Ghana

Franklin, I first want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to you and your beautiful family for the work-the incredible effort that you have taken to make all of us welcome, safe and happy. As I hope you will understand through this review, you’ve gone above and beyond to make our experience unforgettable. Thank you!
Accommodation and Food: What can I say? It was hot, the beds were lumpy, the showers were cold. If it rained, our laundry was ruined. You’ve to get used to mosquito bites. And I loved it. It takes a specific type of person to take this trip. It forced us out of our comfort zone and made us reconsider the things that we actually need to survive. The people in Ghana live simply,but spectacularly. If your goal is to learn how Ghanaians live-to understand them from their perspective, this is the house for you. We even live better than most people here- electricity, running water,entertainment,a car. But it is a necessary first step to understanding the culture here- their needs and priorities, their challenges and strengths. It was great. As for the food, I loved it. Traditional Ghanaian cuisine is different from what I’m used to back home so Mary Anne did a great job easing us into FUFU and BANKU near the end of our trip, making sure to incorporate some American favourites as well. I’ll definitely miss how well I have eaten here.
Support from Host/Staff: Oh gosh, I’m not sure of anything more the staff could do for us to help us feel more supported. They not only agreed to take us to the market whenever we wanted but were eager to do it. You could tell that they love to share their culture with volunteers. They play traditional Ghanaian games with us, they point out things that we may otherwise miss, they teach us how to catch a tro-tro or how to buy food from street vendors. They’re up to greet us in the morning and tell us goodnight when we go to bed. We’ve grown so close to the staff here,it’s become the hardest thing to leave. Franklin, the host keeps the machine working. He makes sure we get to our volunteer sites on time and picks us up in the evening. He orients us when we first get here and is the first to let us know that we are his family. I couldn’t imagine my trip to Ghana without these hardworking, kind and funny people. I can’t wait to come back.
We were placed among four different volunteer sites across Kasoa and elsewhere. So we were only able to volunteer about two days at each place since we roatated between our group. It was actually great for the amount of time that we were here. It would have been nice to stay in one place to be a little more impactful but we were of course more limited. The schools themselves were unforgettable. The children were amazing-eager to meet “OBRONIS” and to learn. I think volunteers will find that the simplest but most memorable joy of this trip is getting kids to smile. It’s something I will take with me forever. Some days are hard. Some these schools have very little and use methods and techniques that we are not used to back home and your heart will sometimes feel heavy with much of it out of your control. So I have learned to focus on the small things-the things that you can improve and make this experience very worthwhile.
I already have recommended this experience to others. This has been an absolutely incredible, life changing experience for me. It reconnected me to the world, forced me out of my comfort zone and taught me a new way to treat people. I am so grateful for this experience and if others choose to pass it up because of things like no air conditioning or hamburgers or queen-sized beds, that would be an unfortunate mistake

This is my second time working with Cross Cultural Solutions. My first trip was to Guatemala with a group of nine sophomore students and it was wonderful. We had a great time and learned more than we expected to learn about the culture. And because CCS has been such a well-organized non-profit company, we decided to use them again for our service learning class – this time we traveled to Ghana and had the most amazing time.

Our purpose was to spend the week volunteering and learning about ourselves and others in the process. I worked at a school for the deaf, and, hands down, it was the best teaching experience I have had to date. My students were studying for a national exam and were highly motivated. They had no distractions for electronics (something I battle with on a daily basis in my US classes) and all eyes were on me. My placement at the deaf school was so perfectly matched to my interest and talents that I came away fully energized with every day of work. Although I do not sign, I managed to communicate, and they managed to show that they were learning what I was teaching. I think it was an exciting growing experience for both me and my Ghana students.

Back at home base, we relaxed, did a bit of reading, and attended cultural lectures which served to answer some of the questions we had about things we experienced during the day. As I mentioned earlier, I traveled with nine sophomore college students and they thoroughly enjoyed every bit of their week in HoHoe, Ghana. They embraced the lectures, loved their work, loved our outings, and were in constant dialogue with the staff about everything form how did you cook this to why am I not able to see the difference between a private and public school. We have been back home for almost two weeks now, and I have not yet heard a negative word about our experience. Currently my students are in the process of digesting their experience and working on their final project which reflects on their service and learning abroad. They are all very excited to work and eager to tell about their trip.

