Ghana

I am a nursing student and decided to volunteer in Ghana in order to gain a further understanding of the healthcare conditions around the world. Even before I got to Africa the IVHQ coordinators made their emails accessible to the volunteers for any last minute questions or comments that wanted to be expressed. From the start of the program to the end of the program the IVHQ staff set up in Ghana were helpful and resourceful. When asked questions about the setting and general FAQ's they were able to give us a very detailed answer and point us to the right direction if we needed something specific that they could not help us with. The living conditions were okay. I always felt safe during the trip, even if I was walking alone at night. In totality, I would definitely recommend using IVHQ to a friend when they want to do volunteer work, and give this program an 8/10.

I spent four weeks at AFAWI working on the final stages of Operation 100. The experience was incredible and taught me a huge amount from skills on carrying out research to understanding Ghanaian culture.

The research project involved going to communities and interviewing locals on their attitudes, behaviours, and knowledge on sex education and HIV awareness. This field work was challenging but rewarding as it allowed me to see some very rural parts of Accra’s districts and speak to locals about their opinions, way of life and education. Back in the office, I carried out data analysis on the data we were collecting and that had been collected over the past two years. This work developed my data handling skills as well as team work with the other volunteer on the project in organising all the research on how we will present it in the final report.

The project was handed to me and the other volunteer to manage on our own, which was great as it let me get straight into it from the start. Over the four weeks, it was hugely rewarding to see the progress we made and the results we had collected.

AFAWI in general is a great NGO to work at because it is small and so lets you make a real difference to the project you are working on, and it is really in touch with the communities it aims to help. Living with the other volunteers is a great way to meet people with similar interests to your own, and I went on weekend trips away with them, which was so much fun and let me see more of Ghana.

Overall, I had an amazing time at AFAWI and gained a huge amount from the whole experience - skills for my MSc studies and future career as well as personal development. I recommend it to anyone who wants to work on a project and see the difference they make to the local communities.

This past summer I spent two weeks in Ghana through Projects Abroad's sports program. I absolutely loved my time there! I had the chance to play and coach soccer to some of the impoverished youth in the Accra region of Ghana. Projects Abroad provided every service I could even think of to make my stay in Ghana worthwhile.
Our staff was always available to us, and never once did I feel unsafe. We were shuttled by bus to all of our activities and our adviser, Michael, accompanied us everywhere we went.
My host home was very nice as well. My host mother was very friendly and helpful when we were having trouble adjusting to the differences of the culture (hand-washing laundry, various foods, etc..). She also made it a priority that we were well-fed and that we were genuinely enjoying our experience.
We also had the chance to experience cultural aspects of Ghana as well! We had a drumming lesson, cooking lesson and a lesson on the local language "twi". It was really neat to immerse myself into a completely new culture and I have Projects Abroad to thank for that!
I could not have picked a better organization to travel with overseas and I definitely encourage others to choose Projects Abroad when trying to decide who to travel with!

I just had a wonderful two months experience volunteering at an orphanage program in Ghana. The children were incredibly warm and affectionate. One can't help but fall in love with them. It was a privilege and a joy to work for them. They have become part of me. What I thought was going to be a two-month experience has turned into a life-long relationship.

What made the experience so productive was the great support I got from the amazing lady who runs the orphanage, Mrs. Sam, and the Evans Nkansah, our coordinator from IVHQ-Ghana. Mrs. Sam was warm, welcoming, and incredibly easy to work with. Evans gave the volunteers cohesion and direction for our work. I never felt lost or useless. He also provided a much needed liaison between the volunteers, IVHQ and the orphanage so we can all work in sync. I always felt I could turn to Evans for anything. I was very lucky to be part of this program. Without the support from IVHQ, I could not have had such a memorable experience and developed these precious relationships.

I am very grateful for such an awesome experience. I am back home after 2 months in Ghana but it seems i left my heart there! The IVHQ staff was helpful from the start by picking us for the airport and making us feel less lost during orientation. they check on us every forth night and ask how we're doing and to see whether they can to anything to make our stay there more comfortable.
I was volunteering in the Construction Program (Gold) where we made mortar, bricks, walls and were slowly building rooms for a women's empowerment centre. The staff and workers on the site are very friendly and caring and made sure they would know any time we were leaving the location and asked us when we would be returning.
The community aspect in the village was something which made the experience count even more. the fact that people and the kids come up to you and want to get to know you, makes it feel like home.
If i ever get the opportunity, i am sure i would volunteer again with IVHQ! :)

Hi, our names are Maria Sansaloni and Demian Martinez and we both come from Valencia (Spain). First of all we would like to say that we would need a whole book to explain all the things we have experienced together in Ghana with our volunteer program in koforidua for two weeks. But we will try our best to explain them in a few lines.
All in all if you ever have the opportunity to share part of your life with these warming and friendly people do not hesitate to do so, it will be a memorable experience as it has been for us.
We have to admit the organization of the program has been excellent, because the staff working for it have been very nice to us and helped us with any doubts we may have had, they also brought us to see different things and cities in Ghana. They showed us the Ghanaian culture, their main food, music and above all Ghanaian people. We have to emphasize the fact that the kids in the orphanage and all over the place are very well-mannered and polite. They would share what little they had with you and one of the things that most impressed us was that the very first day at lunch time all the children said "madam or sir, you're invited" and this is one of the sentences that will always be remembered since it's very simple to say but implies many aspects the Ghanaian kids taught us such as politeness, friendship respect for adults and generosity

