Volunteer in Medical in Ghana

Frankadua, Ghana, holds a special place in my heart. Not only was I fully immersed in Ghanaian culture, I also made true and lasting friends. The staff at IVHQ welcomed me from the moment I got out of the van, and they go out of their way to ensure safety and comfort. Every meal is homemade with care and thought. The wound outreach is incredible. We may not be completely changing a patient's life, but rather we learn and realize that we are part of something much bigger: a global effort to help treat those with severe wounds. The volunteers you meet are inspiring. Everyone has the same mindset of helping others, and we all got along swimmingly. I cannot wait to return and see the kids grow and visit with friends again.

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From the first moment I opened the IVHQ website, I was impressed with how easy the site was to navigate. Everything was well organized and the online active agent was so pleasant. IVHQ helped me throughout the entire process by answering all my questions, providing lists of things to read and information on how to prepare for my volunteer trip. I was set up with a program manager who was so helpful and continued to be in contact with me from the start to the end of my experience. IVHQ was extremely thorough and ensured I had everything I needed to travel safely from my visa documents to my vaccinations. I felt very well prepared and was able to relax and enjoy the trip. I would HIGHLY recommend IVHQ and I hope to volunteer again woth that organization.

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The local team is extremely kind and supportive, and are always looking out for your best interests. The experiences I had during this volunteer trip were incredible, and the community was amazing. I did the malaria program, and the organization was very well done. The local team made sure everything was organized each day and we had everything we needed. I definitely recommend volunteering through IVHQ if you have the opportunity to. I have volunteered three times with them and each time is seamless and very positive!

I was informed about the volunteering process by IVHQ which gave me advanced preparation. The local team was amazing, they communicated very well and were organized from the beginning to the very end. For the accommodation, I didn’t expect anything different because I was prepared from the beginning from IVHQ. I have no complaints and was already prepared before arriving. My favourite moment from the experience was seeing the impact of services we delivered to the community, I felt the warmth within the community. The staff was amazing; they were so kind and always willing to assist if needed. If you are hesitant about volunteering abroad, change your mind set and give from your heart, also be thankful for making life better for someone else.

My Program Manager, Sammy, was always on hand when I needed her! The local team were absolutely amazing and an absolute asset to IVHQ. The wound care project was amazing. I really felt like I was helping the community and they needed that time due to being too far away from the clinics. Wound care trips in Ghana are more than essential. I felt very safe at the volunteer house. If there were any issues, we knew the local team would sort them out immediately. The food was lovely. I enjoyed every single meal and the cook asked preferences to likes and dislikes which really made my trip as I don’t eat fish and was one of my concerns before going. The feeling you get from volunteering is one that you'll never get anywhere else. I was actually sad to be leaving. I thought this would be a once in a lifetime experience that I would never repeat. How wrong I was - I will 100% be back!

The local team was great. They always made sure I was comfortable and happy at the volunteer house and the local clinics. There were so many great moments. My absolute favorite would be spending time and getting to know the local children. Everyone in Ghana was so nice and extremely welcoming. They made me feel right at home. Going to Ghana, I knew it would be an adjustment. I was aware that I would be in a space where they did not have the same resources as I would here at home. It was truly an adjustment for me when I got to see what they actually had. It was amazing to see how they made it work with the supplies they did have. They never complained. It was truly humbling to see the way things worked here. I am SO grateful to have been able to witness so much love, respect and unity in a community. The other volunteers you meet, the culture, the food, the people will all be worth it! Whether you go to make an impact on the community or to find something within yourself, this will be an unforgettable experience. Do not let fear keep you from trying something new. Get out of your comfort zone and take a leap of faith.

The local team were absolutely amazing in Ghana! My favourite moment of this experience was getting to deliver a baby! The program was impactful as it made me remember how fortunate we are living in Canada. The people of Africa are the kindest, most hard-working people I have met in my life! To those who are hesitant about volunteering abroad, just do it! It is one of the best experiences I had in my life!

It was the best experience ever. I learned a lot of about culture, met amazing people. I felt like I could help and felt appreciated. The program was amazing, everything planned well, I always felt safe and surrounded by other volunteers. Looking forward to come back! If you have any doubts - just don’t. I promise, it’s gonna be the time of your life!

