Ghana

My time at VPWA was the best time of my life! From the minute I stepped off the plane and was greeted by Hayford, the director, and Numo, the chief whose compound volunteers live on, I was fully supported and entertained in every way possible! The conditions at the compound are fine, and delicious (spicy!) local food is supplied every evening. Hayford is the most enthusiastic man alive, and so full of knowledge and ideas it is a privilege to listen to him.
VPWA is a small organisation with big projects and it's flexible, Hayford being keen for volunteers to learn and be involved in as much as they want, so you can try out different things and visit different sites during your time, and really get a taste of all aspects of an NGO's workings.
I worked on the Women's Empowerment Project through the microfinance office, and from day 1 I was walking round the towns meeting families and getting involved. This program is great for you if you want to use your initiative and try out your own ideas, as Hayford is very keen to see volunteers do that. But it's also perfect for volunteers who want to learn. I learnt so much about Ghanian culture whilst at VPWA as everyone there, from the people you live with to the people you work with or get on the tro-tro with are desperate to welcome and host you!
I couldn't recommend VPWA or Ghana more - the best people, most interesting culture and a charity with genuine, ambitious, and truly effective projects. Ultimate value for money!
Enjoy!

IFRE was certainly the best option I had when I was planning to come to Africa. They quickly answered the questions I had and their affordable price is one of the best aspects about them.
The hostel where I stayed for 3 months was very nice, better than I ever expected to find, and the program coordinator in the country was always helpful and became a good friend.

I am currently in Ghana, volunteering with Global Crossroads in the Good Shepherd Orphange. I am really enjoying my time in this country and working with the students. Ghana is a great country with amazing people. I have enjoyed the program so much, I actually extended my stay. Franklin Akpokli, the program coordinator in Ghana is very helpful and friendly. Any questions or concerns you have, he promptly addresses them. I have been here a month and Franklin is continually looking to improve conditions for volunteers to make our stay as comfortable for us as possible. I would recommend Ghana to anyone who wants to experience the country of Ghana and the culture here, as well as teaching Ghanian students.

Last year I volunteered with IVHQ Ghana for six months and have been in Ghana this year for five months, not through the program. I would recommend IVHQ Ghana to anybody who is looking to get a meaningful and unpampered experience. Other organizations overcharge so that you can be driven around in a land rover and stay in a hotel and eat nice food, but if you want that you might as well go on vacation. IVHQ allows you to get truly acclimated with the local culture. People on this site have complained that the money you give doesn't go to the orphanage, but nowhere does it say it would. Your paying to not have to worry about taking care of any of your accommodation and to be able to focus on your volunteer work. Since when IVHQ Ghana started, Eddie, the program director, has taken a portion of the money coming in and given it to his placements voluntarily.

Since I became very familiar with Ghana while volunteering through IVHQ last year I am currently not through the program. But I would never change the fact that I did go through IVHQ the first time. The staff is extremely welcoming and helpful. They give you the opportunity to really get to know the country and the freedom to do your own thing while you're here. The IVHQ staff have been the people I have trusted most and become closest with here in Ghana.

I think this organisation probably used to be good. There was a change of management 6 months ago and since then the place has fallen apart. Volunteers get barely any support, the management team is unacceptably rude, and some placement hosts have accused Ikando of not paying up the promised donations. During my recent placement I saw several volunteers cut short their time with Ikando and return home early.

I would recommend you find another organisation to volunteer with.

I was surprised to see that someone would write such a negative review about IVHQ and specifically the partner organization in Ghana. These are the cheapest fees that you can find and I believe it is truly worth going through them. Upon meeting and getting to know the local IVHQ staff, in Ghana, it became clear to me that they wanted my experience to be everything I wanted it to be. Eddie and his staff are so accommodating. I spent 6 weeks in Ghana and enjoyed it so much that I then returned for another 3 months after being home for only a short period of time.
I believe that you get what you put into an experience like this and if you come into it with the wrong attitude and don’t embrace the differences in culture you aren’t going to get anything positive out of it.
I understand that it can be confusing, and I admit feeling frustrated when the orphanage director and workers pressured volunteers for additional funds. But it must be understood that this had nothing to do with IVHQ. IVHQ supports these homes; helps them. IVHQ does not manage the orphanage homes.
The problems had so much to do with the directors and workers of the orphanage and it is unfortunate the way these directors and workers manipulated volunteers. In order to protect future volunteers, IVHQ made the decision to stop sending volunteers to this orphanage. Upon Eddie cutting ties with this orphanage home I spoke with him personally. The concern he expressed for the children of the home when describing the importance of cutting volunteers out of Nkwanta was genuine and hard to hear.
I have no doubt in my mind that Eddie and his organization in Ghana are trustworthy. Furthermore, I am confident and happy to describe how much Eddie cares about not only all volunteers’ wellbeing, but also how he cares about the kids in the orphanages.
I was treated with such care and love from the local staff in Ghana. They made sure I was always safe and cared for. I don’t think I could have asked for a better experience. Eddie and his staff became more than just support. They became true friends who treated me like family. And I hope to venture back to Ghana and see them all again very very soon!

