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Your Volunteer Project
The projects are numerous and varied and there is something to suit everyone’s interests and background. The main types of project work are listed below along with an outline of some of the work that you may be involved in.
To help us place you in the most suitable volunteer project we will need to know which areas most interest you, what experience you have working in these areas and what you are hoping to get out of your volunteer programme. The project areas are as follows:
Orphanage Programmes
These orphanages take in young children who have lost their families either through death, abuse or abandonment and give them the care and personal attention needed to put their lives back on the right path.
Some of the homes really struggle to care for the children, especially the babies, due to a lack of resources. You will provide that essential early developmental care and support that is so vital to the welfare of young children.
Some activities you may be involved in include:
- Planning and providing extra curricular activities; sports, music and culture, games, extra studies and organising excursions
- Changing nappies and bottle-feeding any babies
- Teaching in local schools - In addition to maths and English, you can teach any subject in which you have expertise
- Providing love, care and attention
- Supervising day-to-day activities such as sweeping, bathing and fetching of water etc.
During your time at an orphanage, you must also be flexible and prepared to help out with some elementary teaching, as many children go to school during the day or attend schools attached to the orphanage.
Teaching Placements
With these placements, you have the choice of working in a primary (5-13yrs), junior secondary (13-16) or secondary School (16-18).
Facilities will vary between schools, but generally consist of a few classrooms with wooden desks and a blackboard. You are encouraged to be creative in your role and make the lessons as memorable as possible for the children!
As a western volunteer, you can bring a whole new dimension to the classroom and, by working for just a few months, can dramatically change a school in many ways. You’ll not only be able to bring your experience to bear in the classroom but also during after school activities. It is common for volunteers to arrange football practice on Wednesdays, and take drama workshops on a Friday.
These activities often prove to be among the most satisfying contributions you make to school life and can potentially make a huge difference to the lives of the children.
Summer Schools
During the school vacations in Ghana you have the option to volunteer at organised summer schools, where children from different villages assemble at one school. This has proved a hugely effective project so far and has drawn praise from both headmasters and children alike.
At the summer school, you can coach sports, teach art and music or just spend your time interacting with the children. Though the time will not be ‘structured’, activities are extremely flexible and any suggestions you have for entertaining the kids will be welcomed.
Health Care Work and Medical Clinics
Volunteer placements are available in the large hospitals in town, which commonly house all of their departments in one main hospital, allowing you access to a variety of different wards. This project is most suited to volunteers with some medical experience.
Non-qualified medical volunteers are welcome to take part, but you must be prepared to shadow doctors and offer assistance wherever it is needed. Nevertheless, you will still gain a great insight into the medical environment and learn important new skills.
You will be helping in some of the following areas:
- Assisting in the consulting room, the family planning services, maternal and childcare wards
- Shadowing fellow doctors in routine observations and medical practices
- Helping in the dispensary, in the operating theatre and outpatient department
- Treatment of fresh cuts, as well as old wounds and uncomplicated diseases
- Assisting midwives in outreach programmes (when need arises)
- Checking and recording temperature, vital signs and body weight
- Assisting in drawing up programmes for other health education purposes
HIV/AIDS Projects
These projects are vital to the long-term health of children and adults in urban and rural communities. During the project you will move from school to school, educating children about the threat and risks of HIV and AIDS in Africa through the use of visual aids and workshops.
You will need to be a self-motivated volunteer, and the project requires you to use a lot of initiative. We also advise that you research sexual health and HIV/AIDS in particular prior to your departure.
Your activities will include:
- Home base visitation and counselling
- Facilitating peer education, through use of posters, videos, talks etc
- Public education on HIV / AIDS at various communities and local schools
- Designing educational materials and involving children in the process
- Forming clubs within the communities to carry on your valuable work once you leave
Vocational School for Women
By bringing local women together, this school aims to offer them different knowledge and skills, increasing their self-reliance and improving their self-employment credentials.
The women, the majority of whom are too poor to enter the education system, attend classes in handcrafts, computer skills and others disciplines which will hopefully provide valuable sources of income in the future. You will help teach the women these new skills enabling them to become more self-reliant and help break the cycle of poverty.
In the past, volunteers have taught:
- Reading and writing, English literature and language, maths and science
- Vocational skills such as silver-service waitressing, dressmaking and Fashion design, catering and cookery and office skills, such as filing, invoicing etc
- Sexual education, HIV and AIDS awareness and general health and safety
- Other subjects such as world geography and history, drama, music and arts
- Sports as well as classes in anatomy and nutrition
Water and Sanitation
Located in the North of Ghana this project aims to develop the sanitation of rural areas and protect their access to water. Your job as a volunteer will be to go around the local villages, building bore holes, repairing pipes, and educating the communities about health and sanitation. This is a broad programme, which demands creativity and intuition to really develop educational aids and persuade the local people of the merits of sanitation.
Construction Programmes
These projects are physically demanding and certainly not for the unfit! You will be working on building sites, typically in urban areas, with a number of fellow teammates from Ghana, helping to erect a number of buildings. These may include domestic houses, offices, schools, orphanages etc and working hours are usually from about 8am – 4pm.
This is a great chance to acquire some building skills, or to demonstrate the skills you already have and show the locals a western perspective on building techniques.
Your activities will include:
- Mixing concrete and helping to carry materials
- Bricklaying and Roofing
- Painting
- Electrics and Plumbing
Project Support
Throughout your stay in Ghana you will receive the support and guidance of the Ghanaian project leader, Tina, and her team. You will also be assigned a regional coordinator who lives close by your accommodation.
This is quite an independent project, in so far as you live with local families and are responsible for making your own way to the project each day. However, should you have any questions or need any advice, you will be able to contact your local coordinator for assistance and support. We will also provide you with a 24-hour emergency number in the UK prior to departure.
Project Orientation
On arrival at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, you will be met by one of our representatives and transferred to your hostel in Accra for your orientation. The orientation is conducted by the Programme Leader, Tina, who will make you feel extremely comfortable during your time in Accra. The orientation will start on the Monday after you arrive and lasts until Thursday.
On the Friday you will be transferred to your project area and met by your new regional coordinator, who will show you around the area and take you to meet your host family.
Your orientation will include:
- An Introduction to Ghanaian culture and values, local food and practices
- Various host family issues and expectations
- Your health and safety whilst in Ghana and places to visit
- Workplace ethics before starting your project
- Money and transportation in Ghana
- Local language lessons, dance and drumming classes and a Ghanaian cookery lesson
- Excursion to the local beach one afternoon
- A city tour, including the markets and arts centre and an excursion to the local beach
Accommodation and Meals
During your project, you will live with a local host family close to where you will be working – usually in the same village. This is a terrific way to experience the Ghanaian culture at first hand and is often one of the highlights of the trip. It is important to understand, however, that these people have very little material possessions, though what they do have they will want to share with you.
The accommodation in Ghana is comfortable but very basic, especially compared with what you are used to at home. Standards will vary but in most instances, it is best to be prepared for outside taps or wells and long drop toilets. There is also no guarantee of running water or electricity. All of our homes have been carefully inspected and you will have your own bedroom, equipped with a fan, though in a few instances you may also be sharing with another volunteer.
During your stay you will be provided with breakfast, most lunches and all dinners by your host family. This is a great chance to try some of the local dishes, such as ‘Foufou’, which is made from ground yams and usually eaten by hand. It is always a nice touch while you are in Ghana, to buy some local ingredients and cook your host family a typical meal from your own country. You will be expected to buy your own drinking water - bottled mineral water or treated ‘Pure’ water is best advised, and also very cheap.
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