Volunteering in Ghana

Ghana is an intensely colourful land on the West coast of Africa. Once the British colony known as the 'Gold Coast', it is renowned for the friendliness and warmth of its people. Ghana has great beaches, wild savannah and dense rainforests. This English-speaking country provides the volunteer with a wonderful introduction to Africa; it is politically-stable, safe, affordable and rewarding to visit.

The Ashanti - the largest tribe in Ghana - built their kingdom from Ghana's gold, banana and cocoa plantations, although Ashanti people are now renowned for their craft-making skills. African traditions combined with British influences have produced an exciting modern Ghanaian culture - open, musical and diverse. Although Ghana is a poor country, in recent times it has attracted new money and many Ghanaians are now returning home from abroad, bringing new investment and ideas with them.

Projects are available for anyone interested in volunteering in the developing world; whether you are on a gap year, a summer placement, or a career break.

Volunteer work opportunities for you in Ghana

Projects Abroad has many projects in Ghana, based in Accra, Cape Coast, Kumasi and the Akuapem Hills. The areas covered are Teaching, Care, Culture & Community – including Building and IT Projects, - Medical Projects – including Medicine, Physiotherapy, Nursing, Midwifery and Dentistry, - Journalism, Veterinary Medicine, Sport, Business, and Law& Human Rights.

There are overseas voluntary work opportunities in hospitals, orphanages, newspapers, schools, sports clubs, veterinary practices and radio stations around Accra, Ghana's capital city. We also have teaching, care and medical volunteer projects based along the coast in Cape Coast and in the ancient Ashanti capital, Kumasi. The Akuapem Hills (a more rural location) hosts further medical, care, culture & community and teaching projects.

The host family with whom you will live will make you feel like a Ghanaian. The combination of Ghanaians' strong religious faith and hospitality makes living with a family a special experience.

Certainly, life in Ghana will enable you to encounter some unusual situations, from the unpredictable electricity and water supply, to seeing even the poorest families dressed up in their best clothes for church on a Sunday morning. You will also need to adapt to the bizarre and the unfamiliar, whether it be the car-shaped coffins or the banku and fufu you will have for lunch.

Travel and Tourism in Ghana

Living in vibrant, colourful Ghana will feel like an explosion; an enchanting sensory overload. Music is a central part of Ghanaian culture, so in the bigger towns - especially Accra - you will hear some great live bands and have some memorable nights out.

There are many, many attractions and places to visit. You will want to see the slave forts and spend a night in the rainforest at Kakum rainforest reserve, feed wild monkeys at The Boebeng Monkey Village or elephant watch at Mole National Park. If you're even more adventurous, consider the challenge of a journey to Timbuktu.

Travel across Ghana is cheap and easy, whether it be in a taxi, a tro-tro (a sort of minibus) or on a lake boat. There are clean, affordable places to stay and eat in all the main towns.

Ghana is a superb location for bird watching and is developing a good ecotourism philosophy. It's also an interesting place for history lovers and, once your overseas voluntary work is over, it's a great stepping-off point from which to explore West Africa.