My experience with IVHQ Ghana was life changing to say the least. I had the time of my life. I grew as an individual. I learned so much. From the beginning of the process, the IVHQ online resources gave me everything I needed to properly prepare. Someone was always there when I had a question and I always got a speedy response. My group was even able to easily contact the staff in Ghana with any specific questions we had. When we arrived in Ghana, everything was already prepared and waiting for us. We had an IVHQ member pick us up from the airport and take us to the volunteer accommodations in Accra. Everybody at the IVHQ volunteer house was friendly and welcoming and super helpful. Benedict and Ruth were always around for whatever you needed, especially good conversation. The house was clean and comfortable and very safe. The purple program, based out of Frankadua, is where we were placed to do medical outreach. The accommodations for the purple program were amazing for the area we were in. Although it was out of my comfort zone, I quickly fell in to a comfortable routine. We always had plenty of food and water, thanks to the wonderful cook Rita. And the staff were so friendly and happy all the time. We were immursed in the local culture and we made so many friends in the community. During the medical outreach we would travel to nearby villages and go to the schools to do Malaria testing and wound care on the children and members of the community. I was definitely pushed out of my comfort zone. We worked with minimal supplies, but we were able to come together as a team and overcome this obstacle. I learned so much during these outreachs. And most importantly, I learned alot about myself and my own abilities. Evans, our program coordinator, was with us every step of the way to help out where he could and translate. He was very supportive and always had a positive attitude. We would have a meeting every evening to discuss the events of the day and how we could improve and he would answer any questions we might have. We went on a trip to Cape Coast during the weekend. We visited the Cape Coast Castle. We stayed at a beach side resort. The resort had nightly shows put on by local performers, great food, a full bar, and comfortable rooms. The atmosphere was incredible. We had so much fun. Everybody was dancing and having a great time, locals and foreigners alike. We also made a trip to Kakum Park and did the canopy walk. The rainforest was beautiful. I even got to pet a monkey! The entire trip was an amazing experience. The in country staff were so helpful and friendly and welcoming. Even strangers were welcoming! I made so many friends and even more wonderful memories. Ghana is an amazing country to visit to get a taste of Africa and feel absolutely safe. I felt right at home from the moment I stepped off the plane. I can't wait to go back!

Volunteering was amazing. So many great people although supplies started to run low , we still managed. The kids that visit the house were so sweets. Joe and Evans are big help! Evans helps with sim and touring Accra. Joes help with a lot of the volunteering that takes place in Frankadua.

I have always wanted to experience volunteering in Africa. I only had this time as a possibility to realize this dream and I also didn’t have a lot of time to organize everything. So, after other opportunities have been denied to me, I found IVHQ! IVHQ allowed me to organize the whole volunteering with the little time I had, but above all it gave me one of the best experiences of my life! I went to Ghana for 3 weeks with another friend, to the Emerald program at Kekele Polyclinic in Madina. We lived in the main house of Ghana IVHQ, which had great facilities, with the rest of the organization's people, who over the course of time became our family. Even today I miss Nancy's food and everyone's company at home. Every day we went to work at the clinic where everyone would receive us with a big smile and make us feel part of the team! We had an opportunity to go through various clinic services, which despite the lack of resources can answer a lot of people in Madina! But we wanted to get to know more and have as many experiences as we could. So we talked to Evans, who got us to go to the Purple program in Frankadua where we did a lot of malaria outreaches and wound treatment but we also lived a few days in the community and with other incredible volunteers who were there. In addition to the whole volunteering experience, we were able to go through various locations there and enjoy the weekends, thanks to the organization and goodwill of the best coordinator ever, Evans! I can say that I still can’t describe everything I´ve lived, felt, knew and learned in those (only) 3 weeks, but I can say that I would do everything again! So, if you have the same dream to do something similar, don’t miss the opportunity, and go with IVHQ!

