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.

The Ashanti - the largest tribe in Ghana - built their kingdom from Ghana's gold and banana and cocoa plantations, although Ashanti people are now renowned for their craft-making skills. African traditions combined with British influences have produced an exciting modern Ghanaian culture - open, musical and diverse.

Although Ghana is a poor country, in recent times it has attracted new money and many Ghanaians are now returning home from abroad, bringing new investment and ideas with them.

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

Projects Abroad has many projects in Ghana, based in Accra, Cape Coast, Koforidua, Kumasi, and the Akuapem Hills. The areas covered are Teaching, Care, Building, Medicine & Healthcare, Journalism, Veterinary Medicine, Sports, and Human Rights.

There are international volunteering and internship opportunities at orphanages, newspapers, schools, sports clubs, veterinary clinics, and radio stations around Accra, Ghana's capital city. We also have teaching, care, and medical placements based along the coast in Cape Coast, in the capital of the Eastern Region, Koforidua, and in the ancient Ashanti capital, Kumasi. The Akuapem Hills (a more rural location) hosts medical, care, building, 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.

Certainly, life in Ghana will enable you to encounter some unusual situations, from the unpredictable electricity and water supply, to seeing even the poorest families dressed up in their best clothes for church on a Sunday morning. You will also need to adapt to the bizarre and the unfamiliar, whether it be the car-shaped coffins or the banku and fufu you will have for lunch.

Highlights

Living in vibrant, colorful Ghana will feel like an explosion - an enchanting sensory overload. Music is a central part of Ghanaian culture, so in the bigger towns, especially Accra, you will hear some great live bands and have some memorable nights out.

There are many, many attractions and places to visit. You will want to see the slave castles and spend a night in the rainforest at Kakum Rainforest Reserve, feed wild monkeys at The Boebeng Monkey Village, or elephant watch at Mole National Park. If you're even more adventurous, consider the challenge of a journey to Timbuktu.

Travel across Ghana is cheap and easy, whether it be in a taxi, a tro-tro (a sort of minibus), or on a lake boat. There are clean, affordable places to stay and eat in all the main towns.

Ghana is a superb location for bird watching and is developing a good ecotourism philosophy. It's also an interesting place for history lovers and, once your project is over, a great stepping-off point for exploring West Africa.

Qualifications

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

Intern Types

• Accounting
• Business Admin, Management
• Zoology & Wildlife Sciences
• Law
• Medicine
• Journalism

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

Please go to our website for prices.

Cost Includes:

• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Medical insurance
• Medical services
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Registration fees
• Travel while in host country
• Written materials abroad
• Written materials pre-departure

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

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.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

10 days

Post 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