Ghana is situated in West Africa, between Togo and The Ivory Coast. The country has an incredible mix of landscapes; ranging from tropical rain forests and beautiful beaches in the South, through to dusty deserts in the North. Remember to pack your suntan cream as it is always hot!
Ghana lacks widespread basic health, education and other important services, which makes it an ideal location to volunteer. Shanty towns on the outskirts of the cities provide a real eye opening experience to Western travellers but you can make a real difference here.
Below you will everything you need to know about Ghana volunteering programs, including how it all works, daily schedules, detailed costs, health and safety and the top free-time trips available.
Top Rated Opportunities
Volunteering Programs in Ghana
Volunteer in Ghana in health, building, conservation, teaching, playwork, sport and more where you can combine experiences on the same trip.
Perfect for first time volunteers of all ages, young and mature looking to help the poorest children through play work and teaching, sport or repairing crumbling schools. Health students looking for some practical experience and qualified health professionals are also in need in hospitals and the communities organisations work in.
Not sure what you would like to do in Ghana or when you need to decide? Unless you will be working in health, you can choose after arrival when you have met the local team and chatted to other volunteers who arrived before you. We recommend at least one week participating in one area before swapping over to get the most out of each experience.
These are some of the most popular ways to give back and help:
• Health Care and Medical Clinics
• HIV and Aids Programmes
• Veterinary and Animal research
• Environmental Law and Human Rights
• Orphanage and foster home programme
• School for special needs
• Sports and Physiotherapy
• Sports Coaching
• Teaching
• Water and sanitation project
• Community development
• Health Projects
• Construction
• Music and dance
Volunteer Teaching
Volunteers can choose between primary and secondary schools. The preferred choice is for primary teaching at one of the schools volunteers have built in remote locations where the very poorest children live. Volunteers often share classes or divide the class up into smaller groups of ability as preferred. When schools are closed for the holidays, summer schools are opened up and classes operate in other locations. The children receive very little education even during term times that it is in their best interests to gain as much as they can throughout the rest of the year.
No experience is necessary for most community teaching programs and it is very relaxed. Often there are few local teachers (if any sometimes) so you will not feel you are being judged and have more freedom to explore ideas. In the summer volunteers often share classes with two or three volunteers together at the front of the class. Mostly the children just need help with writing, spelling and some very basic adding and subtraction.
Basic number skills will be important for the poorest children, many of whom may work later in a shop or will start their own business buying and selling goods. Without basic maths they will struggle. You may like to introduce them to their own Ghanian currency and set up a shop where they can practise.
For older age groups at some schools there may be some set books to follow but there is always an opportunity to introduce new activities. Art and craft activities are always popular. Some children will not have a pencil or paper at home so do provide everything you can. For some children art will be therapeutic. Some of the children you work with are orphaned in the sense they do not have their biological parents looking after them.
There is always time to take the children outside for fun or organised games although they can be a bit shy of the midday sun so if it is too hot, you may want to adapt activities and use the classroom or shade from the trees if possible. Fun sports days are popular, do include clean water (or juice) and some snacks, some children may be malnourished or may have walked a distance in the heat to get to class and may not be so enthusiastic to run an egg and spoon race.
Building Volunteer Programs
Nearly everyone has a go at something during their stay whether mixing cement or painting the walls of a new classroom. It can be great fun to work as part of a team whether you choose to build throughout your stay or just for a day to help the others out with an extra pair of hands.
Recent projects have varied from repairs to existing classrooms, toilet blocks, installing water boreholes and repairing homes to laying sewage pipes. Most of the schools that volunteers work at were built by volunteers just like you from scratch without any real funding, just small donations and hard graft which added up to a whole school over time!
Sports Coaching
Many of the children only go to school for the morning or afternoon providing plenty of opportunity to get the children together to play sport. Although football is the national sport, the children are always keen to try something new from rounders to volleyball to ‘fun’ sports day events and athletics. You might want to provide refreshments and snacks for long activity sessions to keep the children going as they may have walked a distance to get there that day!
Volunteers with sports coaching backgrounds have also worked with local teams of all ages (8 to adult) to coach and organise tournaments. For more serious coaching, it is recommended to spend at least a week on this rather than a day on and a day off. Spaces are limited to 2-3 volunteers at a time. Volunteers have also played against local teams which have been great fun and a huge success.