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I had a great time in Ghana the people there are so friendly! It was unimaginable experiencing another culture, and country, with weekend adventures and a rural home base during the week. My placement in Ghana was for a month, I was placed in the purple program in a town called Frankadua. On arrival in Ghana I was nervous about my visa as it was due to "expire" three days after I arrived, however this date only requires you be in the country before that time, and the amount of time you are allowed to stay is granted when you get into the country.... usually two months is given. I was picked up from the airport by an IVHQ staff member Evans who is amazing, he helped me adjust to the culture and was very supportive. In my month placement we did approximately 6 outreaches, where we went to schools (mostly) and tested children for malaria, if a child tested positive we then gave them medication with instructions. We also treated children's wounds at the outreaches. The outreaches were great as this was something that would not have been done had we volunteers not been there. However I had some trouble with some of the malaria tests not working and I felt there was not really much guidance to help me figure out why this was. Also most of the team wanted to do malaria testing, (instead of wound care and medication) which caused some tension in the group. I would have liked more guidance and information (evidence based research) about the wounds we treated, as most were similar ulcer like wounds (maybe buruli ulcers). The method we were shown seemed potentially unhygienic as the same forceps were used for multiple wounds, and only cleaned with alcohol gel between wounds. There were discussions about doing outreaches at witch camps and prisons which I think would be a great idea. On the weekdays I was not at outreaches I was going to the local clinic. This has a head midwife and head nurse. I was with either Madame Comfort or Shenita, both lovely ladies I learnt a lot from. I enjoyed working with Shenita with her bubbly personality, great English, and impressive amount of knowledge. At the clinic I learnt a lot as this is not my usual nursing environment. I got to observe lab tests such as how they identify blood types of patients, along with seeing obstetric care given to expectant mothers, and I also got the privilege of witnessing a mother giving birth. I also got to observe the diagnosis and treatment given for may aliments. I enjoyed this as I learnt a lot and most staff where very forth coming with knowledge. I did feel that language was a barrier, and lessons during the placement would have been fantastic, I would have happily paid for them. I felt I was not very useful at the clinic as I did not have the expertise in this area, so did not impact the community as I had hoped. However, I did feel I was fully immersed in the culture, and had the opportunity to see how health care is delivered in rural Ghana which was insightful and interesting. I learnt a lot and am so grateful for the experience to observe such things and to be surrounded by some lovely people… thank you Frankadua clinic. The living conditions at the volunteer house were far better than I expected. The toilet was a long drop, and was kept very clean. For showering we had bucket showers, this was a well set up system and was very hygienic. Jo, who looked after the Frankadua house was lovely, very approachable and fun to be around. The cook Liz was wonderful and cooked delicious food! There was always plenty of food and my dietary requirements were accommodated for. I would have liked to experience some more local dishes that are a bit further away from western food, maybe just once, such as fufu. I heard from other volunteers there is usually a volunteer coordinator at the house, during my stay there was not one, but there were only about seven people there during my stay so maybe this was why there was not one. I think it would have been nice to have a coordinator around, to enforce rules, such as; ensuring people are doing their own dishes, ensuring people are keeping hygiene routines, and regulating volunteer noise at night. All of the staff are very helpful, and supported us in organizing weekend trips, and suggesting trips also. During my month in Ghana I traveled every weekend to new places. The first weekend there all the new volunteers did a trip to Cape Coast with Evans – which was all organized by IVHQ, this was great to get to know everyone and meet people from other programs in Ghana. The second weekend a group of us (from my placement and other placements) organized a trip to Willi Waterfalls with the support of Evans and Jo. The third weekend Evans let us know about a festival that was on in Ghana and a large group of us went to that. On the fourth weekend another volunteer and I flew to the Mole national park for a weekend organized with the help of Evans. The IVHQ staff helped us arrange transport and accommodation where ever we went and checked in on us often. This was a great experience, I think this program is a great way to be immersed into the culture, while feeling very safe, supported and well looked after in Ghana. Thank you so much IVHQ!

I went to Ghana for 2 weeks on a medical volunteer program and it was a very eye opening experience. The people here have so much enthusiasm about meeting new people. The food was amazing and the culture is beautiful. Would recommend the experience to any medical person wishing to volunteer abroad. The only thing I wish there was more of was medical supplies.

