Volunteering can deliver a wealth of benefits to you and to others.  Volunteering however briefly, can be a life changing experience for travellers.  People choose to volunteer for a   variety of reasons. For some it offers a chance to give something back to the community or make a difference to the people around them.  For others it may provide an opportunity to reach out abroad to other countries to join village development projects, wildlife refuge sanctuaries, or volunteer work with permaculture teachers while they teach village communities permaculture principal skills.  Regardless of the motivation, the common denominator is that you will find it both challenging and rewarding.   You will leave with wonderful stories, photos, and writings on your blogs describing a place that gave you a sense of purpose and fulfilment.  Whether you want to volunteer one day or volunteer a week, “This Way Africa” can find the right project for you.  And while you are graciously giving, you will also get an opportunity to take a break and take in the sites and visit some of the most beautiful, unique and amazing attractions in Ghana.

This Way Africa will make the arrangements with the organizations, provide transportation, escort you there, and stay with you or return for you.  On evenings and weekends we will take you to dinner or on tours to see and visit some of the most amazing attractions Ghana has to offer. We will customize your tour package to fit your needs.  There are a tremendous number of other volunteer opportunities in Ghana available; we have listed a few of them in this itinerary to help you decide what is right for you, and we included must see attractions near these places.

Cape Coast Castles and Forts – History of Slavery

We will have an early morning departure and head to Cape Coast, to the slave castle forts one of Ghana’s key tourist attractions.  You will experience first-hand the dark

and daunting dungeons where the slaves were kept and the inhumane conditions in which they had to endure. The “door of no return” at the castle was the door the slaves went through after being taken from their homes and family and was the last stop before being transported across the Atlantic Ocean, to never return.  It is estimated that six million slaves were shipped from West Africa and taken to other countries. We will visit the gift shop at the castle, walk along the beach and marvel at the ocean waves pounding against the shores.  You will have worked up a good appetite and we will have lunch at the “Castle Restaurant” adjacent to the fort.  The restaurant serves a wide variety of Ghanaian cuisines that are very good, and if you like seafood you will find it very tasty. While at the restaurant you will witness the most fantastic view of the ocean while enjoying your meal.

Lively Minds – Short volunteer opportunities in Ghana

We will make arrangements and take you to volunteer opportunities that will give you a unique chance to experience village life in Tamale, Ghana.  You will see first-hand the difference a small act of kindness can make on the lives of others. Lively Minds is an organization with the philosophy of focusing on empowering people with the skills, vision and drive to make & sustain their own improvements.  Lively Mind organization works to improve the education and care given to pre-school children in highly deprived communities in Ghana and Uganda.  They allow you to spend time with the mothers in the villages who run a program called “Play Schemes”.  They go on to describe this project as a program that uses educational games designed to encourage the children to think creatively, to solve problems and questions. As the children have fun, they do not realize they are learning. They are preparing the young children for a better start in life and a better chance for the future. They are working through the local government to train and empower these mothers to run these educational play schemes.  Lively mind organization said, “We believe people can only break the cycle of poverty if they are given the information, skills and confidence to make chances themselves. The solutions don’t need to be complicated or expensive. We find creative, low-cost and practical ways, using local resources, to bring about lasting change.”   We will make the arrangements for your volunteer experience; provide an escort guide, and transportation to the Northern region of Ghana.

Project Abroad – Why pay to volunteer?

Project Abroad was founded in 1992, and is reported to be  one of the largest volunteer abroad organizations in the world By signing up with Projects Abroad you are donating your time and skills to work directly with communities in need through a structured project. However, even volunteering comes at a cost, especially if you want to support long-term, meaningful projects.  Organizations need money to run their programs and funding typically comes from grants, donations, and volunteer fees.  Project Abroad charges a fee for volunteering or interning abroad. You will have options to volunteer and intern in Ghana on a variety of projects ranging from childcare, teaching, computer literacy, medicine, sports, human rights, agriculture, journalism, and more.

Ghana Permaculture Institute (GPI)

Paul Yeboah is an educator, farmer, permaculturist, community developer, and social entrepreneur. He is Director of Permaculture Institute, a nonprofit organization located in Techiman, in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana.  Achieving secure, stable food systems and improving quality of life for all is what the Ghana permaculture institute’s principals are. The Institute trains people in local communities in the development of strategies for earth restoration, food security systems, economic stability, and the care of people, using Permaculture Design ethics and principles.  GPI publicized they are happy to host international volunteers and interns, and has in the past been able to provide university credit for student placements. We will take you there and give you an opportunity to experience hand-on the permaculture planting techniques and allow you to work with the local villagers teaching them how to plant the seeds to sustainability. A donation fee will be expected and used to continue these type projects

Hans Cottage Crocodile Feeding

The Hans Cottage, Botel is a restaurant on stilts in a large man-made pond that crocodiles and turtles inhabit together with a range of birds. The pond has about 12 crocodiles living there.  We will have lunch at Hans Cottage.  If you are brave enough you may get an opportunity to touch a live crocodile or maybe just watch the keepers feed them.

