Looking for an unique opportunity to combine your passion for journeys with the chance to support meaningful work? As one of the friendliest countries in Africa, various social projects will definitely welcome your effort. Find out more about the diverse ways to make a difference as a volunteer in Ghana.
Known as “the Africa for Beginners”, Ghana is the perfect starting point to explore this manifold continent. Sustainable politics, distinct exports and an enlarged infrastructure have played their parts in leading Ghana close to the top to one of the most developed countries in Africa. But despite the economic growth, poverty is still omnipresent. Become a volunteer in Ghana and help to improve prevailing living conditions by supporting on-site teams in their social programs. To make your trip even more special, this article provides you with any information that you should have in advance.
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[item title=”Top 6 fun facts about Ghana”]
- In 1992 Ghana became the first African country to win a medal (bronze) in football at the Olympic games
- Spray-painting animals is a common method to tell which animal belongs to which farmer
- It’s not unusual to see mothers carrying their newborns on their backs
- The correct translation of the word Ghana is „warrior king“
- Ghana has one of the lowest rates of gun ownership in the world
- The largest market of Africa is located in Kumasi
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Social Projects in Ghana
Although Ghana made huge economic progress due to political arrangements in the past few decades, it’s still a developing country that needs support from NGO’s. Volunteer in Ghana and help to improve the current situation by assisting in health service, community concerns or animal care.
Health Service
As one of the highly developed countries in Africa, Ghana profits from a stable health system indeed, but suffers from widely spread diseases like any other African country. Especially the cutback of potential epidemics in rural areas is a major task that a volunteer in Ghana can help to solve.
To address this problem, it’s crucial for on-site teams to teach children in terms of hygiene or to provide a basis for health standards through building clinics. Besides taking care of sufficient access to health care, a volunteer in Ghana is needed to fight hunger and poverty. Help to grow natural resources to ensure a suitable nutrition especially in rural areas. Thereby you can gather experience and contribute to the medical progress of Ghana at the same time.
Community
As a volunteer in Ghana, there are various opportunities to contribute to meaningful work in the community sector. You are interested in football? Well, how about combining your passion with your commitment to a better cause? As football is a highly regarded leisure activity in Ghana, it’s often used to connect with disadvantaged children. Help to make a difference by coaching the little champs and discover numerous raw talents.
Another area, in which a volunteer in Ghana is needed, is the support of under-resourced schools. Help to increase the capacity of such schools and participate in the reconstruction of destroyed buildings. For most of the programs, the only precondition that you need to fulfil is a passion to make a difference.
Animal Care
With its huge biodiversity, wildlife protection is an important cause in Ghana to preserve the prevailing variety. You’ll be needed to help out in animal rescue centres or in the field of veterinary medicine. Social projects in animal care offer you the opportunity to gain knowledge and to put your skills into practice at the same time. Take care of sick animals by nursing them back to health or assist veterinarian in diagnostics, treatments or nutrition supplements Either way – your effort helps to ensure the natural habitat of diverse species as well as to solve Ghana’s veterinary problems.
Never before has a trip been so much of an eye-opener for me – Freddie (19), from the United Kingdom
Living costs for a volunteer in Ghana
To get the most out of your volunteer trip, you should provide a certain travel budget and not only the required project fees. Depending on where you go, be sure to calculate a daily budget from $ 12 up to $ 35. The following table provides an overview about additional costs that might be important for your trip.
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| Hotel $ 66.79 |
Big Mac® $ 2.63 |
Coca-Cola® $ 0.55 |
Eating out $ 4.68 |
Rental car $ 156.72/week |
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| Hostel $ 8.91 |
Marlboro™ $ 0.76 |
Beer $ 0.65 |
Fuel $ 1.03 |
Public transport $ 1.00 |
Best time to volunteer in Ghana
As the locals in Ghana are known for their warm and sunny mood, so are the prevalent weather conditions. Although Ghana experiences tropical climate throughout the year, the weather varies a lot in the different regions and elevations. Find out your feelgood factors for the time you’d like to volunteer in Ghana:
Dry Season (Dec – Apr)
Watch your hat when travelling through Ghana during this period. Known as “Harmattan”, this dry and dusty wind develops in the Sahara region and may even evolve into an actual hurricane under certain circumstances. Still, you’ll have the best conditions for wildlife viewing in the early stage of this season. It’s even possible to have peek at animals, gathering at waterholes.
