Description

Volunteers will start their placement by shadowing the teachers in one of the classrooms. The preschoolers are divided into four classes and the primary school is divided by age as well. After choosing a group of children to work with, volunteers will begin to brainstorm projects and ideas for the placement. For example, the volunteer can lead art projects such as coloring, picture making, cutting, gluing, etc. Volunteers can also lead group activities and games such as soccer, duck duck goose, songs, stories, and stretching/recreational activities.

Volunteers can be very creative with this placement! Feel free to start an after school club for soccer or skipping! You can also create daily exercise routines, health awareness presentations (hand washing, etc), or art clubs. Volunteers are welcome to bring their own ideas to this exciting placement!

Volunteers may also have the opportunity to help with fundraising for the organization. People with computer/marketing skills are especially welcome!

Highlights

Grace and Mercy daycare and primary school was started by Madame Mercy over ten years ago in 2000. Madame Mercy opened the daycare and primary school in the area of Kaneshie in hopes of providing early education for children of the workers of the nearby Kaneshie Market. With increasing enrollment every year, the day care and primary school welcomes approx 60 students from the Kaneshie area each day!

Madame Mercy found that many children in the Kaneshie area, especially close to the market were spending their early years working in the market with their parents instead of in a formalized schooling environment! Madame Mercy realized that many of the workers in the Kaneshie neighborhood were single mothers and sometimes had no choice but to take their children to work with them. Without any funding from the government, Madame Mercy started the day care and school on her own. Their goal is to offer education to children who normally would not have the opportunity. Many times students attend the day care and school without paying school fees. Grace and Mercy survives completely off support from staff and donations.

Madame Mercy decided to open the daycare and primary school in the Kaneshie neighborhood to meet the demands of the community. As mentioned earlier, the second biggest market in Accra is located in the Kaneshie district. Many of the families living in the Kaneshie district are single mothers who work in the market. Because most day care centers and primary schools in Ghana are privately owned, parents who cannot afford to send their children often have no other option but to bring their children to work with them. Thus placing children into lives of early child labor. Kaneshie is both a residential and industrial area with families with a wide variety of incomes. In the most recent national census conducted in Ghana they found that 46% of the Ghanaian population was illiterate, 21% in the Greater Accra region. Children who are brought to the markets instead of being sent to school are denied the opportunity to get an education. It is essential that young Ghanaian's are brought into the education system early so they can experience the joys of learning and the opportunities that are developed from that.

Grace and Mercy daycare and school offers classes such as math, reading, writing, art and science. They also have a strong focus on health and exercise, and extra curricular activities including a variety of after school clubs. Madame Mercy has made it mandatory that each student gets involved with at least one extra curricular activity such as physical education, music or drama club.

This placement needs volunteers to help create new programs for the children and improve the quality of existing programs; the children have a structured timetable but there is a lot of time throughout the day for volunteers to initiate activities. Volunteers are also needed to bring new ideas and increase the cross-cultural sharing of information with the teaching staff.

The school is significantly underfunded and overpopulated, which only increases their need for volunteers! The teachers need extra hands to provide the amount of attention and dedication that the children need to succeed. They also need a volunteer to bring in new ideas and develop new clubs to motivate the children to attend the school on a more regular basis.

Qualifications

It is important that volunteers interested in this placement are comfortable working with children. They should be independent and able to bring new and exciting programs to this school.

Minimum Education

High School

Intern Types

• Education
• Social Work

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

USD 3,245 for 8 weeks; USD 205 each additional wk.

Cost Includes:

• Emergency evacuation services
• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Language instruction
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Written materials abroad
• Written materials pre-departure

Program Fees Include:

Upon arrival in country our staff will pick you up at the airport and return you to our Orientation Center for a safety briefing and general country orientation. For this program you are required to complete one - 4 weeks of language training and orientation which is included in the cost of the program. At the end of that week you will transfer to your placement to begin volunteering. Our staff are available to assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week should you require help of any kind.

Experience Required

yes

Volunteers should be enthusiastic, patient, caring, friendly, and self-motivated.

Volunteer Types

• Childcare/children
• Education
• Teaching

Typical Volunteer

We believe everyone can contribute by volunteering. Recent graduates from high school, college or university, professionals taking a career break, recent retirees, individuals or groups who are interested in a change and the chance to enrich their own life and the lives of others. If you are 18 years or older you can apply for any of the placements available. If you are from 16-18 years old you may apply for placements near our Volunteer Abroad Office and Residence, so that we are able to give you more support. Both students and professionals are needed for placements in all our countries.

Age Range

18+

This Program is open to

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

Typical Living Arrangements

• Dormitory
• Group living
• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups of Depends on the placement

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Resume
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

24-48 hrs

Basecamp International Centers's Mission Statement

We believe international volunteering promotes cross-cultural learning that helps create global awareness, understanding between cultures and provides the platform for positive change. Our volunteers have taught in schools, provided disaster relief support for the International Red Cross, conducted essential research to improve the management strategies of threatened environments, built homes for impoverished people, provided vocational training and programs for street kids and have worked in co-operation with hundreds of local organizations to distribute aid and improve the quality of life for people throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Year Founded

1998