My experience volunteering abroad in Ghana was, overall, a wonderful experience. From program placement, to weekend excursions, it was organized and well thought out. One of the program managers, Evans, helped the volunteers adjust to everything very quickly and easily. If Evans would not have made weekly visits to each program placement to check in on us, I feel we would have had more trouble setting up the things to do for the next week to come. Evans helped with organization and transportation of every medical outreach we did, as well as our weekend plans. I feel as though my volunteering would have been drastically different, had Evans not been there to help! One thing I do recommend for any medical volunteer seeking placement in Ghana, is to fundraise for the medical outreaches before you arrive in Ghana. It was not stressed enough in the program guide that medical volunteers will be solely watching and viewing the work being done at the clinics that you are placed at. Personally, after attending the clinic for a week and a half, I felt as though I wasn't doing enough to help the community, so I chose to fundraise enough money to have a medical outreach to schools in the area to provide malaria testing and wound care. My only advice to you is to fundraise as much as you can, before you arrive to Ghana, then you will be all set to dive straight into the outreaches where you can dramatically help the kids and community. Overall, my experience was wonderful, I would recommend it 10/10 if you're even slightly considering volunteering abroad! Ghana was beautiful, and I was surrounded by the kindest, happiest people I've ever met.

Honey, Listen... IVHQ Ghana is the best thing that I've ever done. I volunteered at the Kekele Polyclinic in Accra, Ghana. It was an amazing experience. I worked in administration as well as the lab. I was also able to watch a childbirth, take vitals, and shadow a doctor. The housing accommodations were extremely comfortable. Food was delicious. But the best thing about everything was my amazing tour guide, Evans. He went above and beyond to make sure that we were safe, taken care of, and happy. He even rode with us when we met up with a family friend to ensure that we were safe (he was off the clock). He set up an amazing weekend trip to cape coast that was a perfect combination of life changing and super fun! He was super hard working and dedicated to keeping us on track. In his words, "let's rock and roll".

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My experience as a medical outreach volunteer and as a childcare volunteer was nothing short of amazing. Of course my trip would not have gone as smoothly as it did without the aid of Evans. He was absolutely amazing and was knowledgeable about everything and anything. Not only did he play a tremendously huge part of organizing and helping me make the malaria outreach happen, he was also a significant part in organizing our weekend outings as well. Benedict as well as the local staff at Potter's Village and Giles from Frankadua were fantastic as well. Everyone was very helpful and welcoming -- especially the kids. I will definitely be going back!

My decision to volunteer with IVHQ in Ghana was one of the best decisions in my life. I decided to go to Ghana together with two other German girls who I knew from the nurse school. Before we arrived I was really excited because I didn’t know what to expect. For the first time I would visit another continent and I had to speak so much English. At first we had an orientation day in the volunteer house in Accra, together with every volunteer who arrived with us. The information we got there was enough to be well prepared for the purple program in Frankadua. Normally we would have been at the purple program only for one week but we asked if it is possible to spend the rest of our stay in Frankadua. I want to say thank you to the coordinator of the purple program and the Boss of IVHQ who made it possible that we had four amazing weeks in Frankadua. We were warmly welcomed by both, the other volunteers and the locals. The work we did was very versatile. We did a lot of wound care for children and adults, we tested children from various schools for malaria and gave them the medicine they needed. We also twice accompanied a girl to the hospital because she had problems with her eye. We got a lot of support from the other volunteers for the medical outreaches. Also the manager of the purple program helped us to have enough material to do the wound care and the malaria tests. Everything was well organized from the beginning to the end. Important to say is that I have felt save at every day and nighttime. Also we had a great cook who supplied us with food three times a day. On the weekends we always had lots of fun. We went to the coast and did other activities which were organized by us volunteers. For example we visited loads of beautiful beaches or did a hiking tour to the waterfalls. Especially the countless Basketball games we had with the locals and the volunteers together and the evenings at the fire or at the bar will stay in my memory. I can´t say anything negative about my whole stay in Ghana. I had an unforgettable time with unforgettable people.( And I hope my English is a little bit better now.)

My experience with IVHQ destination in Ghana on the medical mission was awesome! From engaging with community outreach programs, like testing for Malaria, and community health, like treating wounds, to educational trips like Cape Coast Castle, and then adventurous fun, like the Canopy walk, made for an enjoyable, memorable experience. This experience went above and beyond my expectations and I grateful to have been a part of this journey.