Rain Season (Apr – Jun)
At this time of the year frequent rain showers await you as a volunteer in Ghana. But don’t worry. It may be the heaviest rain season, but you can still enjoy 5 hours of sunshine a day.
Moderate Rain Season (Jun – Dec)
If you prefer moderate weather conditions, the best time to go would be around August and September. Temperatures are mild and wind as well as rain is a welcomed change.
What precautions should I consider as a volunteer in Ghana?
Listed as one of the 40th most peaceful countries in the world, there are not many precautions for you to take if you volunteer in Ghana. Still, you should pay attention to health issues und cultural clangers:
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[item title=”Safety”]
- Be aware that smoking in public areas is banned in some regions
- Almost no taxi-driver has a licence. Use your good judgement to find an appropriate one
- Always be careful if you decide to rent a bike or car. Road conditions aren’t really good in Ghana
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[item title=”Culture”]
- Things take time in Ghana. There’s no need to be over-punctual
- Moving your thumb up and down is a similar gesture to the middle finger in Europe
- Make sure you only use the right hand for eating, drinking or shaking hands
- Accept gifts that have been offered to you. It’s considered to be rude otherwise
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[item title=”Religion”]
Although Ghana is the home to over 100 different ethnic groups, the religious affiliation is quite homogenous. The majority of the population is raised in the Christian or Muslim belief.
If you not a religious person yet, the way the Ghanaian celebrating their belief may inspire you. Different to services in the western world, the Ghanaian church surprises every traveller with its liveliness.
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[item title=”Health”]
- Never drink water from the tap as the quality isn’t very high
- Make sure to boost all recommended vaccines. For further information click here
- As in many sub-Saharan countries, Malaria is a big issue in Ghana. Be sure to prevent bug bites
- Take arrangements to prevent a heatstroke
- During the “Harmattan” it’s advisable to use eye drops
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[item title=”Packing Essentials”]
- Medical kit
- Mosquito net
- As Ghana is very dusty in general, be sure to add zipping bags to your packing list
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Key Phrases
As Ghana is a multilingual country, over eight languages are spoken. Besides Englisch, Akan is the most widely spoken indigenous language:
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Hello: Ete sen
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Goodbye: Nanti yie
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Thank you: Me da ase
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How to spend your free time as a volunteer in Ghana?
As a volunteer in Ghana it isn’t all about participating in a social project. Many projects do welcome the idea of travelling around before or after the volunteer trip. Therefore it’s possible to reinforce experiences and fostering a cultural exchange.
And once you’ve entered this breath-taking country, you will be overwhelmed with the great variety of must-sees and must-do’s anyway. To give you some knowledge ahead, read about gleaming beaches, thumping nightlife and remarkable outdoor activities.
Outdoor activities
You would consider yourself as a big nature lover, for whom a mountain is never to high or a waterfall never to deep? Welcome to Ghana. Your possibilities are unlimited. The vast number of national parks and waterfall hiking trails will definitely not disappoint you.
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[item title=”Waterfall hiking”]
Even if you’re not an expert hiker, you can easily experience West Africa’s tallest waterfall from the top. Take a day trip to the Volta Region and let the glory of enormous mountains and abundant coloured flora enchant you.[/item]
[item title=”Kakum National Park”]
Ready to challenge yourself? Go to Kakum National Park and walk one of the first canopy trails of Africa. Coming this close to the treetops, the chance increases to see some monkeys or rare bird species. If you’re afraid of heights, this will be the perfect place to get rid of it.
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[item title=”Boabeng-Fienna Monkey Sanctuary”]
If you can’t get enough of monkeys, this Sanctuary will satisfy your needs. It’s probably the best place in Ghana for close-up encounters with different species. Especially seeing the black and the white colobus will be a great honour as they are considered to be sacred in nearby villages.[/item]
[item title=”Paga”]
Not only a perfect chance to observe crocodiles from up close, but an impressive example for traditional architecture as well. In this region you’ll have the opportunity to combine adventurous sightseeing with cultural influences within minutes.
