Ghana

From the time when I started thinking about volunteering abroad, over a year ago, and speaking to so many people who have done this type of work, I can now say what many of them said to me – that I received so much from this experience and am so happy that I did this, especially in Ghana. I was very thankful that I had a friend to join me, a very special experience we shared together. This experience, with the orphanage/refugee camp and with the host local family, made this time one that I hope many other people try. It will be with me for life.
I taught the kids stand-up yoga for their first time. They loved it and asked to do it just about every day. This was so special that I could introduce something new that they liked. Doing yoga with all of them, outside the school, and with the smaller group on the beach, was a memory I’ll always cherish.
It was wonderful to take two trips to visit five different different places in the Eastern Region and Cape Coast region. We also took a wonderful trip to Accra Arts & Crafts center. Such a diverse and amazing country. The driving and road conditions are like the best roller coaster ride you’ll ever have! I love that there was music everywhere you went, from morning until night!
The US staff were very helpful with all of my questions and needs preparing for this journey. I appreciated their timeliness in responding electronically. I felt very positive and prepared for this trip due to ABV’s support. I did a great deal of research with many similar organizations like them and I felt that I made the best decision. Thank you! After being in Ghana, I highly recommend that ABV advertise that more volunteers are very much needed in this country. They need much more help.

"In terms of my internship, it’s been an incredible experience. There isn’t much speech therapy going on in the school, so this is why volunteers like myself are necessary! The students I worked with were amazing. Joe* is an 8 year old boy I worked one-on-one with. He has autism and severe ADHD. He is nonverbal and clearly not much has been established for him in terms of speech services because other than pointing and gestures, he cannot communicate at all. There are no communication boards, PECS systems, or any other alternative forms of communication for him. Behavior is a big issue as well. Although they reprimand the kids, there is a lack of corrective feedback and DRI. The kids get yelled at but behave more out of fear than because they know right from wrong. So corrective feedback is essential in therapy but culture differences and lack of training in the field contribute to that.

The other children are Jake* (16) who has autism, Jesse* (16) who has Down Syndrome, Isa* (11) who I has cerebral palsy, seizures and feeding difficulties, Andy* (7) who has autism and Griffin* (8) who has autism as well. All of the children in my classroom were nonverbal except for Isa* who speaks very little, and mainly repeats echolalia. The kids are awesome though and so sweet. The teachers definitely do their best given the circumstances and genuinely care about the kids. Each day is very routine, and they even adopted the visual schedule system which is great for children with autism"

This is an excerpt from my blog that I kept over the course of my internship in Ghana. The Projects Abroad staff was unbelievably supportive through my transition into African life, and are some of the most friendly people I have ever met. I am currently a senior studying Speech Language Hearing Sciences at Loyola University Maryland in the USA, and felt that this internship was the perfect opportunity to gain some real life work experience before applying to graduate school. I thoroughly enjoyed going to work every day and the children and staff at the school are all incredible.

I highly recommend going through Projects Abroad if you want this type of immersion experience. They help book flights, provide information such as how to obtain a visa, what to pack, and what to expect once in Ghana. When I arrived, a staff member picked me up directly at the airport, sporting his green Projects Abroad shirt for identification, and brought me directly to my home stay to help me settle in. I never once felt unsafe or nervous, and felt very comfortable in the care of Projects Abroad. My housing accommodation was awesome, the friends I made through volunteering were amazing, and one of the staff members is even willing to write my letter of recommendation for graduate school. Regardless of how much experience you have in the field, or how comfortable you are with traveling, I am here to tell you that I managed just fine and I traveled this journey alone. Luckily, I had the supportive Projects Abroad staff to help me navigate through it.

Thank you Projects Abroad! Volunteer with them, you'll be glad you did!

I really enjoyed Ghana. People are really nice and welcoming, sometimes a bit too much. I genuinely really enjoyed the people and the country. My host Franklin was extremely welcoming. I felt at home from the moment i arrived. the whole family was very nice. the room in which i slept was perfect, it was spacious, the bed was comfortable and i wasn't hot. The house was very convenient too. the food was good but a little bit repetitive and we had too much food to eat for breakfast sometimes. We taught kids in Countryside orphanage. We gave them French, Maths, Science, English and Art lessons We also taught songs to the children in Kindergarten. Outside of school hours we played with the kids and they followed us everywhere. The weekends we went on excursions to canopy walk and slave castle in Cape Coast, went to the beach and also rested at home. We were constantly supported at home. We were never left on our own and the same thing in the orphanage. However if we wanted to go somewhere on our own during the day we were free to do so. I would recommend this experience a million times. It was such a wonderful out of the ordinary and enriching experience. it also gives the opportunity to discover a whole different culture and country in a total immersion due to staying with local people