As a mature 3rd year nursing student having never travelled outside of Europe or alone, I was quite nervous about volunteering but there was no need. From booking, and arriving back home I felt at ease and supported. I arrived to Ghana in the evening and was met at the airport by IVHQ. I was taken to Madina volunteer house with 5 other volunteers. We ate, then settled down for the night. The following morning we had induction that was extremely informative and we even had a language lesson. We then travelled to our placements on a tro, seeing and experiencing the culture of Ghana with Evans answering any questions we had. When I arrived at the ‘purple programme’ in Frankadua I met other volunteers who were likeminded and extremely welcoming. I visited the local clinic to meet the staff and have a look around. Whilst I was there, there was an outreach programme taking place, so I decided to take part in this the whole placement. This included visiting schools to test and treat the children for malaria (there was a very high percentage with malaria). Another outreach involved wound care, this included wounds caused by falling over/playing, infected mosquito bites and poor foot care from poor footwear/no footwear. Another outreach involved going to the local market place, testing and treating locals for malaria, doing blood sugars and blood pressures and giving health advice where needed. There were also medical volunteers that went to schools with the teaching volunteers to teach CPR and hand washing. there was talk of teaching to prevent malaria too. One of the programme leads, Evans was extremely hardworking, informative and everything ran smoothly because of his organisational skills and commitment. On the weekend, we travelled to Cape Coast, this too was a fantastic experience, learning about Ghanaian culture and having some free time. Evans escorted us the whole weekend, keeping us safe. He is extremely friendly, professional and informative and answered any questions we had openly and of course educated us throughout the whole weekend. Unfortunately I was only able to volunteer for a week because of home commitments, but felt I was able to input enough into the programme to help make a difference. Since I’ve been home, I’ve been in contact with Evans and he’s enabled me to purchase equipment and get it to Frankadua smoothly. I’ve also been asking my local community for children’s shoes which I will Be shipping to Ghana in the near future. Overall, it’s been a life changing, eye opening experience which I would recommend to anyone and for them to definitely go through IVHQ.

I stayed in Ghana for 3 months as part of the IVHQ medical program. I was fortunate enough to begin my volunteering with an outreach project in rural Ghana. Our main focus during our outreaches was wound care and malaria testing. I could not have asked more a more involved and hands on project. Each and everyday of the outreach I felt needed. I truly felt that each day I was making a meaningful difference. Naturally, no project is perfect and there were bumps along the road. I was impressed with both the IVHQ staff and volunteers for working together to acknowledge issues and work together to find the best solution possible. 50% of my time in Ghana was spent on medical outreaches and the other 50% was spent working in a local clinic and hospital. I did not feel as needed in the clinic and would go as far to say that at times I felt that I was more in the way than helpful. However, I very much appreciated the opportunity to work directly with the local community and observe and learn from the nurses at the clinic. The program coordinators worked hard with volunteers and locals to make sure volunteers were kept busy and were comfortable in our placements. My biggest complaint about the program would be the extra costs not mentioned before coming. Medical outreaches require a lot of supplies and are quite expensive. If these costs would have been explained beforehand or would have been a part of our program fee, I would not have had an issue. However, it seemed that with every outreach we were short money and were asked to pitch in more money if we wanted to finish the project. The local staff always made it very clear that we were not required in any way to give more money. Yet, if we wanted to be able to medicate the people who were positive for malaria, we had to give more money. In one instance, we were told that if we covered the costs of malaria tests and wound care, that IVHQ would cover the cost of medication. And then once everything was set up and we had finished the first day of the project, we were told they would not be fully funding the costs of medication and were again short on money. Unfortunately, those people dictating the finances of the outreaches were not present and the local staff had to work as middle men between the volunteers and the directors. Local staff were great about advocating to their bosses for the projects and getting more costs covered as well as working hand in hand with the volunteers to make sure the money we did have was used most effectively. I was absolutely in love with the community we were in. I felt immersed in culture and loved the local people. I felt safe. Our accommodations exceeded expectations. The food was excellent! If this review was based purely on people I met in Ghana, it would be near perfect. The local community and other volunteers made my stay in Ghana feel like home. Again, I was very grateful for the local staff working night and day to make my experience the best it could be and making sure my needs were taken care of in every way possible! I absolutely recommend the IVHQ medical program and would go back again myself.

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