I expect their projects will highlight (along with their work experience) the wonderful hospitality shown to us by the CCS staff. They were so easy to talk to and so eager to help and provide information. One of our class assignments was to read a book by a Ghanaian writer. We were all a little confused about some of the practices described in the book, but our host director was so gracious in explaining about the culture and answering the many questions we had about what we encountered in our reading.

Following our work day, the CCS staff accompanied us on daily excursions. My favorite was the monkey farm where we fed monkeys as they climbed on us to get their little piece of banana. The excursions were so much fun and we were so comfortable with our hosts.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about the staff. They know just the right balance between being professional and being friendly . We had many laughs with them and they were wonderfully informative. The food was super yummy. We got to try some good home cooked Ghanaian food and also had the comfort of a few of those staples of home.

I would highly recommend using Cross Cultural Solutions for your trip to Ghana. It has been “an experience to cherish” as one of my students told me. You will absolutely love it!

Home base truly grew more and more into a place we called home. Every one of our needs were met by the basics of a shower, a bathroom, a bedroom and a dining room. I never once felt anything other than that everything possible was being done to make the home more comfortable for me. Any inconveniences I experiences such as the power outages (no fans) were things that were totally out of anyones control and did honestly contribute to a memorable and exciting stay. Home base felt extremely safe 24 hours a day and was very enjoyable and peaceful place to spend time. A perfect spot for reflection and the building of new new relationships. There is no other place I would have rather spent the last 3 weeks. Home base has become my home and one of the very best parts of my Ghanaian adventure.
I don’t know “staff” just family. The Ghanaian family that I found at the home base have been the most selfless, fun, enjoyable people to be around since day one. I never once felt out of place or uncomfortable in their presence. They did everything they could and then some to make sure I had the very best experience in Ghana. Being a part of a family rather than feeling like I was staying at a hostel really opened up so much more opportunity. I was able to learn native Ghanaian language (twi) and the traditions and immerse myself in this interesting culture that I now absolutely love. I always felt very safe around my Ghanaian family and trust them 100% with anything and everything. Each of them are an absolute joy to get to know and they were so helpful not only around the home base but also in the market places and public transit. I felt like I was constantly being protected from things that no “Obroni” could ever really even realize were dangers. The girls were great cooks and catered to us and our special eating habits way more than they were expected to. The home base was a place full of love and happiness not “staff” but because of family.
I spent 3 weeks in the Good Shepherd Orphanage And International School. Most of my time was spent in the kindergarten aged classes, teaching, singing and creating homework assignments. I truly felt that my time spent there was effective. I made great friends with the teachers, the other volunteers and so many of the children. The teachers didn’t have much for us to do at first but we jumped right in and the teachers saw that we were capable; they begun to grow more confident in us and turned over more and more of the day’s classes to us until I was teaching all day. What little I taught the kids was so much fun. I have learned so much about the Ghanaian culture and way of life from interacting and building relationships with the great people at Good Shepherd.
This organization was just one we picked at random and was sort of a gamble. There are so many different organisations trying to get volunteers to different places all over the world that it makes it very difficult to know which one to go with. Our preparation for the trip was very straight forward and easy. The IFRE representatives were very prompt, assuring and knowledgeable as they responded to our numerous questions through e-mail. They made the trip feel as if they just fell together perfectly. I highly recommend IFRE

AFAWI is an amazing organization who make a difference in their community. Doing a volunteer internship with them, gave me first hand experience in the workings of a grassroots NGO. I was only able to stay 3 weeks, but still was exposed to many aspects of the NGO. I was even invited to meetings with other local NGOs to discuss perspectives and progress on health care, education, gender, farming and civil society projects.

I chose to participate in the program Monitoring and Evaluation. The project I worked on concentrated on health care and I was able to travel to different areas doing data collection (questionnaires and interviews).

AFAWI staff are very kind and welcoming. They are open, honest and very helpful. The volunteer house is clean, with running water, electricity and only a couple steps away from the office. The neighbourhood is friendly and only 30-40 mins away from the Accra by bus. This is my second time in Ghana, I like the culture and food very much, with AFAWI you will be able to experience living like a local in Ghana.

