Incredible Volunteering in Ghana - Program Costs from USD 250

  Ghana

• Accra: 
Accra

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks and 3-6 months
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: 1st and 15th of each month

Description: International Volunteer HQ's partner NGO in Ghana requires volunteers NOW! IVHQ has a wide range of volunteering opportunities available in orphanage work, teaching and sports teaching in the coastal city of Accra and rural villages in the Ghanaian countryside.

* 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 environment 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 kid'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).

* 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 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.

* 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 neighboring villages or towns.

* Medical Program
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 care. 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. Medical qualifications, or a letter and transcript from your college or school need to be provided to staff in Ghana on arrival.

* Agriculture Program
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 and animal farming 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. Because the Agriculture program is designed to help the orphanage homes where we work, volunteers on this project will also be assisting in the day-to-day activities of the orphanages to ensure they have sufficient work. Therefore, agriculture volunteers must also be prepared to participate in some orphanage 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.

Highlights:
* Extremely affordable program fees
* Quality Programs
* Flexible Placements
* 24/7 Support
* Loyalty Program
* IVHQ Information Booklet
* Good volunteer social base
* Great experienced staff

Qualifications: Volunteers must be over 18 years of age at the beginning of the program and have at least a high school education.

Cost in US$: Program Fees start from USD 250

Credit Available: yes

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 18-70

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

Participants Travel to Ghana Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups of 2-3

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad

International Volunteer HQ's Mission Statement: International Volunteer HQ aims to provide volunteers with quality, flexible, safe and highly affordable volunteering placements in developing countries. In addition to providing aid and assistance to these countries, International Volunteer HQ endeavors to increase education and heighten awareness through not only the skills and expertise taken by volunteers to their host communities and institutions, but also through the experiences and lessons volunteers will in turn take back to their own countries and cultures.

Year Founded: 2007