I had a fantastic stay in Ghana which is a very welcoming country. Ghanaians are very friendly but sometimes a bit too much. Franklin our host and his family were incredible. i could not have felt more at home. the accommodation was great, we had our privacy and lots of space. The food was delicious even though sometimes too spicy for me but very varied and we got to taste many different local foods which was great. during my two-week stay, i worked at an orphanage teaching children of different ages school subjects such as mathematics, french or English, played, cared and had a lot of fun with them. the children are so caring, sometimes stubborn but enriched my experience here in so many ways. in our spare time, we visited the market, the beach, a slave castle in Cape Coast and went on a canopy walk. these activities permitted for me to discover Ghanaian culture and made my trip very exciting and full of emotions. if i ever had a problem,i knew i could count on Franklin,his daughters or anyone at the orphanage. The people are so caring that i felt constantly well supported. i would greatly recommend my experience in Ghana if you wish to discover a new culture, help children and come back as a different human being. this trip was eye-opening, so gratifying and a magical experience.

Ghana was the ideal "first time volunteering" destination in Africa; a safe, politically stable, friendly country steeped in West-African culture and tradition. The project I attended was based in a rural village some 5-hours drive North from the capital. The volunteer house was a great place and had a good community-spirit. All individual rooms, with communal outdoor area, kitchen and a lounge (which has a TV and DVD player!!) It also had electricity, running water, showers and western-style toilets.

Original Volunteers were a fantastic organisation in the UK, and they people I spoke to were always very helpful (including during my time in Ghana when I had to email them - they got straight back and solved my problem!). Original Volunteers definitely were very helpful and friendly! :)

The organisation in Ghana which Original Volunteers sent me to was a local NGO involved in Education, Construction, Healthcare and Outreach work in the villages. The NGO was ran by a local politician, who had 3 members of staff below him.

I had the opportunities to teach in local schools - both primary and senior high schools. The schools have wonderful, enthusiastic, positive children who are very eager to learn and love the fact that Westerners are there teaching them. Some tips would be to bring pens, pencils, crayons and as much coloured paper as possible (the local shops sell bland stationary like white paper and standard pens and pencils, but the kids love anything coloured which has "luxury" value!). As for jotters and ordinary pens and pencils, these can be bought extremely cheap in the local stationary shop. The kids absolutely LOVE crayons, colouring-in pens, stationary, picture-books (especially ones teaching English) and school jotters. Also, the local schools are very deserving of things like chalk, blackboard dusters, teaching material, etc. (even simple things like pretend-clocks to teach kids the time, etc).

In addition to teaching, we also had a fantastic opportunity to do construction work and (if you're a healthcare professional) you can do nursing and medical-related volunteering with the local hospital too. Very good opportunities.

In our spare time, we had amazing trips with the other volunteers. Most people came on their own as solo-travellers, and we went in January-March when it was quieter, which was great because we bonded very well as a group. There's plenty places to explore locally, but at weekends it's cheap to hire a minibus + driver and drive down to the Coast. Although it's a 5-hour journey, it's amazingly cheap and the road-trip is an experience in itself!

All in all, a great experience, met great volunteers, the locals are really nice, and Original Volunteers in England were very helpful to me, including whilst I was in Ghana. :)

I am a returned volunteer in Accra, Ghana. I volunteered with Projects abroad two summers ago and I still constantly think about my experiences and share them with friends. I volunteered as a basketball coach for three weeks and it was the best experience of my life. I have always wanted to travel abroad but I had no idea where to start. When I found projects abroad, I knew that it would be a perfect fit for me. From the application process to my returning flight, everything went smooth. Projects abroad has a very good support system and they give you many sources of information. My experiences with projects abroad while volunteering in West Africa were so good, that I have decided that I want to return this summer. I highly recommend volunteering with projects abroad to anyone who wants to go overseas, volunteer, and gain a new outlook on life because it is truly an unforgettable expierience.

My daughter, Nicole 16 at the time, sat my husband and I down to ask to go to Ghana Africa. We thought she was crazy! We immediately said no and then realized she was serious so we did our research into Global Leadership Adventures and Accra where she would be staying and it was very safe. We left her at the airport and waited 3 weeks to see her again. She came back a new person she had more appreciation and she was so happy. She raved about her trip and the children and the Staff and everything about it. So as a review I will highly suggest the trip all aspects were safe and my daughter got so much out of the experience that she will carry along with her throughout he whole life. As well she has experiences many kids her age do not have in which she can put on applications and apply to her work in the future because of the new aspect she has gained thanks to Global Leadership Adventures! As a parent I highly suggest this program for high school kids!