If you have an interest in International Development, AFAWI is really where you should be volunteering. Unlike other internships where you push paper around an office and read about what is happening on the ground, AFAWI will give you the opportunity to do field work, speak with people and see the real workings of an NGO that makes a difference in improving our world.

My overall experience was so eye opening and hard to describe in brief. Having this opportunity to experience a different way of life is like nothing I have done in my life before. This program definitely has impacted how I wish to continue with my future and do more volunteer work around the world.
We were warmly greeted by Nathalie in the airport and she was there the whole way to answer any questions and help us out. The local coordinator was also great, he gave us a lot of background information on the culture of Ghana and what to expect.
I would say that we were very well prepared. You can't possibly come prepared for everything, some things just need to be experienced and we were told to come with an open mind.
There were so many wonderful little memories from my trip, I would say that just the people of Kpando themselves were so memorable. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly that it really stuck with me. And of course the children at the program will be with me always.
Medical items are always needed, mainly gauze and wraps that the program can use for wound care. The children's home could always use more white writing paper. The volunteer book at the compound is great to look at, we covered almost everything in the book that past volunteers wrote about.
The A Broader View staff was great! They fully prepared us and answered all of our questions, we never felt like we didn't get enough information before traveling to Ghana.

Accommodation: The house in Kasoa, Ghana is so well set up I keep telling Franklin (the man who runs it) that they shouldn’t make any more improvements or volunteers won’t get to have new experiences/challenges. Electricity and running water come and go occasionally in Ghana (developing country after all), but generally it is only off for short amounts of time and merely peppers your experience with small reminders that you are indeed in Ghana. The house has a water backup system so you will always have water even if Franklin has to have it trucked from Accra; you just occasionally experience bucket showering/flushing if the city water is turned off. You are undoubtedly safe in the home (and Ghana itself is generally safer than big cities back in the US), you will be fed wonderful food made with love and local flavors but customized to your needs as necessary. Kasoa lies at a crossroads seemingly leading everywhere, whether you are going to the coast or Accra, and is quite busy and exciting as it is bigger than a village yet without the chaos of the capitol. This place has become my home, and the family ensures that they provide you every opportunity to make it yours as well.

Support from staff: Family is the best word for the team even though blood is not the bonding factor; they are the real jewel of this place. Ghanians truly value family and community (a quality often lacking in the US that makes me think we are the poor ones) so if you care to join in and participate you will find laughter, support, and love with these beautiful people. I don’t know how they manage to so generously open their hearts to so many varied characters coming and going, but they do it seamlessly. They are respectful and understanding that not all visitors are comfortable with community, however, so it will only be at a level you are comfortable with. Nothing is forced on you here and this trip is what you want and make of it. If you are ever curious, concerned or needing anything you have only to ask Franklin and he will move mountains for your sake.

Project experience: I chose and designed this trip to fill out my resume, experience, and abilities for future international medical ventures. It has increased my abilities, knowledge, and experience tenfold what I was hoping for. You have to learn the context of a place (their strengths, weaknesses, cultural motivations, etc.) before you can know how to behave and best contribute. So I took my time learning this place and observing and letting them teach and contribute to me, (can you believe I had never even observed a labor before and I have now partaken in 28 births delivering 4 of those entirely on my own?) Along the way I discovered my courage to step up in situations where I was the best expert available, and I messily learned when to accept a given situation as part of the culture and when not to (i.e. easily and contextually preventable deaths). Watching 4 babies die is a powerful thought provoker and motivation. I can’t imagine an experience that could have better met my expectations (not to mention exceed them!) I was able to teach a couple hundred senior high school students sex ed, taught nurses pediatric resuscitation and how to treat labor complications, worked at 4 different medical facilities, stayed a week at an HIV/AIDS orphanage, traveled to exotic locations most weekends, and visited an Ivory Coast refugee camp where I got to meet with the founder and community and government leaders to discuss the seemingly hopeless obstacles they face. So if you find you have an interest in something ask Franklin if he has any contacts/recommendations (he generally does), and if he doesn’t, create an opportunity for yourself! In the end your trip is really your responsibility and only you know what you want out of it; the staff is here to help and facilitate you in that.

