Spending your vacation volunteering abroad in Ghana is a great way to get something positive out of your vacation. Whether you’re on gap year, considering a different vacation, or just traveling the world and want to do something worthwhile, volunteering in Ghana is always welcome.
There are a number of ways you can help Ghanaians as a volunteer, and many see volunteering as a way to learn about a country’s culture while doing something useful. It’s a vacation with a difference, and a volunteer in Ghana can get as much as he gives. Here are some forms of work that a volunteer abroad in Ghana is likely to do:
1. Teaching English
A large proportion of Ghanaians are illiterate. Not because they can’t learn, but because they don’t have schools or teachers. If you’re a teacher or considering teaching as a career, why not spend your vacation or gap year volunteering in Ghana, teaching English or working with English teachers?
You do not need any degree, just a good knowledge of English. The children here are desperate to learn, and it is a very rewarding and satisfying way to spend your free time in Ghana. In return, you will learn many different skills: social, planning and leadership skills and a lot about the cultural side of the country.
You will also derive great satisfaction from helping these children who want to learn, and you will go home with more self-confidence and a very valuable addition to your CV. Those who have volunteered abroad in Ghana have found the experience unforgettable and invaluable in their personal development.
2. I work in orphanages
No volunteer in Ghana could have a more rewarding job than working in an orphanage. You will be primarily involved in offering children love, care and attention. The children of the orphanage love the visits made by the volunteers.
In addition to taking care of them, she can teach the children English and can get involved in sports, dance and art. She will get as much from the experience as the children. Ghana has many street children who have left their villages and townships for the lure of big cities like Accra, but when they get there they learn a hard lesson about the realities of life. Volunteers in Ghana can help children to develop properly and reach their full potential.
You may also be involved in meal preparation and work with regular staff to offer counseling to more traumatized children. No volunteer in Ghana returns home without a sense of humility, but also satisfaction, after working for and with these children.
3. Environment and Nature Volunteering
The depletion of natural resources in Ghana costs the country a great deal of money annually. This includes deforestation and the loss of wildlife resources and fishing grounds. Not only that, but rainfall is rapidly reducing, leading not only to severe water shortages, but also to habitat and wildlife loss.
By working on projects designed to reduce the effects of these factors that have a considerable effect on Ghana’s GDP, you will contribute to the future of the entire nation and all its inhabitants, not just humans. Not only does this involve tree planting, but students can spend their research time volunteering in Ghana to conduct their research for their thesis or help with official research currently under way.
4. Sports Teaching
The Ghanaian football team reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup in South Africa, the Black Stars did better than England, Italy or France, showing that with proper training the people of this country are capable and she is dedicated to working for her own success.
By teaching sports of many different types and helping to coach and train athletes and players in sports of all disciplines, it will offer hope to young people who may not otherwise have it. The joy on the faces of ordinary people on the streets of Accra when Ghana beat the USA should be enough to convince you that teaching and coaching sports is a worthwhile project for a volunteer in Ghana.
You’ll get a sense of accomplishment, but more than that, you’ll understand the meaning of humility and the pride and respect that Ghanaians have for their country. You will learn from a great people and a great nation, and they in turn will respect and trust you. Your efforts will not be financially rewarded, but not in terms of appreciation, trust and respect and you will make friendships that will last a lifetime.
By becoming a volunteer, Ghana will thank you, and any volunteer abroad in Ghana knows that whatever you do will be sustainable. Therefore, you will know that you are leaving a lasting legacy of your work. How many can say that after their vacation?
