Community VolunteeringGhana

Live in the heart of an African village and help build a brighter future for some of the world’s poorest communities. You will join the local team and get directly involved in life changing development work. To read more about the charity click here.

This is the perfect project if you would like to help with a diverse mix of charitable work. You don’t need any previous experience, just a positive attitude and lots of enthusiasm! Depending on the needs of the charity and what you would to help with, you will rotate around some of the following initiatives each week (you are not expected to do all the roles):

Clean Hands Save Lives

A handwashing project has been established in remote rural village schools to teach children to wash their hands correctly to help to reduce illness and create a culture of hygiene. You will visit schools with the local team and get involved in presentations, quizzes and activities to promote hand washing, such as using ultraviolet light and gels to help children discover how germs can live on their hands.

You may also help to maintain the eco-handwashing stations which use collected rain water.

Construction and Maintenance

Help out with building or maintenance work on schools, libraries, clinics and sanitation projects in remote rural villages. This may also include bike maintenance and safety training as the charity has provided bicycles to children living in isolated communities.

Tech2Teach (during term time*)

Help at after school IT clubs that get the children engaged in learning in new and creative ways. Donated tablets are refurbished and preloaded with educational applications which make learning fun and are very popular with the children.

Creche / Nursery (during term time*)

Assist the teacher with the day to day running of the kindergarten and class, helping equip the children with the skills they will require when they start school.

There are 15-25 children in the class aged 2-4 years and it can be quite chaotic, so volunteers are greatly appreciated for their assistance. You should come prepared with ideas for activities suitable for young children with limited language skills – such as playground games, nursery rhymes and arts & crafts sessions!

Sports Coaching (during term time*)

Sport lovers can share their passion by organising after school sports sessions for children and the local community on the village sports pitch, improving health, concentration, team work and confidence. Sports that have proved popular in the past are football and volleyball but you are welcome to introduce new activities!

Girl Empowerment / Period Poverty Project (during term time*)

Work with the team to increase knowledge of feminine health & hygiene among students and community members through group meetings, talks & school lessons. This normally takes place once a week and takes around an hour.

Baby Weighing

Travel with the community nurse to local villages to help with drop-in clinics for mothers with children who are under 5 years old. The nurses weigh the children and give free vaccinations. This normally takes place twice a month and can take 3-5 hours.

* Term times are normally mid-January to mid-April, early-May to early-August, September to mid-November.

“We love our volunteers and the community welcomes them with open arms! They are a key part of the charity and the team in Ghana. They help the local team assist and reach more communities by giving their time and energy”
Neil, Charity Director

Other roles

The charity also needs Film & Photography volunteers and it's possible to combine the two roles.

If you have specialist skills, the team can create a bespoke volunteering placement for you and maximise your impact. This includes builders, carpenters, mechanics, electricians, doctors, nurses, healthcare professionals, teachers, project managers and marketing specialists. Just get in touch to find out more.

Typical day

In your first few days in the village you will have an amazing introduction and welcome ceremony with the Chief, Elders and the community as well as an induction for your role and living in Ghana.

Volunteers normally work 5 days a week with 2 days off. Working days generally start at 8am and finish at 4pm. You may be working across different villages and will transported to the volunteer site each day.

On your days off, there are lots of fun free time activities to do.

Other volunteers

There are usually 1-5 volunteers.

Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) award

This placement has been approved by the DofE as meeting the requirements for the Residential section of the Gold Award.

Child Protection

Pod is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults - please see our Child and Vulnerable Adults Protection Policy. All volunteers are required to have a criminal records check, which we will arrange with you.

Local support

You will be supported by the friendly and experienced local team. Aikins is the Operations Director and grew up in the local community so is a great source of advice and help for volunteers.

Volunteers live in the heart of the community, opposite the village primary school, in shared dormitories.

There is an outside communal area and kitchen where volunteers can cook, eat and socialise; there is also an inside kitchen with a fridge and a social area next door to the volunteer bedrooms.

There is intermittent mobile internet access in the village.

Meals

Volunteers visit the local market weekly to buy food and take it in turns to cook meals for the rest of the group. A member of the local team is also available to offer any help you might need with cooking or to teach you a few Ghanaian meals!

Here are typical examples of the food you will have: 

• Breakfast – toast, spreads and porridge 
• Lunch and Dinner – you will be provided with basic ingredients for you to use such as pasta, rice, potatoes, beans, noodles, sauces, fresh local fruits and vegetables. Meat is a luxury in the village and is rarely eaten

Vegetarians and vegans are welcomed and can be catered for.