Conservation Projects
Keen to help the environment? Get your hands dirty off the beaten track and help replace lost plants and woodland. Work alongside local people to plant trees and help in conservation. Bring strong trainers, garden gloves, hat and suitable clothes. These projects can usually be combined with community, teaching, building and sport programs.
Volunteer with Children and in Orphanages
Many of the orphanages in the Kwahu region of Ghana have closed because the children have been successfully homed or relatives found which is great news. However there are many thousands of children in the region still living with their families who are living in desperate situations and if you would like to work with the most vulnerable children placements can be arranged.
The children in most urgent need are often those living at home in remote locations at or close to Lake Volta, where their carers live a hand to mouth existence. Living in inadequate houses without a bed, clean water, schooling, essential food and without clothes they can call their own, this is where the majority of volunteers prefer to work during the week.
It is not uncommon for parents to leave children with extended family or neighbours whilst they work elsewhere. Some children are effectively unpaid housekeepers for their new families and will be missing out on the essential development stages. In order to access the very poorest children, volunteers built schools where there were none already existing, and now through these schools, new volunteers provide essential assistance.
Medical, Health and Hospital Placements
For medicine, nursing, biomedicine, pharmacy, radiography and physiotherapy students and qualified professionals there are opportunities to work at local hospitals. Clinical volunteers have worked in outpatients, on the wards, midwifery or in surgery depending on your experience, interest and qualifications. Other students have volunteered in the pharmacy and laboratories. It is extremely rewarding and there is high demand for all help. If you can bring some everyday equipment it will be most appreciated as the hospital is short on many of the basics.
New physiotherapy clinics are opening every year too, welcoming both physiotherapy volunteers who are currently on physiotherapy courses and qualified professionals.
Most hospital volunteers combine health work with community work, spending their first week at the hospital before moving onto other areas of the programme with the rest of the volunteer group. This is entirely optional can be discussed after settling in and chatting with your volunteer coordinator. Some organisations do not require any volunteer to stay with one particular placement throughout a stay in Ghana.
If your background does not fit the above it is still worth reaching out to organisations as they often have health opportunities which can be tailored to specific skills and interests.
The Practical Stuff:
Climate: Ghana has a tropical climate; however temperatures vary with each season. In the north the rainy season occurs between April to September. February and March are the hottest months, the highest temperature being 32 Celsius.
Currency: Ghanaian cedi (GHS)
Religion: Christian 68.8%, Muslim 15.9%, Traditional African beliefs 8.5%
Language: English
Health Conditions: Heat Stroke, Hypothermia, Giardiasis, hepatitis, typhoid, meningococcal meningitis, cholera, Malaria, Rabies, Diphtheria, Tetanus, HIV/AIDS, Schistosomiasis
Volunteering in Ghana FAQ
What is a normal day like in Ghana?
As with flexible and informal volunteering anywhere in the world, schedules can change at the last minute due to local projects and schools closing or organising their own activities without notice. A typical schedule follows below. Most volunteering takes place Monday to Friday or Monday to Thursday if the volunteer group has chosen a longer weekend tour. The coordinating team always endeavour to offer a last minute project as a replacement but this is not always possible so a day off here and there may be required, perfect for local exploration, relaxing in a local pool or some lesson planning!
Are meals provided?
Most volunteer programs in Ghana are usually self catering. Between Monday and Friday most volunteers buy their breakfast and lunch on their way to the day’s project then buy dinner on the way home at the end of the day. Most weekends are spent travelling or on the coast where hotels and nearby cafes are plentiful. If you would like to cook meals each volunteer house has its own kitchen. Pasta, rice and instant noodles are easily available in local shops. There are markets at Mpraeso and Nkawkaw to buy fruit and vegetables that are in season. Dairy products are in short supply in Ghana, as for much of Africa. Laughing cow processed cheese is about the only available cheese product. Sometimes flavoured milk drinks can be found.
What do need to take equipment wise for me?