POD Volunteering

Pod Volunteer is an award winning non-profit organization.  You can volunteer to help improve children’s English language skills through an internship program that allows you to teach English abroad, and no teaching experience is required. Volunteering allows you to explore the world, make a difference in others’ lives and meet new friends.   Maybe you prefer to help a local nursery staff member create fun games for children; you may get an opportunity to assist community health care staff with early childhood development programs, or help improve local villagers’ standard of living by joining a team of local builders to assist in building schools, toilets and community buildings. You may want to take photographs for various charities or share your time and love of sports with children from rural African villages.  Volunteers are needed for 1-12 weeks projects to help work with disadvantaged children, communities, animals and conservation projects.  All projects require a set donation. Is this the right project for you?

Remar Ghana Orphanage Home

Remar Ghana Orphanage a Ho-based orphanage home. Come work in a Ghanaian orphanage and help give children without a family and in poverty the attention they need. Would you like to volunteer a day or few hours of your travel vacation time at an orphanage?  Maybe you can volunteer help with the cooking or help the children with their homework, read to them, talk to them, play games and sports, or assist with their chores.  Your most valuable contribution will be simply spending time with the children, develop friendships, inspiring them to learn, and encouraging their confidence in themselves.  Bring a cash donation or items such as pencils, paper, children’s books, permanent and dry markers, toiletries, clothes, snacks, cookies,chocolates, etc., but give these items to the staff that will make sure the items are shared with all the children at the facility, never directly to one child.

Ghana Wildlife Volunteers – Generation Voluntary Organization

You can volunteer 1-2 weeks or 7-12 months with the Generation Voluntary Organization. The organization report they will provide a wonderful opportunity for volunteers to help in animal care, wildlife, and environment conservation projects in Ghana. Volunteers will work in a diverse range of projects, including zoo work in Kumasi and monkey sanctuary work in Boabeng Fiema. The wildlife refuge project is said to be suitable for anyone who has love for animals and would like to work with them or make a difference in environmental conservation. The volunteers for the Kumasi Zoo duties will include cleaning and feeding the animals, moving animals from one place to another, and caring for sick animals. Volunteers for the Boabeng Fiema Monkey Sanctuary will take on administrative tasks and educate visitors about the history of the monkeys, and other flora and fauna in the region.

Mole National Park

During our Humanitarian volunteer efforts we will take a break and take you to the Northern parts of the country and will visit Mole National Park, Ghana’s largest wildlife refuge.  The park is home to over 90 species of mammals. Elephant, buffalo, kob, warthog, waterbuck, bushbuck, roan antelope, hartebeest, duikers, oribi, patas monkey and green (vervet) monkey are the species commonly seen at Mole National Park. An armed park ranger will walk or drive you through the reserve safari where you will get to see sophisticated floral life, including the trees from which Shea Butter is extracted. It has been reported there are an estimated 742 species of plants and trees in the park of which 4 are endemic species and more than 20 are classified as rare species. This is an adventure you will not forget.

Kumasi – Ashanti Craft Villages  

Our tour guides will take you to a special visit to the three famous craft villages in the Ashanti Region near Kumasi: Ahwiaa (the wood carvers’ village), Ntonso, the home of the Adinkra symbols and Bonwire, the home of Kente, the pride of the people of Asante and Ghanaians in general. You will be educated on the history of their Adinkra symbols and when to use them. You will have the opportunity to see how Ghanaian crafts are made and get the chance to learn from the craftsmen how to make these beautiful crafts. You may buy directly from the artisans who make the products after you have interacted with them. You will have the opportunity to pick up a new life skill, as the basket weavers will teach you how to weave a basket from palm fronds, and how to make them colorful and presentable.

Bojo Beach

It’s time to head over to the beach for some fun and relaxation.  We will visit one of Ghana’s well maintained beaches.  It is a great place to sneak away from the busy city of Accra. The beach is becoming a popular destination for many tourists visiting Ghana. Bask in the sun and get the best glowing suntan available on the continent.  During the week the beach is a wonderfully tranquil haven and lots of

space.  However, the weekend and holidays are bustling with locals and visitors alike having a festive time playing volleyball, dancing to the beats of the music in the air or jet skiing.