Do you recommend IFRE? I personally had no issues with IFRE, and adored my experience. My trip and accommodations were handled smoothly and never required a second thought from me. I think this may largely have to do with the fact that Franklin was my project coordinator (he handles everything like a pro as he has been doing this for years). Other locations and coordinators may result in different experiences. I do wish there was some transparency so we could know just where exactly our money goes, but that is just my insatiable curiosity coming into play.

My expectation before coming to Ghana was that I would be living in a sort of healthcare hostel with little to no social interaction. At the house in Kasoa with Franklin and the girls, my initial notions proved to be completely opposite. At our quaint little cubbyhole, Franklin and the girls went out of their way to make us feel loved and appreciated. Franklin has created a gentle fortress imbued with wonderful accommodations and support. I did not have time to visit every household/complex in Ghana but I feel bold enough to say Franklin’s place is the best. Upon arrival to the house, Franklin made it very clear with a stern facial expression that that while we are here we are all part of the family. And pretty much sums up the staff. Franklin and the girls were never more than an earshot away, no matter the time of the day or situation. I genuinely feel like we kindled everlasting relationships with the family and I wish them all great success in everything they try. I will be keeping in touch via e-mail to hear of their triumphs.
During my time here, I volunteered mainly at the Jei Krodua clinic where I was allowed to shadow the wonderfully brilliant Dr.TT. with an extremely limited supply of resources Dr.TT was able to conjure up a precise diagnosis for every one of his patients. The professionalism and personal intimacy Dr.TT showed each patient was awe inspiring…qualities I aspire to possess when I become a doctor. The rest of the staff at the clinic treated us like one of their own. They allowed us to assist on any procedure,as long as we showed confidence and competency. For two nights, I volunteered at Margo’s/maternity clinic. It was one of the most amazing experiences I ever had, leaving an indelible imprint on my mind. I got to feel firsthand the rhapsody encapsulated in the miracle of birth. For these experiences and wealth of knowledge, I’m forever grateful.
This experience in Ghana has been above and beyond anything I could have conceived in my wildest dreams. I am appreciative of IFRE doing their due diligence to find such wonderful people like Franklin, the girls and Dr.TT. I hope to be a part of more programs within the IFRE like this one in Ghana

I came to the volunteer house expecting a sterile hostel, a place to simply rest my head in between hours spent at the Jei Krodua Clinic (TT Clinic), a place to study, rest and better myself in solemn reflection…Luckily, this was not the case, if it were, I would not be able to today call this place a home. And as cheesy as it is, home is where the heart is. During my stay, most of the rooms were vacant but the family: Franklin, Mary, Elizabeth, Mary-Ann and Josephine overflowed both myself and the entire family with chatter(enough to fill two languages),laughter and even without the Ghanaian heat the love and warmth they have, shared and showed me would have kept us all warm. Everything else, good and bad: the occasional lack of running water, blackouts (no fan!)(Both outside anyone’s control), Mary Ann’s amazing Ghanaian pizza… their company here in Ghana is what I’m going to remember, and our relationship for keeps.
Every member of the family here went above and beyond for the volunteers’ well-being, myself being no exception. They always genuinely cared and were concerned. Franklin was the sturdy backbone of my stay, when he told me to tell him if there were any problems at all, we knew that if God forbid something should occur, we had someone dependable only one phone call away. Even for non-life threatening situations for example when my fan broke, a standing one was immediately provided and the electrician called the next day, more meaningful, everyday Franklin would stop by to ask about my day. The girls are inspiring, they work so hard, they study so hard and they are somehow always good tempered, their company was always appreciated, yes my volunteer experience was fulfilling and it has further kindled my passion to serve and give but what I’m truly grateful for is the company of this family and will miss their effervescent smiles and conversations that bubbled throughout the day, every day.
I spent most of my time shadowing Dr.TT at the Jei Krodua clinic and two nights at Margo’s midwife/maternity clinic. To give you a sense of my experience here, the following is an abridged excerpt from the journal I have kept during my stay here. This was a few hours following my first time seeing a birth and here I was…”standing with green gloves on my hands, a pad in one, rubbing baby oil onto the girls forehead, like a shampoo, in my hands run smooth over her head, her head is so small not even the size of my hand. I’m afraid to turn her head afraid to hurt her, but as she acquiesces to my guidance I gain confidence, I want to wash this child, head to toe then back, the cutest baby, she cries and then stops, cries again, then stops…bundled in white, my left hand under her neck, my right a cradle, she is unexpectedly light, so very light. We pass the curtain together to mother, there is a silence in the room as if the world has stopped where everyone else is a bystander including myself, The mother and the girl, I gently placed the girl next to her mother on her side; the mother thanks me and life begins to trickle. Still quiet, I stepped out into the hallway with my back to the pale green wall thinking. I try to turn into sleep but it is difficult, the girl’s face remains ever so vivid in my memory, the scribe of our mind, the weight of life, so light. An OB protects life at its gates”. If you are so inclined, the medical staffs here are more than willing to guide you. Your experience will largely depend on what you want to experience. I had seen my first labor a few hours prior and here I was in the thick of it.
I ran into difficulties getting all my documents in order due to circumstances unrelated to IFRE, however, the company was very accommodating. Support was always prompt from the company and if any of other trips available through IFRE are a tenth as fulfilling and perfect as my trip to Ghana, it will be a trip worth and I recommend it.

