Ghana
Volunteer in Ghana and you'll find a vibrant, beautiful country with friendly people, stunning landscapes and miles of unspoilt beaches.
Dancing and drumming are central to the way of life, so you’re never far away from a beating drum. We’re based in the rural Volta region, where the main industries are agriculture and fishing, and there is a proud West African heritage that you can’t help but fall in love with.
Location
Nestled between Togo and Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana is located on the coast of West Africa. It's almost exactly the same size as the UK but has a population of 31 million.
Why Ghana?
Ghana has a proud heritage, and you'll discover a fascinating culture when you visit. Until recently, it was one of the quickest growing economies in the world, but many rural communities still live in poverty.
In a Nutshell
One of the most vibrant, historic countries in West Africa, Ghana offers volunteers an opportunity to immerse themselves in a fascinating new culture away from any tourists.
Did you know?
Ghana's national flag carries meaning: the red represents the blood shed in the fight for independence, the gold represents the country's mineral wealth, and the green represents its rich forests. The black star signifies African Freedom.
Did you know there are over 250 dialects spoken in Ghana!
BEYOND VOLUNTEERING
Beyond Volunteering
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Ghana at a glance
If you’re looking to experience rural Africa, you should volunteer in Ghana. You’ll stay in the Volta region, on Ghana’s south eastern coast. Volta borders Togo to the east and is home to Lake Volta to the west. The lake is a source of energy and water for the region, and is the water highway to the North.
Ghana is located close to the Equator, and has a tropical climate. The weather is tropical all year round, and the temperature is often 30 degrees Celsius or above. During April and November, southern Ghana’s rainy season, there may be short, infrequent bursts of rainfall, which are pleasantly warm and refreshing.
Ghana is a vibrant and colourful country, and Ghanaians are famous for being friendly and welcoming. There is a great sense of community spirit, and relationships with neighbours are considered to be very important. When meeting someone new, you’ll often be greeted by a handshake and a smile. Elders are highly respected in society, and it’s polite to greet them with a bow in passing.
In Ghana, as a traditional gesture, it is not unusual for visitors to be greeted with dancing and drumming on their first day. So, if you choose Ghana, get ready to have some fun and immerse yourself into the relaxed atmosphere.
Ghana welcomes freedom of worship. Christianity and Islam are widely practised, as are more traditional regional faiths, influenced from family loyalties and customs.
There are 250 languages and dialects spoken in Ghana. In the Volta region, where we work, the mother tongue is Ewe and this is the language you’ll hear spoken most often when you visit. School lessons are often taught in English though, as this is the country’s official language. Some of the phrases you may wish to learn for visiting Ghana, include; “E foa?” (Eh-fwah) which means “How are you?”, “Akpe” (Ak-ay) meaning “thanks” and “Woe zo” (Way-zoh) which means “welcome”.
We give all our volunteers in Ghana you a more comprehensive Guide to Ewe before departure!
Volunteer in Ghana and you’ll discover a sumptuous diet that’s nutritious and full of flavour. Traditionally, dishes have a tomato-based sauce and are quite spicy but you’ll generally be served a milder version of the same meal. Some popular regional dishes are okra or palm-nut soups and red-red (a pepper and bean stew). There are a variety of staples to accompany these dishes, including cassava, plantain and yam. As you’ll be staying so close to the sea, and along the beautiful Keta Lagoon, you’ll have the opportunity to try plenty of locally caught, fresh fish. There’s an abundance of fresh tropical fruit too, including pineapples, coconuts and avocados. (Vegetarian and vegan diets are happily catered for.)
You’ll get through plenty of water during your trip, and bottled water is inexpensive. Sodas are widely available.
Ghana is representative of modern-day West Africa in many ways, and has become one of the leading economic successes in recent years. However, this is not reflected in rural areas where poverty remains prevalent. If you volunteer in Ghana, you’ll stay in a rural community where the main industries are agriculture and fishing. Many children work from a young age to help support their families and, as a result, it is common for children not to start school until the age of six or seven. Through our partnership with schools in Ghana, more children are being encouraged to start school from an early age and are staying in education longer. As a volunteer in Ghana, you can help in a teaching or building role contributing to these vital long-term development goals.
The volunteer roles
You can choose from two roles when you volunteer in Ghana
Teaching & Sports Coaching
We work with several schools in the coastal area of the Volta region. Whilst they are government-run schools, they are severely underfunded. In some classrooms, there are not enough desks for the number of students, so children have to sit on the floor. There is also a significant lack of basic equipment such as textbooks, which can be challenging for the teachers. The schools are in desperate need of funding and volunteer support, and this is where you can help if you volunteer in Ghana.
Teaching style
In Ghana, students learn by rote, a technique based on repetition. This means that lesson delivery is often less interactive than in the UK. Teachers are sometimes only partially qualified, and a syllabus is followed using a text book. Classes are usually well-disciplined, and, whilst rarely more than a threat, the use of the cane remains legal in Ghana.