Volunteers buy bottled drinking water.  

You will need to fly into Accra (ACC).

You will be met on arrival at Accra Airport and stay one night in Accra, before being driven to the village which takes about 2.5 hours.

Location and free time

The projects are based in a friendly village in the heart of rural, tropical Africa. The village is home to 400 members of the community and most are subsistence farmers. It is a very welcoming community and they love having volunteers helping in the village. Culturally it is very important to take time to greet the members of community and talk to them.

Volunteers usually spend afternoons reading in the hammocks and evenings relaxing playing card games, enjoying a weekly meal with a local family, visiting the vibrant local market or making a trip to a local bar once a week.

In their free time, volunteers can explore more of vibrant and friendly Ghana. Whether that’s Shai Hills nature reserve, historical Cape Coast and Elmina Castle or the tropical Volta Region – there is plenty to see! The nearby city of Koforidua has a weekly bead market that draws bead buyers and sellers from all over the region and is a popular place for volunteers to visit on a day off. Boti falls and Umbrella Rock in the Yilo Krobo District of Ghana and Aburi Botanic Gardens are also popular destinations, or for the more adventurous, Kakum National Park has a canopy walk through the treetops. These activities are best booked locally once you are at the project.

Climate

The Eastern region of South Ghana has a year-round tropical climate, being hot and humid throughout the year. The dry months are from November to March and in July and August, with the heaviest rains typically falling from April through to June. Temperatures are typically around 25-30˚C, reaching up to 38˚C on a hot day and lows of 19˚C on a cold night. Even during the rainy season, Ghana can still enjoy averages of 5 hours of sun a day and downpours are usually powerful but shortlived.

Travelling in Ghana before or after your placement

Ghana is widely regarded as one of the most friendly and safe destinations in western Africa. It is an ideal destination for first-time visitors to Africa. In the heart of West Africa, it is an exciting country to volunteer in and experience traditional life in a beautiful relaxed environment. Popular activities in Ghana that you might like to combine with your project include:

• Exploring the fascinating local sights such as Umbrella Rock
• Visiting Accra and learning about the history of the city
• Exploring historic Cape Coast 
• Visiting Larabanga Mosque and Mole National Park 

For more information on Ghana and some of the things we loved when we visited there please see our Ghana country page. This also features all our other Ghana volunteering projects as you might like to consider combining this project with one of the others we offer to make a trip of a lifetime! 

Erin

“It was my first time volunteering and I’m sure I will volunteer again just because of the great experience I had with Pod. Everything was well organised - the communication was great prior to the trip. They were fantastic at answering any problems I had and equipping me with all the information I needed before I went. 

The project that we worked with in Ghana was amazing! The work they have done and still continuing to do is phenomenal - It was a pleasure to be a part of it! Everything from the food to the accommodation was amazing and I hope one day I can volunteer again because it was a very rewarding experience.”

Scott

“I had an exceptional time in Ghana, and was proud to be a part of such an excellently-run charity with some truly outstanding operational staff. The work is always meaningful and very “bottom up”... so you’re always working with the community to make it stronger, rather than awkwardly imposing ideas from afar. From a social point of view, you will form life-long friends from other like-minded volunteers that you are staying with.

From my first week of coaching, it was clear that my team hadn't received a lot of formal (in spite of a high skill/fitness level!), so it was wonderful to teach some fundamental drills and to watch my players develop on the field."

Lee

“My three weeks in Ghana were an amazing experience and something I will never forget. The team in Ghana made us feel very welcome from day one and were always on hand if we needed any help or support. The local villagers welcomed us with open arms and were some of the friendliest people I have ever met. It was fantastic to live within their community, experience their cultures and really feel like we were playing our small part in making a big difference.

Most rewarding was to see the children, both in the school and at sports coaching, so engaged and eager to learn. Seeing their development during our time there was really great.”

Mabel

“The village which we stayed at, was very friendly and welcoming. We lived as part of the village and children and locals would come round for games and a chat. Coaching football was good fun! It was chaotic at times and you had to be quite flexible but they love football and were always keen to play and learn. Lots of the girls hadn’t played much before but it was great to see them improve! It was nice to meet and work with local people of a similar age to me.

Coaching the girls was extremely challenging, however the girls showed great enthusiasm and were keen to try new things and challenge themselves. They enjoyed playing even with the limited resources and seeing them have lots of fun and improve was very rewarding. I was really impressed by the charity, I think they were very effective in empowering local Ghanaians. Living in the village, you feel part of the community and make lots of friends which I will miss!”

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