From the start of researching a company to use to volunteer abroad to actually getting on the plane in JFK, NY I did it all in 3 weeks. And from the moment I found IVHQ I thought it was a little too good to be true. I had some concerns due to some of the negative feedbacks on other sites saying that the really highly recommended programs are fake and scams. I spoke to many alumni and realized that every program is different.

The program that IVHQ has set up in Ghana is well run from the very first impression. They make sure you have all the contact information you need before your trip and the first time you meet them at the airport that are a huge support system.

When deciding to volunteer people need to know that its not going to be a vacation. It is meant to take you out of your comfort zone and put you in a place where you with help others but at the same time it will help you grow as a person as well. There was no running water, electricity was spotty at times, and there was no AC. But bc of the lack of amenities that most of us are used to it allows you to unplug and go back to the basics.

I was placed in the Pink Program which was based in the Potter's Village in Dodowa. I was pretty surprised to find it to be an already established orphanage. By established I mean they have a home with a school with some teachers and 'mama's' that help with the children. It was an easy transition to step in to help and aid the children with their tasks.

People are always concerned about why companies insist on paying to volunteer. But when you think about it there are people behind the scene that plan for your safety and doing research to find these placements to make sure that they are true to what they are saying. There is reliability with IVHQ and that is worth the registration fee. During the orientation you even get a breakdown of where your money goes to, so they were very open about it which put my mind at ease.

The Ghana staff at IVHQ was always there for me throughout my entire stay and was always asking if there was anything that I was concerned about. I must say I will suggest this program to anyone that will listen and just tell people to go with an open mind and let yourself be in the moment and you will not only help others but you will grow so much as a person!!

What a great place to stay! I was pleasantly surprised by the accommodations. I came here not knowing what to expect, so obviously preparing for the worst. Very homey environment that I was quite comfortable in. we had our own space when we wanted but also had the dining and living room to hang out in with other volunteers and the family. I felt very safe here knowing that I could leave and not worry about anything I brought. The gated house was also nice because you could hang out in the yard and it would be locked at night. I also appreciated the shower (with running water) and flushable toilet. I felt very much at home here and would recommend it to others looking into coming to Ghana.
I never really looked at the family here as staff. They did an awesome job at making us feel welcome and allowing us to join their family. I would much rather consider them as friends. They were very helpful in anything you might need or in answering questions. They made sure our stay here was comfortable and safe. I felt I could approach anyone of them at any time. Mary Ann did an awesome job with accommodating my food intolerance. This family was so great.
I was at countryside orphanage during my time here. It was an eye-opening experience but very enjoyable. I found you really need to decide what you want to do there and go with it as they don’t have a set schedule for you. (example if you want to organize a game or teach) the days were exam time so there wasn’t much opportunity to do a lot of teaching but the time spent hanging out with the kids and making friends was valuable. The teachers were very friendly and easy to work with. At times I felt sad for the kids but realized this is life as they know it and we can just be with them for the moment. I really enjoyed my time here and would definitely recommend it to others.
This organization was a good one I thought. Very reasonable pricing as compared to other organizations. It was nice to be able to talk to someone who was able to answer my questions before I committed to anything. The coordinator here in Ghana was also very helpful once we had been placed, to answer questions and give us information. He did a good job of trying to prepare us. Very user friendly online with a good amount of information. Many different programs for whatever you are interested in