Sport
Sport is hugely popular in Ghana, and an important part of daily life for many people but most schools do not have specialised sports teachers, or formalised sports sessions. Students are often left to organise their own games, and those who don’t feel confident in sport are allowed to sit out.
Teaching assistance
Volunteers work alongside teachers to help teach large classes of mixed students, aged between 5-16. Classroom sizes in Ghana are typically between 30-50 students in primary school, but usually smaller in high school. Volunteers provide a support role and won’t be asked to do anything that they’re not comfortable with.
To help volunteers get ready, we have lots of resources on My African Adventure, including lesson planning tips and interactive session ideas.
Sports coaching
Volunteers who choose to take on a sports coaching role can expect to start the day with two hour-long morning sessions at 8:00am, followed by lessons inside the classroom. These can be based around health, the body and the theoretical elements of sport. There will be times when lessons are not sports-focused and instead concentrate on other areas of the curriculum.
If they’re confident enough to deliver their own sessions, there will be plenty of opportunity to do so. Qualifications are not required, and a positive, hard-working attitude goes a long way! Football and volleyball are popular sports that are widely played in Ghana but volunteers can take any equipment with them they’d like. There are plenty of tips and ideas for creating sporting sessions on My African Adventure.
A typical day if you volunteer in Ghana
- Wake up and meet for breakfast at around 7:30am before being taken to your group’s host school at around 8:30am to start work. (Take plenty of water – it’s going to be warm!)
- You’ll start by helping with English and maths lessons. You’ll need to help read text books, write notes on the chalkboard and set students some activities to work on.
- At around 10:30am, class will stop for breaktime, to give students a chance to play games or have a rest.
- Another lesson follows until around 12:30pm when everybody breaks for lunch for an hour.
- After lunch, you’ll take the learning outside the classroom and help set up a PE lesson. Activities may include sack racing, co-ordination exercises and counting games. (These activities will depend on the equipment available, so we recommend volunteers take a few things that can be used in school.)
- Afternoon lessons finish at around 3:00pm, and school is finished for the day. You’ll head back to the accommodation to relax after a hard day’s work. We’ll organise some extra activities for you, such as visiting the market or taking a trip to the beach.
- Dinner is served around 7:00pm, and volunteers can kick back and relax with a book, play some games or reflect on the day. There may also be the chance to get involved in some drumming or practise some Ewe!
Building & Renovation in Ghana
The schools we support in Ghana are in desperate need of improved facilities to accommodate the growing number of students. Many buildings are old and tired, with holes in the roofs, and the floors are often filled with potholes, making it difficult for teachers to deliver safe, practical lessons. Our building programme focuses on school redevelopment or, if necessary, new development. Volunteer support is crucial to help bring this work to life.
Significant investment is needed at the schools we are partnered with because many of the buildings were built decades ago. Many of the classrooms have leaky roofs, missing windows and old paintwork. New classrooms are needed for extra space. Many are overcrowded, and the floors in the old classrooms are often uneven with a large number of potholes.
In some cases, restoration work to existing buildings is all that’s needed. Classroom interiors are, in some cases, tired and do not have any learning materials on the walls. Although cosmetic changes may seem a minor thing, a more vibrant classroom can completely transform a learning environment and the impact of this should not be underestimated.
The building work we organise is focused on improving the standards of buildings at the schools we support, particularly new classrooms, sheltered dining areas, IT suites and playgrounds. Building volunteers work in a support role and do not need any form of previous experience as all work is led by local builders. Any specialist building work is reserved for those with qualifications, so no-one should worry about being out of their depth. We simply recommend that volunteers are fit and healthy enough to carry out activities such as painting, cement-mixing, plastering and carrying moderately heavy items.
Funding for the building work required is provided by African Adventures, and is organised before travel so that the work is ready to be carried out on volunteers’ arrival.
A typical day if you volunteer in Ghana:
- Wake up and meet for breakfast at around 7:30am before being taken to your group’s allocated school around 8:30am to start the day’s volunteering. (Take plenty of water – it’s going to be hot!)
- Depending on the building work that’s been organised, a typical morning session might include cementing bricks for a new classroom, painting existing classrooms or screeding classroom walls and floors. A friendly team of qualified builders will be on hand to lead the work and provide advice.
- At around 10:30am, it’s breaktime. Volunteers often like to take a break at this time to engage with the children.
- After 30 minutes, lessons will commence again and your building work continues.
- At around 12:30pm, building volunteers take a well-deserved break and are brought lunch at their host school.
- At around 3:00pm, school is finished for the day. You’ll head back to your accommodation to relax after a hard day’s work. We’ll organise some extra activities for you, such as visiting the market or taking a trip to the beach.
- Dinner is served around 7:00pm, and volunteers can kick back and relax with a book, play some games or reflect on the day. There may also be the chance to get involved in some drumming or practise some Ewe!
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