Volunteer in Healthcare, Teaching, Community Development, HIV and Orphanage Programs

  Ghana

• Accra: 
Accra

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: On Mondays of the first and third weeks of every month

Description: Our host communities, project and priorities vary throughout the year while maintaining a stable relationship with the local people who benefit directly from our programs. The work projects encompass many primary categories.
Before a volunteer starts work, there is a one week orientation program covering intensive local language course, rural village home stay, cultural visits, and cultural orientation.

1. Health care - Experience Health care as you improve your skills in all sectors of health delivery, and help improve basic health care services like, First aid, minor ailments, minor surgeries, maternity, family planning, etc. This program also helps sharpen your skills and widens your experience in family medicine.

2. Orphanage or HIV/Aids - Care and support for orphans or people living with HIV/AIDS, share your love for the one without a biological family and be involved in the education and campaign on HIV/Aids.

3. Teaching - From teaching new or existing sports through teaching conversational English to teaching sciences and computer literacy, you shall contribute towards developing literate societies that know their rights.

4. Community Development - Work with the traditional ruler and local groups to improve the standards of living and quality of education and health care in the villages.

5. Traditional Medicine - Acquire the experience, skills and knowledge in using local herbs and traditional methods in providing health care for the community. In this way, you also get to help correct some of the bad practices to enhance health delivery through traditional and herbal methods.

Teaching
The nation particularly the villages are in dire need of teachers. Many elementary schools in the remote villages have at times only one qualified teacher handling the school. Because many rural folks are unable to speak and write the English language, they are unable to assist the few teachers posted to the village. This has called for a great need of volunteers who can speak and write English to assist these communities.

Volunteers may be required to teach elementary- and secondary-school subjects alongside English, such as basic science, nutrition, home management, arts, and physical education. You don't need to be a certified teacher to volunteer.

Health care
With greater efforts to improve health service delivery, especially the health of women and children, an emphasis is placed on improving the quality of reproductive health services and on preventing and reducing the impact of widespread communicable diseases, bridging gaps that prevent efficient and effective delivery of health services, and fostering partnerships that lead to improved health in Ghana. Government and non-governmental organizations run a number of ifferent health facilities, hospitals, maternity clinics, children's hospitals, HIV/AIDS wards, and alternative-medicine clinics in many cities and small rural villages.

In the health project, volunteers support the local doctors and nurses. Work ranges from observational to basic assistance, depending on level of knowledge, experience, and skill.

HIV/AIDS
AIDS is responsible for over 3 million deaths in Africa. Despite major investments in AIDS prevention, the rate of HIV infection in many African countries is still rising. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has exacerbated poverty and malnutrition. Families hit by AIDS see their food production cut in half. UNAIDS and WHO estimate that 7 out of 10 people newly infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa. Of all AIDS-related deaths since the epidemic started, 83% have come from Africa.

The impact of AIDS is deepening and getting worse as the economy continues to struggle; the need for action now to prevent its further spread is urgent. HIV/AIDS projects in Ghana aim at the effective control and management of HIV/AIDS, and provide support for those affected by the disease

As a volunteer you can help care for people with HIV/AIDS. Casualties from HIV/AIDS-related deaths are reversing the quality of life in many communities. HIV/AIDS is continuing to spread and is increasing poverty. The level of intervention is at its lowest and prejudice is at its highest. Volunteers can work in centers for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Orphanage
Working in an orphanage in Ghana is an opportunity to make an input and create a hope in the lives of orphans, destitute and youth who live in extreme poverty. This project is designed to create an atmosphere where orphaned children can experience the fun and excitement of learning and feel part of the fortunate world to offer them the hope in life. The orphanage work project is highly challenging and rewarding, as you will be changing the lives of children who rarely receive opportunities to interact with other people. Share love and care for innocent, troubled, and forgotten children, offer them a profound gift. Working with orphaned children demands lots of patience, as these children's harsh living conditions have often alienated them from society.

A volunteer's responsibility depends on the needs of the orphanage and the skills and interests of the volunteers. Most of the orphanages aim at the provision of education opportunities to orphans; therefore, in most cases, volunteers teach basic conversation english to the children. Volunteers also help in developing creative programs such as art, music, dance, sports, etc. Additional help on day trips, sanitation, cooking, and administration might be requested.