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Beaches
As a volunteer in Ghana you definitely earn some downtime to boost your energy again. What better place to do so than one of Ghana’s extravagant beaches? But always be sure to inquire locally before you plunging into the waves. There are strong rip tides in many coastal areas, which make some beaches dangerous for swimming. But if you go to Labadi Pleasure Beach, Kokrobite or Ada Beach you’ll be perfectly safe.
“I will remember this for the rest of my life; beautiful memories that I can keep and look back on forever'” -John (52), volunteer from the United Kingdom
Festivals
Deeply rooted in its culture, Ghanaian festivals are definitely worth a visit. There are many regional events throughout the year but the busiest time is probably around August. Don’t miss out to join these traditional happenings.
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Every sixth Sunday, Ghanaians celebrate this festival to honour the king. During this time, you can see tribal leaders leading colourful celebrations accompanied by drumming and dancing.[/item]
[item title=”Bugum”]
To celebrate the flight of Mohammed from Mecca into exile, this event begins with processions through neighbouring villages and turns into an illuminated spectacle by night. Originally linked to Islam, the Bugum Festival is nowadays known as an traditional event for all ethnic groups and is the first to begin a new year with.[/item]
[item title=”Chale Wote Street Art Festival”]
Not considered to be a traditional festival but still a huge happening in late August is the Chale Wote Art Festival, which attracts thousands of people to the streets of Jamestown. Get a peak of typical Ghanaian ways to draw, paint and act.[/item]
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Historical and cultural Heritage
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[item title=”Cape Coast Castle”]
As one of the countries with the highest concentration of remained colonial monuments, take some time to immerse with the historical legacy of Ghana. If walls could speak, the ruins of Cape Coast Castle would never stop talking.[/item]
[item title=”Accra”]
The capital of Ghana fascinates every traveller with its manifold opportunities to get in contact with local culture, architecture and a vibrant nightlife. Prepare yourself to get sweaty. Not only because of wild dancing in the streets at night, but because Accra ranks high on the list of the hottest cities in Africa.
Tip: Take a Tro-tro to explore more of the city. These traditional means of transportation are a cheap alternative to taxis and much more fun to travel with.[/item]
[item title=”Kejetia Market”]
Although Kumasi isn’t considered to be the most exciting city in the country, it shouldn’t keep you from going there. One visit to Kejetia Market (the biggest one in West Africa) and you will feel like an ant, trying to find it’s way to a huge crowd out of people, spices, food, handicrafts and everything else that you can imagine.
Tip: Take a closer look at the ingenuity of the scrap metal traders who convert recyclable material into jewellery.[/item]
[item title=”Voodoo in Kumasi”]
As a volunteer in Ghana you not only have the chance to experience new facets of cuisine, cultural habits or inspiring nature – you even have the ability to explore Ghana’s mystical side. Away from the touristic hotspots in remote villages, there are many voodoo priests who are still practising. If you’re open-minded, take a personal consultation.
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Typical Food
Once tasted typical Ghanaian food, you will never tire of trying more. From traditional African dishes to local individualism – Ghana’s cuisine is one thing you will tell your friends and family about. Forget about restaurant or bars and try the street food instead. As one of the most popular dishes, Waakye should be your first clash with the Ghanaian cuisine, because it perfectly shows Ghana’s preference for rice and beans as staple food. Served with fried fish or chicken, it’s the best method to recharge your energy. But be careful! Ghanaians love to use many different spices that can be unfamiliar for your palate. So ask for local advice about the spiciness of different dishes.
Tip: The best local food is found in so called chop bars, located in almost every town and city.
Volunteer Requirements
- For most programs, you should be at least 18
- You should speak English at a basic level
- Especially when working with kids, you should provide a health declaration
- In some cases, a criminal background check is demanded
How to find Volunteer Opportunities in Ghana
Excited about your various opportunities as a volunteer in Ghana? Explore volunteer programs in Ghana and find your very own volunteer opportunity abroad on Volunteer World. Featuring more than 500 volunteer programs and over 600 social projects in 70+ countries, Volunteer World is a one-stop resource for volunteer abroad opportunities. This platform is all about bringing simplicity and transparency to the international volunteer industry.
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