Ghana Volunteer Programs from $22/day | Most Affordable & Trusted

The Childcare program in Ghana was better than anything I've ever experienced. The highlight for me was saving a child off the streets and taking her to clinics to get better. Along with other volunteers, I helped get this child into the orphanage I was helping at, which is an incredible feeling. The support the orphanage staff showed with our persistence to help this child was amazing and it was great to see how helpful they were in assisting us reach our goals. Working with other volunteers to get this child into the orphanage was very satisfying. It's great to see like minded people, sharing common goals and interests, working together to help other communities around the world.
Additionally to this, I loved the opportunities for weekend travel and meeting new people. All the staff I met were great and the children I helped at the school and the orphanage are amazing and I miss them so much. I can't wait to go back!

My experience in Ghana was outstanding - so much so that I am going back. The people were wonderful, and the IVHQ staff that facilitated my trip were so accommodating and friendly. It is a very safe environment, and the country and its people are beautiful. I highly reccomend volunteering with IVHQ Ghana - no matter who you are! The staff makes it easy to adjust to a new way of life, and by the end they become your friends! The kids at the orphanage captured my heart, and it was one of the coolest things I've ever done. I also took some time to travel along the coast and the beaches are so beautiful. There are so many volunteers in and out of all areas that it is easy to make friends and travel with like-minded people.

I volunteered in Ghana with IVHQ and Volunteer Corps Organisation for 27 weeks.

The first thing you need to know about going to Ghana is that is really is the ‘Gateway to Africa’. The country is safe, and the locals really do look out for you as an ‘Oburoni’. If you’re worried about visiting Africa for the first time, definitely visit Ghana!

When you get off the plane you will be greeted by a member of staff from VCO and they will be with you from that time until they leave you at your placement. The staff are wonderful and will help you with everything from how to catch a taxi or tro tro, to going to the best place to exchange money. Ghana is closed currency, so you til need to change your money when you get there. Don’t do it at the airport; definitely wait for VCO staff to assist you.

You are taken to the Volunteer House, and what I like to call my second home. In the house you are free to rest and recover from jetlag, watch TV (or Coach Carter 100 times), wander around town, or hang out with the staff. I loved learning to make Ghanaian food with Tina and Ruth; they are great cooks! The boys will take you to the mall if you feel like shopping, or the local markets for some cheap clothes.
While at the house, you will be taken through Induction; going over everything from safety, what to expect when you are on placement, food you will eat, what to do if you need help, phone numbers, money and valuables, and where your program costs go. The process is very transparent and I felt comfortable with everything while I was there.

I was placed in the Fante area in the Central Region, about 3 hours from the Volunteer House and Accra. It was amazing! The people, the tiny village, the welcoming nature, the kids (oh, my babies!).

The kids were definitely the highlight. We had a children’s home with a school on the other side of the village. We would split shifts and work with each other to get everything done. In the mornings, we would get up before dawn to heat water for the kids baths. Get them out of bed, bathed and fed breakfast. Dressed for school and then walk to class. Those of us who wanted to teach would devise lesson plans, and teach during the day in turns. Our school was private, so we were had to make sure we got copies of the national curriculum to teach, as well as our own lessons to supplement this. The kids at school were also given lunch, and when the school mum passed away, we would also make rice and sauce for the kids at school so they got a hot lunch every day.
When not teaching, the others would rest away from the heat, wash the kids clothes and bedsheets, ready afternoon lessons for when they got home from school, cook dinners, or paint the home. Being a new home, we painted the walls to make them more fun for the kids. We would also shop for fresh food, supplies or DVDs for the kids (I swear, I watched the Lion King every day for 6 months).

Village life is so easy to get used to, and the locals will help you out as much as you need them to. How to buy bananas and how much they should cost, how to properly hand wash your clothes (this one took me a while to get), how to cook rice and corn on the cob the Ghanaian way. The village was perfect, everything that you should expect from life in Africa.

Including the illness. With each new volunteer, we would count the days until they got their first bout of diarrhea. It’s usually 2 weeks. To the day. To minimise the risk, you can eat only what your house-mum/ IVHQ staff member makes, but where’s the fun in that? Ghanaian food is amazing and you will want to eat it! All of it. Fire poop or not.

In return for help from my new extended family, I was able to help them too. We learnt to sew together, count and speak English. We had women and children come into our compound often to learn and converse with us. It was like having a huge family, and I miss them all the time.
Weekends were free to hang out with the kids, or travel as you please. We took holidays during my placement, and went up to Mole National Park (such a long trip but so worth it for the elephants!). We also took weekends to Wli Falls, Cape Coast, Kumasi and Accra. I definitely recommend all of these places.