I traveled to Akuapem Hills, Ghana for one week as part of the alternative spring break trip. I did the care project, so I volunteered in an orphanage and school for that week. I have traveled a good amount, so I was not nervous about navigating to and around Ghana. I was more concerned with learning about my roles and responsibilities while at the placement. The Projects Abroad staff helped me learn what my roles and responsibilities for the week were, introduced me to my placement's staff, and showed me how to get to my placement. My host family provided delicious Ghanaian meals during my stay. The other Projects Abroad volunteers and I got to know each other by exploring the area such as hiking, visiting the botanical gardens, and going shopping at the markets. The children that live in the orphanage and the students that attend the school are energetic, curious, and playful. They welcomed me with hugs, holding my hand, wanting to read books together, throw the Frisbee together, and much more.

I volunteered in Ghana a few months ago, the lead up to the trip and messages from Emma reinsured me I was prepared and the trip would be great - however; I was quite disappointed.
To start my trip, I was rudely greeted by the hired taxi driver who would take me to the volunteer house, he yelled as he told me that he 'had been waiting for hours' even though he chose to arrive 4 hours before my flight came in? and snatched my suitcase and chucked it into the car before setting off on our 4 hour ride to the house. These 4 hours were painful... he sung sex song to me and would touch my leg and ask me if I left 'comfortable' after pushing him away and telling him 'his driving wasn't making me feel safe' and that 'he should watch the road instead of staring at me' he then intentionally drove even more irrationally. Anyway, when that was over I complained to OV and nothing happened, the staff simply said "yeah may girls say the same thing but OV will not get rid of him." YEAH THANKS FOR CONSIDERING OUR SAFETY OV.. NOT! >:(
We were also hit with unexpected costs like $100 EACH NEW WEEK to do a program (even if arrival was on a Wednesday you would have to pay $100 on Wednesday for the day work and another $100 the following Monday... bullshit) we were told there would be a $100 US dollar contribution.... but not every single week. When the costs were questioned Fred simply ignored the question and was unable to tell us where our money was going .... (into his pocket? Probably.)
The communication between host countries and OV is disgraceful and I discourage others to steer away from this organisation.
The country made my experience amazing, but OV seriously, get your shit together this is a joke.

I have used Original Volunteers on two occasions now to book projects to Thailand and Ghana and I highly recommend this company if you would like to be involved in volunteer projects.

For those who have concerns about what company to choose when volunteering, my honest opinion is that Original Volunteers offer rewarding experiences and are very good value for money in comparison to other companies out there.

Original Volunteers were very supportive in their pre-travel advice, communication with them was excellent and they have always been happy to answer my queries. Everything ran very smoothly from beginning to end on both trips.

Thailand

Admittedly I was very nervous at first, I had never travelled alone before. Once out in Thailand an airport transfer was arranged and the accommodation hostel had a very friendly vibe. I was happy and settled from the very first evening, I met some wonderful people, both locals and other volunteers, and every day from then was a new adventure. The hostel helped to create a good rapport among the other like-minded volunteers. Meals at the accommodation cost from £1-4.

With regards to the teaching itself we had lots of resources to use, and as with any volunteer company you are expected to be able to think on your feet and use your initiative. After all, you are not there to be spoon fed, but to have a challenging experience. Throughout the trip our taxis to our volunteer placements were arranged for us, and we even had very affordable mini buses take us on weekends away and then drive us back! Generally we worked 4-5 days a week and then travelled on weekends.

The weekends included, boat trips, island hopping, a full moon party and plenty of time on the beach relaxing. My experience in Thailand was easily the best few weeks of my life and the following year I used the same company to volunteer in Ghana.

Ghana

I expected a similar experience here and in regards to the company’s organisation and efficiency I received exactly that.

I was late when I arrived and the other volunteers were sleeping so after a very warm welcome from 3 more staff members I called it a night. In the morning the other new volunteers and I were given all the information we needed and we were given answers to all our questions. We spent the rest of the day being shown around the local area and gathering supplies, which mainly consisted of drinking water and snacks.

The next day is when the volunteering began; the days usually began with a meeting where we all discussed what we will be doing and what we want to achieve. I taught in a school called Sunrise where I met so many lovely children and teachers, it was an amazing experience. If you plan on teaching for your whole trip I’d recommend thinking of some lesson plans before hand and take any equipment you might need. Most of the schools have little or no equipment so taking stationery is a good idea.

For a weekend trip a bus was organised for us and we arrived at a small beachfront community with a few hotels and a very nice atmosphere, this is the place to come to unwind. They organised beach parties to bars, live music, bonfires and nice food.

Another great place to visit is Cape Coast, we spent two days there and visited the old Slave Castle which was a very thought provoking and educational trip. The next day we visited Kakum National Park where we had a mini jungle trek followed by the Canopy walk, which was a 350m walkway suspended high in the trees.

In summary, I genuinely recommend Original Volunteers, they are affordable, supportive and very reliable. Working and traveling in a foreign country proves your ability to move out of your comfort zone, to take risks, and to adapt and confront new challenges. Thank you OV!