When I think about my time spent in Ghana, I am immediately flooded with a series of emotions I continue to face everyday. First, love. I have always considered myself someone who surrounds themselves with love, but upon meeting the children at Blessed Bright Future Orphanage, I was quickly flooded with a "knock the wind out of you, gut wrenching, life changing" kind of love I have never experienced before. Their greeting was nothing short of spectacular as the kids jumped on my back, held onto my legs, immediately carried my bags to my room, and started asking me questions about myself. It was barely five hours into my stay before I felt an unbreakable connection connection with each child. I knew at this moment this place had changed my life for good. Next I felt peace. In a world where we have so much we barely know what to do with it all, I have often been subject to anxiety over what I now know to be nonsense. When I left America for Ghana, I planned on leaving behind every bit of worry I once had and allowing myself to embark on the journey Ghana had to show me. A couple nights into my stay, I noticed I had not once thought about what I had been facing at home. It was as if the children's tranquility and happiness permeated into my heart. For the first time in a long time I found myself at ease. Finally, I felt strength. I had lived in conditions I was not used to, comforted children as if they were my own, and proved to myself that I can do a lot more in the world than I could have ever imagined. Every child at Blessed Bright Future single handedly changed my life. Ghana is lucky to be home to such beautiful people. I hope to visit again soon & I will never forget all IVHQ introduced me to and I am forever grateful. IVHQ's comfort and availability made my first trip to Ghana one I will never forget.

The little expectations I did have were definitely exceeded when I arrived and met the staff and settled in. Everyone was extremely warm and friendly from the moment I was picked up at the airport. The weekend was busy exploring Koforidua and getting familiar with the Ghanaian food and culture .After seeing how people lived in the town I was relieved to find our dorms very comfortable and clean.
Before we began camp at the Orphanage, we were brought to the orphanage to meet the staff and children. Sunday night we spent planning how we would execute the English and Sports camp for the next two weeks. I was glad to find that Nat and the team had already done some basic lesson planning for the week so I felt prepared. Mon-Thurs we worked from about 9am-3pm at the orphanage. The days were well organized and it was comforting to have local staff and teachers there to help us as well. I was pleased that there were other volunteers with me during the program so I could not only make new friends but also have co-teachers to plan with. Even though I am a teacher, the work was challenging but extremely fun. Coming from teaching in West Philadelphia, I was blown away by how well behaved, well-mannered and respectful the children were. They were eager to learn and try new things and their excitement for us being there was incredibly rewarding.
On the weekend, Nat accompanied our group on a trip to the Cape Coast and was an excellent tour guide. At the end of the two weeks, I could have never imagined how upset I would be to leave the children. The children are amazing and really make everything about working at the camp completely worthwhile, in just two weeks I felt a developed a really strong bond with my entire group of kids.
Overall, my experience is exactly what I was looking for in a volunteer program. I made sure to stay open-minded and patient the entire trip. At times, when I wanted to feel frustrated with some of the ways of the culture, I reminded myself that it was part of the whole learning experience. I would not have done anything differently and I am completely satisfied with the program. I felt by having the opportunity to immerse myself in the culture I was able to come away with a life changing experience that I will surely never forget.

I spent 4 weeks in Ghana this summer volunteering at a children's home on the Pink Program. I originally chose IVHQ because their program fees were the cheapest by far compared to other well-known volunteer companies and they seemed to have excellent reviews from previous volunteers. I had a fantastic experience and wouldn't hesitate to recommend IVHQ to anyone interested in volunteering with children in Ghana. There was a diverse mix of people volunteering there, from lots of different countries and ages ranging from 18-45. I was really happy to be placed with a group that were all around the same age as me. The program is very flexible, it's up to you how many hours you put in and you're free to travel at the weekends. Fortunately, we didn't have any major issues, but any concerns that we had were dealt with promptly by IVHQ staff, and our program coordinator visited us on a weekly basis. All the staff that I met (Benedict, Gideon, Elvis etc) were all extremely helpful and approachable. The meals that were provided were filling and varied and we felt safe and looked after in our accommodation which was basic but perfectly adequate and clean. I learnt a lot about a whole new culture, made some great friends, met some beautiful and inspiring children and overall had an incredible experience. The more you put into it, the more you get out, but IVHQ were certainly big part in making the trip such a great success.

I spend 10 weeks in Ghana this year volunteering at an orphanage and it was incredible! Those 10 weeks have definitely been the most rewarding and live-changing weeks of my life. I absolutely loved my time there. I made wonderful friends, both locals as well as other volunteers with whom I will definitely keep in touch, and overall I could not have asked for a better experience. It was my first time traveling to Africa, so I was a little nervous and did not really know what to expect when before I got there.
The local staff members from IVHQ were very welcoming though, they picked us up at the airport and brought us to the volunteer house in Accra where we spend the first night and had orientation the following day. After that we were brought to our placements, I got placed in the pink program in Dodowa, which is about an hour from Accra, and I could not have been happier about that. It was amazing, I had a wonderful time and enjoyed every minute of it. The kids at our orphanage were so sweet and I cannot keep them out of my mind ever since I came back from Ghana.
Even though we had some problems in the beginning, everyone at IVHQ was always very friendly and helpful at any time, and I felt very safe and welcomed the whole time I was there.
Ghana is truly amazing and I can only recommend volunteering there with IVHQ to everyone, you will not regret it! It might change your life and your view on a lot of things and your friends back home might be annoyed by you when you come back (If you ever want to come back...), because most likely you will have had the greatest and most amazing experience of your life and you will not be able to stop talking about it, but it is definitely so worth it.
Leaving Ghana was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, and I am looking forward to coming back every day since I left.