Just make sure you keep your bug repellent with you always. Mozzies everywhere. I’ve been to Ghana twice now with IVHQ and VCO, and I’ve had Malaria three times. It’s not so bad; just make sure you get to a clinic quick-smart. Laying in bed with a fever and chills in 40 degree weather can get you down, but you do get past it so it’s god to remember that.

I would recommend you immerse yourself into this culture. The history is strong and Ghanaians are a proud people. I loved every minute of my time in Ghana, and would recommend the programs to anyone and everyone! There are no age limits; you can be 18 or 90, and you can travel alone or with a friend. Cook, clean, teach, travel, play. Repeat. 27 weeks went by too quickly, and I would do it for the rest of my life if I could.

Malaria or not.

I volunteered in Child Care at the silver program and it was an amazing experience. IVHQ is an incredible program that truly wants their volunteers to have an experience of a lifetime, and is not solely concerned about making a profit. They were very helpful with answer questions immediately and makings sure that I was prepared for my trip. It is significantly cheaper than any of the other programs I had found also and all of your money goes to your direct costs for your stay.

When I arrived in Ghana, the staff that greeted me were all very kind and welcoming. They made sure that I was ready to go to my placement and had everything I needed for the rest of my trip. At orientation, we also were given important lessons about the culture differences and advice for traveling on weekends.

At the silver placement, I stayed with the sweetest family and all of the amazing kids at the orphanage. I am so grateful to be placed here because we were truly a member of the family to all of the staff and kids at the school and the orphanage. All of them were so appreciative and grateful for us and we definitely felt like we were making a positive difference in their lives. We stayed with the family who ran the orphanage and they were very accommodating to our needs and very helpful and understanding. Every week, a staff member would also come and meet with us and make sure everything was going alright and wanted our feedback to made the program the best that it could be.

On the weekends, we got to travel to different cities in the area and IVHQ was very helpful with anything we needed, from recommendations of where to stay to restaurants we needed to eat at, etc. Words cannot describe how pleased I am with IVHQ and happy that I chose this program for volunteering abroad. I met so many amazing friends that I will have for a lifetime and I am already planning for my return. Ghanians are a very kind and welcoming people and Ghana is a beautiful country.

I spend three weeks in the gold programme (construction), summer 2015. I had no idea what to expect, how many people would be there, or what kind of work I would be given! I can tell you this though, it was an extraordinary experience and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

The work, the people, the children, the programme supervisors, the volunteers, it was all excellent. During the day we did construction work, which varied, everything from creating bricks from scratch, to laying them. Late afternoon/evening we got time off, we'd usually play with the children or go into town. In the weekends we usually went on trips and explored.

During my time there I learned many things and got some wonderful memories out of it. I learned how to value the most simple things in life, and not take anything for granted. I came close to many people during this experience and made great friends in the progress.

I highly recommend it to anyone that's considering volunteering. Ghana was in my experience very safe, the programme supervisors knew exactly what they were doing and took good care of us. It's 10/10.

In Ghana I learned the meaning of the acronym TIA. After all of my travels around Africa it dawned on me that this was my answer to everything I love about the continent. This is Africa.

People think that you have to do something huge, like go to Africa and build a school, but you can make a small change in a day. If you change Wednesday, then you change Thursday. Pretty soon it's a week, then a month, then a year. It's bite-size, as opposed to feeling like you have to turn your life inside out to make changes.

I have traveled to Ghana through International Volunteer HQ in the summer of 2014 and in May of 2015. My experience was absolutely incredible, so incredible that I went back a second time! From the moment I landed in Accra I felt at home. The local staff is amazing. They are organized, helpful. and are always there to make you feel right at home. The programs are excellent and well organized. Whether you are in a home stay or volunteer house you will feel safe and get a true local experience. The people I met (volunteers and locals), the culture, the music, the landscape, etc truly changed my life. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about my time spent in Ghana. Ghana will forever hold a special place in my heart. I encourage everyone to visit Africa at least once in their life and I HIGHLY recommend Ghana, you will not regret it...I promise!

I had the most amazing experience in Ghana. The staff at IVHQ are so welcoming and really have your best interest in mind. I met so many life long friends and I am so excited to go back and visit the family I made while volunteering over in Ghana. Its one of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have. All the Ghanaians are so friendly and welcoming. I have traveled many places and this has by far been the been trip and most rewarding experience of my life. If you're going to do something DO IT WITH IVHQ! They are the best!