times of drought). Volunteers can expect to share a room with one or two other volunteers. All volunteer homes have a cook who prepares meals. Ghanaian food is tasty, diverse and volunteers can expect to experience a myriad of flavours and meals during their Ghanaian experience. If volunteers wish to eat out, there are a large numbers of restaurants and diners to suit all tastes and budgets. If you have special eating needs, please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you. However, we need to stress the point that you should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, but also as a volunteer, there is a need to be flexible.

ORIENTATION

Orientation will begin on the 1st and 15th (dates) of each month and last for approximately half a day. Orientation will be conducted by staff in Accra and cover everything you need to know for your volunteering placement in Ghana – Introduction to Ghana, Ghanaian Customs, Rules and Expectations, Safety, Basic Twi lesson, Travel Opportunities in Ghana and introduction to your project and placement. The orientation will also give you a chance to meet other volunteers and swap contact details for weekend travel and socializing. Once orientation is complete, volunteers will be transported to their accommodation and introduced to all relevant parties – hosts and program placement staff.

VOLUNTEER WEEK

• First Day: On the first day of the volunteering placement, the volunteers will be escorted to the project and introduced to the staff at the project you will be working with.
• Weekdays: While our programs are flexible and can be fitted to your requirements, an example of a typical day is as follows.
• 7.30AM Breakfast with the host
• 8.00AM Volunteer leaves home and travels to the project; The volunteer joins with the local staff. You will be given a duty roster and a plan for your work. There is usually a tea break and a lunch break. Work and hours is dependent on the project and location that the volunteer is participating in.
• 2.00PM-5.00PM Work at the project usually ends. The volunteer at this point is free to visit and see places or do shopping. Usually we will have a guide to take you around. You may also want to hang out with the kids up to around 6.00PM.
• 8.30PM Dinner with host
• Weekends: During the weekend, volunteers have spare time and usually just relax or take the opportunity to explore other parts of their local town and Ghana. Long weekends can be taken to travel further afield such as Cape Coast or other Western African countries. If volunteers wish to volunteer over the weekends they can join local teams and visit other orphanages (or other children helping organizations) to spend time simply playing with and entertaining the children.

Ghana Volunteer Fees

What do my fees pay for?

Registration Fee (Refundable if you choose not to go*) – 24/7 support from IVHQ staff, program marketing costs, information pack, administration costs, travel costs to inspect programs and communication costs with volunteers.
Program Fee – Airport pick up, orientation, program supervision, accommodation and meals during volunteer placement period, In-country 24/7 volunteer support and In-country administration costs.

What additional costs will I have?

Visa, flights, travel insurance (mandatory), transfer back to the airport at conclusion of program, vaccinations, souvenirs, spending money (volunteers in Ghana generally find US$30 to be sufficient for basic weekly expenses).