IVHQ is not all that it is made out to be. On their website, they state that "IVHQ has its own group on Facebook. The purpose of this group is to allow all volunteers (past, present and future) to network, share photos, memories and videos, plan trips and contact previous international volunteers who have experienced our international volunteer programs. We have thousands of photos and videos on here and tons of feedback all posted by current and past volunteers." However, this is not a network for ALL volunteers. If you write an honest view of a not so good experience with IVHQ, they will delete the post and block you from their site. This means that all of the posts on their site are amazing and make them sound incredible when meanwhile, there are negative reviews...they are just not allowing them to be seen. I was in Ghana with IVHQ last summer. I had problems from the get-go. They want you to lie on your application for a visa and say that the purpose of your trip is tourism (clearly, its not tourism, its to volunteer). If you write 'volunteer' as your purpose, the embassy requires you to have a letter from IVHQ and Ghana Volunteer Corps (their partner organization) saying that you are volunteering with them. I asked IVHQ for this and they told me that i was the only one who had ever needed such a thing and no one has ever had this issue before...I later found out that this was not true and others had the same issue. IVHQ didn't want to go through the work of composing these letters. As well, I was promised (before paying my fees) that I would be able to do a homestay in Ghana. Yet another lie from IVHQ. After I paid my fees, I was told that Ghana does not have homestays. Onto issues with Ghana Volunteer Corps (the IVHQ partner organization). Eddie, the director of Ghana Volunteer Corps told is he would visit us at the orphanage every week or every other week. In reality, he didn't come to visit us at all...not one visit from him in the month I was at the orphanage...and it was an orphanage where there were numerous issues (so many that it is not longer affiliated with IVHQ). Also, the fee breakdown was ridiculous. Money was obviously being pocketed somewhere along the lines. They claimed to give $70 to each orphanage peer week from volunteer fees for food for the kids. There were about 5 programs when I was there and approximately 100 volunteers over the course of the month (coming and going to various programs). It doesn't make sense that less than $10 a week is given to the orphanage. The orphanage I was at was told that most money was going to a needy program at a different orphanage. When I got back and spoke to another volunteer at that orphanage, they were told the same thing...that most of the money was going to my orphanage...yet both the orphanages were not receiving much. The director of the orphanage was constantly asking volunteers for money (ex. he would ask us to pay school fees but we later found out that they had already been paid by previous volunteers...scamming /corruption at its finest). another issue i had was that i was forced to miss 5 days of volunteering to attend a funeral of the cooks brother in accra (i was 8 hours away from accra). I was forced to pay for my own transportation to accra and travel the 16 hour (return) journey. My other option was the stay at the volunteer house alone in our small, rural ghana town, get my own food, do my own cooking, get my own water from the well, etc.... i don't think this is exactly 'safe' to do. overall, this was not the experience i signed up for. i would not recommend volunteering with IVHQ.

We just returned from Ghana, where I volunteered with my son, age 12, at the
Good Shepherd Orphanage (from 1-18-2011 to 1-23-2011). My son taught English and Math to a Kindergarten class, and I helped, but was there mainly to insure my son's health and well being as he embarked on this journey of understanding one's blessings, and giving of oneself to those
less fortunate. What an incredible experience, and IFRE did a wonderful job in
organizing our trip, placing us in good hands
with our host Richard at the nearby hostel,
and making this a memorable experience. Both my son and I were sad to leave, which I
never expected to be our feelings about leaving a poverty stricken nation. 10 Thumbs Up for IFRE.

I volunteered in summer '10 for four weeks, working at a small community clinic about an hour from the compound where volunteers sleep. It was a fantastic experience, and I would recommend wholeheartidly for anyone to work with VPWA. The compound is a fantastic place to stay, with a perfect combination of very comfortable conditions and a great family atmosphere- with volunteers living alongside the compound owner and his family. The VPWA director, Hayford, is a very honest and open man, who will work tirelessly to ensure your trip is a success. Every project is different, and if you have a particular idea for something extra you'd like to do, Hayford can be very accommodating. For the medical project specifically, I can say the people I was working with were fantastic, the project was well organised, and you get experiences that let you learn about a very different set of medical and social issues to those seen in the west. So long as you aren't expecting to come out as a student and do the work of a doctor straight away (staff are generally not in too short a supply and are well trained), you can get a lot of clinical experience and are genuinly useful. Overall, great people, great work, great country- can't recommend it enough.

I volunteered for VPWA for five weeks during the period of June and July 2009 during which I helped the microfinance institution of VPWA. The experience was great since I have learned a lot and Hayford Siaw (Executive director of VPWA) allows you to give your own ideas and visions that could be implemented.

The great thing about VPWA is that there are volunteering opportunities in many different areas of interest. Just look on their website and you will most probably find something you are interested in.

The location of VPWA is also where the volunteers sleep. It was comfortable and the place was situated in a very safe and quiet area. The price is very reasonable and allows all people who are motivated to help with little financial requirements (especially when you compare to other volunteering institutions).

During the week you have to put all your efforts into helping the people. This is demanding, but also very rewarding and fun. However, during the weekend you are able to do whatever you want. During my time, I went through the main parts of Ghana.

I really enjoyed myself at VPWA and received so much in return.