Community Development
This is a type of placement that puts you in the belly of the culture and traditional practices of the people and also offers you the opportunity to work on more than one of the placement programs listed above. This program was developed out of our experience dealing with the objectives, goals and expectations of volunteers over the years. You are kept busy throughout your work period and the impact of your contribution is also great.

Volunteers require more energy to work on this type of placement. A volunteer works directly with the traditional council and the chief. The traditional council is the highest decision making body on the land, the custodian of the culture, traditions and customs of the community, responsible for the security and development of the communities and it is headed by the chief

Traditional and Herbal Medicine
Years gone and till date, the use of untreated herbs and common materials in the prevention, treatment and cure of diseases. The method of application, combined at times with spirituality and psychology has proven potent for solving several problems including maternal mortalities, broken bones, strokes, ear, nose, throat, malaria, etc. some are even claiming potency over HIV/AIDS.

So what has been the secret behind the undocumented and unrefined practice of healing? Volunteers get to have a close observation and documentation of these practices and the preparation of herbal concoctions by the herbalists.

Highlights: Volunteer Free Time
There are many free times fixed in the work of volunteers to enable them visit and experience places and events of interest around the nation to compliment the experience and exposure from the community or institution they work with. The greatest benefit of opting for a volunteer experience is that you get to tour places and events of interest in the nation better and cheaper than a pure tourist would. Volunteers can engage in dancing and drumming classes and/or history and language classes before, during and after the voluntary work.

You can learn more about the history of Ghana's slave trade with a visit to one of several colonial "castles" that dot the Cape Coast, these castles were used to harbor and courier our ancestors who were sent into the diaspora as slaves. The experience at the place will give you a feel and understanding of the whole issue better than any books or medium would provide you. It is a powerful and moving experience. You can also visit Kumasi in the Ashanti region. This trip can include visits to the palace of the Asantehene, the Ashanti king, to the National Cultural Center, The lake bosomtwe (The largest natural lake in West Africa) and to Bonwire, the birthplace of kente cloth as well as Ahwiaa, the wood village. You can also visit sites of some of the miracles of the great Ashanti Priest(Okomfo Anokye) who conjured the golden stool (the stool which is said to be the soul of the Ashanti Kingdom).

Other natural and cultural attractions include a rain forest tour where you will walk from tree top to tree top through the forest on rope canopy, spend time at the local beaches, which are unpopulated and lovely filled with the beautiful African women and Energetic men, The wildlife parks, the waterfalls, the mountains and many other places of interest around the nation, or the arts and crafts market places.

Free-time arrangements and costs are the responsibility of a volunteer and it will cost you very little. Elghana periodically organize group tours for volunteers in various places around the nation. An opportunity for you to make new long time and everlasting friends not only from Ghana but from other parts of the world on the same course as yours. None the less if you wish to take individual tours, we don't hesitate to facilitate that for you making sure you are well safe and secured.

Qualifications: Anyone who is over 16 years and can speak basic english is qualified to volunteer

Cost in US$: Starts from $950. Cost corresponds to stay period, please refer from our website

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: You get rich work experience, cultural immersion, language study, great adventure holidays when you have off-days. You bring a help in your own unique way to a community and people underprivileged. Experience a life you can never dream of till experienced. Make friends long lasting and have the greatest of fun in a carefree, safe and sound country where you find beauty and life in a different meaning.

Age Range: from 16 years upwards

This Program is open to World Wide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Ghana Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently Or in Groups of maximum of 5

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Resume

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network

Elghana's Mission Statement: We are continuously building capacities, facilitating development, eradicating ignorance, creating beams of hope, advocating for the voiceless and stretching arms to the less privileged through the participatory efforts of international volunteers in volunteer abroad programs in Ghana. Elghana works with people with the will and desire to better the lives of the less fortunate through voluntary participation in projects and programs covering Health, HIV/AIDS, Orphanage, Education, Community projects and programs, Environment, advocacy, etc.

Year Founded: 2001