Overview
Volunteer in Ghana

GVI has teamed up with local partners to offer much needed support to rural communities in Ghana. Our teaching projects in Ghana work to assist local children who otherwise might not have the chance of a formal education, or who are in need of educational reinforcement. Depending upon your experience and interests, you could be working with children of infant, primary or secondary school age, offering support in overcrowded local schools and helping with teaching activities, including play, numeracy, literacy, sports, music, drama and art. For volunteers that want to concentrate on teaching English there are specific areas in which you can work; such as phonics, sounds, reading and writing.

You can take full advantage of our two-day orientation programme to explore the local area and familiarise yourself with Ghana, which has a fascinating history and a rich culture. Indeed, volunteering on this project will take you to live and work in a truly amazing region of West Africa.

View Film Footage, images, blogs, volunteer stories from the field, volunteer video diaries and more at the programs media centre

Anyone can take part and everyone has something to contribute. Whether you are taking a year off, needing a sabbatical or simply want to take time out, please come and make a difference in Ghana – your efforts will be rewarded many times over by the smiles you see every day on the children's faces.

Aubrey Malcolm-Green, Charitable Trust Founder, 2005

What Difference Does This Project Make?

Working closely with the community leaders, GVI and our project partners are developing educational programmes to assist the local children who otherwise may not have the opportunity of a full formal education or who need educational reinforcement. As part of the Whole School Improvement Programme (WSIP) we respond to the needs of the communities directly. The schools lack even the most basic learning materials and teaching aids – there are simply never enough text books, pens, pencils, chalk or exercise books to go around and it is not uncommon to see five or six children trying to read from the same book. With money raised through volunteers, our project partners provide teaching and learning materials for the schools, develop construction projects and provide teacher training programmes for local staff, but there is a great deal more which can be done.

Highlights

Elmina and Cape Coast Castle, Kakum National Park and Nzulezo Stilt Village are all within an hour and a half of the community you will be staying in. If you wish to discover more of Ghana in your time off or after the project, the country offers an array of varying cultures and landscapes including national parks and stunning rainforests. On your project you will experience in-depth local community interaction and have the opportunity to use your skills on a variety of project elements.

Location

You will be based in the communities located in the southern central region of Ghana. Ghana is renowned for being one of Africa’s friendliest countries, despite being one of the poorest. Though only the size of the United Kingdom, Ghana’s landscapes range from dry scrub in the north, to rainforests, lush vegetation and pristine beaches in the south. The main towns in the area are Cape Coast and Elmina, the latter of which is the site of the first European settlement on the African mainland. Cape Coast is the cultural capital of the central region.

Field Conditions

Accommodation has been selected to offer basic but clean and safe facilities. Depending on the community, this will either be in a guesthouse or rented house. Western luxuries such as hot water and electricity are not always available, but this does add to your African experience! Your lockable room is furnished with a bed, desk, cupboard, mosquito meshed windows, clean sheets and pillows. The accommodation block has a washroom, separate toilet and shower with running water and a shared kitchen and social area. Three meals a day will be provided.