Essential: malaria tablets, small backpack for everyday use to carry all your resources, snacks and water to your project. Recommended: Wetwipes, hand cleaning gel, mosquito repellent (50% Deet), shower flip flops, buy toilet roll on arrival, umbrella handy for rainy season May to September, coloured beach and bath towels so won’t show the dirt, swimwear (two sets ideal for longer stays), plenty of clothes and underwear and washing in a bucket tricky! Sheets or single duvet cover to sleep inside, most hostels in your free time will not have any bedding.
Optional: Suncream, old mobile for Ghanaian sim card, Immodium tablets, practical sandals and trainers, pillow, board games/books for evening, DVDs to watch, small travel kettle (there is a pot to boil water in the volunteer house), torch, Ghana guide by Bradt has been recommended. For female volunteers, leave cropped tops at home, the stomach in rural areas is considered as risque as bare breasts, tampons not easily available in the Kwahu region so bring plenty, biodegradable ones or a Mooncup may be an alternative to save on waste.
Do I need a visa?
A visa is required for most visitors to Ghana and this needs to be obtained before travel. Allow 3 to 4 weeks for your Ghana visa to be processed. It is not recommended to apply too early in case your passport is mislaid or returned. The process is straightforward. The addresses for the form can be found on page 3 of the information pack sent after booking. Contact us if you need any help. We also have letters of support if these are required, simply email us if you need them.
What language is spoken in Ghana?
English is the official language together with many local languages and dialects also spoken. In the Kwahu region where the volunteer programme is based, English and Twi are spoken.
Should I learn Twi?
There is no need to learn Twi but it can be fun to try and it can help break the ice with locals! Medaase – Thank you. Mepacho – please. Tinase – sit down. Etesen? – How are you? Me ho eye – I am well. Maa kye – Good morning. Maa ha – Good afternoon. Maa yo – Good evening.
What money should I take?
The local currency in Ghana is the Cedi. There is no need to take Cedis with you although some volunteers prefer to order some in advance before travel. There is a money exchange desk at Accra airport on arrival which everyone uses where Dollars or Pounds can be exchanged into Cedis. The airport offers a better exchange rate than where the volunteer houses are located. Clean notes are preferred and the money exchange office is still open if you are arriving on a late flight.
What happens if there are school holidays in Ghana?
Summer fun schools operate when the schools are closed for holidays. They run at the same school or a house in the community which can accommodate the children. The children are always eager to attend as education is limited in Ghana to 2 – 4 hours at best a day so all educational opportunities are well attended. There are few full time schools offering 9am to 4pm in Ghana due to lack of funding and few teachers.
How much free time will I have?
Most volunteering takes place Monday to Thursday or Friday and the weekends are spent relaxing or more often, exploring.Locally the beautiful Kwahu Tafo waterfall is a must and volunteers can swim in the pool below. There are also beautiful lakes and beaches, including Lake Volta and Lake Bosomtwe, and Kokrobite beach. Mole National Park is also a popular tourist visit to see elephants, giraffes and the usual safari wildlife, along with different churches and other places of worship. Closer to home there are many pleasant walks from the volunteer house up into the hills behind. A small local hotel allows volunteers the use of their swimming pool. The local support team organise regular short and long trips for the volunteer group. Scroll down to the free time section to see more.
How will I get around in my free time?
Public transport is the main way to travel around Ghana but taxis are the preferred and most common transport used in rural areas where the volunteer houses are. The transport is cheap for short trips ranging from 60p – £1, between a few volunteers it can be cheaper still. Most of the projects are within a 15 minute ride away, although some of the most vulnerable and isolated communities require longer journeys and a visit all day, so don’t forget to pick up snacks and soft drinks and water from the shops on your way. For Accra, the capital and gateway to the beaches at the weekend, a bus is the best option and costs around £7. At the weekends volunteers often take a tour organised by the local team and travel together. This can make journey time quicker and enable you to fit more destinations into a day.
Free Time in Ghana
All activities and excursions below can be organised for you by your volunteer coordinator. Let them know before travel on your final form or at any time if there is any trip below you are interested in. There is no obligation or payment before arrival but it will be helpful for the coordinators to know how many are interested so they can organise a group trip around everyone’s dates and fit this in around project work. Group trips are in any case more fun when shared with others! There is usually a noticeboard at the volunteer houses with trips, costs and details.