Projects Abroad in Ghana

  Ghana

• Accra: 
Accra

Term: Fall, Spring, Summer, Throughout the year, Winter 
Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Typical Duration of Program: 9-12 weeks
Dates: All Year Round (you set the start and end dates)

Description: Ghana is an exciting and popular place to spend some time on a volunteer project or internship. Ghana is an intensely colorful land on the West coast of Africa. Once the British colony known as the 'Gold Coast', it is renowned for the friendliness and warmth of its people. Ghana has great beaches, wild savannah and dense rainforests. This English-speaking country provides volunteers with a wonderful introduction to Africa; it is politically-stable, safe, affordable and rewarding to visit.

Our projects in Ghana are available for anyone interested in volunteering in the developing world, including those on a college summer break, gap year, career break or volunteer vacation.

Projects Abroad has many projects in Ghana, based in Accra, Cape Coast, Kumasi, Ho, and the Akuapem Hills. The areas covered are Teaching, Care, Culture & Community, Medicine & Healthcare, Journalism, Veterinary Medicine, Sport, Business, Law and IT Projects.

There are overseas voluntary work opportunities in hospitals, orphanages, newspapers, schools, sports clubs, veterinary practices and radio stations around Accra, Ghana's capital city. We also have teaching, care and medical volunteer projects based along the coast in Cape Coast and in the ancient Ashanti capital, Kumasi. The Akuapem Hills (a more rural location) hosts further medical, care, culture & community and teaching projects.

The host family with whom you will live will make you feel like a Ghanaian. The combination of Ghanaians' strong religious faith and hospitality makes living with a family a special experience.

Volunteering on a Placement Overseas in Ghana

Care - We have various Care & Community options for you in Ghana, including working in orphanages and care homes, helping on a Community Housing Project or joining the work on our new Sustainable Environment farming project. When you apply, let us know which type of project you would like to do. It's also possible to do a mix, providing you spend at least one month doing each type of work.

Sports - There is great enthusiasm for sports, and for soccer in particular, throughout Ghana. You will find on arrival in Ghana that lots of people will ask you what team you support and even what you think of David Beckham! It's not surprising that the TVB Football Academy on the edge of Accra is popular with both students and volunteers alike. The students come from all over Ghana and the hope is that some of them will achieve the success of many of the African players in the European leagues.

Teaching - With placements based mainly in the rustic Akuapem Hills, but also available in Accra, Cape Coast, Ho and sometimes in remote rural areas, teaching in Ghana is a varied affair. English is the national language of Ghana, but Ghanaian children grow up mainly exposed to their local tribal languages, such as Ga, Twi and Ewe. However, to communicate with fellow Ghanaians in education, business, and all official areas of life they must have a good command of English.

Business - If you are looking for experience in accountancy why not work for a company in Accra, Ghana. It is a good way to add to your resume as well as to see how a West African office works. We work with a large international accounting firm that welcomes students who are studying business, accounting or management degrees.

Journalism - The capital of Ghana, Accra, is an incredible place to either start or broaden your career in journalism. As the center of politics and official life in a key democratic West African state, there is always something going on. Placements are available with a variety of newspapers, radio stations and TV stations.

Law - We'll place you with a law firm in Accra. Depending on your experience, you'll have a range of responsibilities, often including preparing and checking legal documents or submitting letters of legal opinion. You may spend time interviewing clients or shadowing your supervisor on a trip to court.

Medicine - Our medical programs in Ghana are based in Accra and in Cape Coast. You will be based in a bustling city hospital, working with patients who have a wide range of illnesses. Small village clinics in Ghana lack even basic medical facilities, so you will be attending to patients from a huge catchments area, which have often traveled many miles to reach a hospital with the facilities they desperately need.

Veterinary Care - In Ghana, Projects Abroad works in city clinics. In the mornings this involves dealing with pets. There are plenty of pets such as dogs and cats, but many of the patients are small back-garden livestock such as goats and chickens. In the afternoon there are sometimes great opportunities to go out into the field to visit farms or even Accra Zoo. You will be involved in administering vaccinations, observing and assisting in operations, laboratory work, post mortems and routine treatments.

Culture and Community: Housing and Garden Project - Within the villages of the Akuapem Hills many families live in inadequate accommodation. Our housing project allows them to move to new, better-quality homes. Local people and volunteers help with the construction, and then the family repays the loan over time by buying construction materials which can be used to build future houses for other families needing help. Our Community Farm Project offers volunteers the opportunity to work on a small organic farm.

Also high school students between the ages of 16 and 19 have the unique opportunity to get involved in our sports and care projects on our two-week summer specials.

Highlights: Projects Abroad has projects based in Accra, Cape Coast, Kumasi, Ho and the Akuapem Hills. We have placements working in hospitals, newspapers, radio and TV stations around the capital. We have teaching, care and medical projects based up the coast in Cape Coast. The Akuapem Hills hosts community and teaching projects.

Living in Ghana you'll experience some unusual situations! You will get used to living with unpredictable electricity and water supply. You will hear some great live bands and have some memorable nights out. You will certainly see even the poorest families dressing up in all their best clothes to go to church on a Sunday morning. Ghanaians' strong Christian faith combines with Ghanaian hospitality to make something special. And you will also need to adapt to the bizarre, whether it be the coffins shaped as cars or the banku and fufu you will have for lunch.

There are so many places to visit - you will want to see the slave forts and visit Kakum National Park. The more adventurous may look at the journey to Timbuktu as a suitable challenge. Travel is cheap whether it be in a tro-tro (a sort of minibus) or on a lake boat. It is not difficult to travel and find clean and simple places to stay in the main towns. Ghana is a great stepping off point to exploring West Africa.

Qualifications: Volunteers must be 16 years old and submit 1 letter of recommendation

Cost in US$: From USD 2,345 and up

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Anyone with an open mind and a desire to travel

Age Range: 16-80

This Program is open to Worldwide 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

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Projects Abroad's Mission Statement: As part of the global economy, Projects Abroad helps create local employment wherever we send volunteers. Employing local staff overseas and using their talents and knowledge is important to us. This local knowledge and support enables the organization to channel the skills of the volunteers from more affluent countries to regions around the world where they are needed. Volunteers also learn from their placements and the people they meet, and they gain experience in a chosen field. In the 21st century, we believe this mutual respect is what cultural exchange is all about.

Year Founded: 1992