Description

Volunteers will be met upon arrival at the international airport in Accra; from there almost all logistics will be taken care of, including food and lodging. From Accra, you will travel through Kumasi to the remote rural village of Humjibre. In Humjibre, you will be oriented to life in the village and GHEI as an organization. From there depending on your session you will accomplish a number of different goals.

Session1: Girls Empowerment: Will design and implement a two week camp with local teenage women. You will lead workshops on the following topics: self esteem, the importance of education, family planning, and more. Session2: Read and Play: will take part in a literacy outreach to local schools and support the community library activities. Session3: Kickin it in Ghana: you will be part of a team building camp for young football players and help orchestrate the popular football tournament wrap-up. Session4: Malaria Prevention: you will help community health workers administer surveys on bednet usage, cases of malaria, and get to know the population of Humjibre as a local would.

Once the work is done, volunteers will visit Kumasi, to tour the famous Ashanti sites there and visit the exciting Kejetia Market. After a night in Kumasi, volunteers will visit the famed Cape Coast Castle. From there it's back to Accra, and home!

Highlights

Highlights will include:

- Enjoying Ghanaian meals and learning how to cook them yourself!
- Traditional Sefwi drumming and dancing nights.
- Tours of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cape Coast Castle.
- Shopping at the fascinating and energetic (and huge!) Kejetia Market.
- Friends. Ghanaians are renowned for their warm welcomes and friendliness; you will make plenty of friends!
- Life in Humjibre! Living, eating, and relaxing as a local with the locals. GHEI only hires from the community of Humjibre; you will be working alongside community members for the good of the community.
- Get to a chance to see how a grassroots NGO like us works: see how much we could do with a little, see how the greatest asset a community based organization can have is energy and enthusiasm. We do development differently; come see how and learn why.

Travel Types

• Dancing
• Heritage Tourism
• Soccer/Football
• Tours
• Volunteering

Qualifications

We are looking for volunteers who are: curious, about life in rural Ghana; passionate, about development and global health; excited, to see some of the most amazing sites in West Africa; ready, to work together and do some good work with the people of Humjibre, for Humjibre. We have had volunteers from all walks of life, ages, and nationalities, and we say Akwaaba to them all.

GHEI offers short-term volunteer programs to enable those interested in international development and social justice the opportunity to experience grassroots community work. We see this as an opportunity for volunteers to explore development work and get a sense of how you can be the force of change in the future, no matter what career path you take.

Minimum Education

High School

Languages

• English
• Twi

Cost in US$:

1,800

Cost Includes:

• Excursions
• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Living stipend
• Registration fees
• Travel while in host country

Program Fees Include:

Our volunteer fundraising fee goes directly to the cost of your session and directly to ensure GHEI Health and Education programs continue to benefit the people of Humjibre and the people in all the nearby communities that we support.

All important costs will be taken care of once you arrive in Ghana, including transportation, meals, housing, and guided tours and events. You will be provided with a generous stipend for food and entertainment while you are away from Humjibre.

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Typical Volunteer

Krista is a masters student stuyding women's issues; she volunteered with Girls Empowerment and Read and Play. Jim studies at the University of Akron and completed surveys for Malaria Prevention. Tamara has a Masters of Public Health and works at Emory University; she joined us in 2010 for Girls Empowerment and in 2011 for Malaria Prevention.

Age Range

18+

This Program is open to

American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Group living

Participants Travel

Independently

Typically Participants Work

in Groups of 8

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Phone/Video Interview
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

2 week

Post Services Include

• Alumni Network

Ghana Health and Education Initiative's Mission Statement

To enable communities in the BAB District of Ghana to improve their children's health, learning success and opportunities by building local capacity and providing necessary resources and support.

Year Founded

2004