GVI, Ethical Impact: Volunteer in Ghana

I signed up with GVI Ghana for two weeks, over two months later I am still here volunteering in this amazing country. From day one I have felt a part of this community, making relations with the local people and getting great insight to life in Ghana. I felt safe during my whole time here, especially during a pandemic. I have been part of community projects that I will remember forever, and have made friends that I will have forever. I cannot recommend GVI Ghana enough to people, it has been the greatest experience of my life.

I went out to GVI Ghana in Spring 2021, it was by far the best thing I have ever done with my life. The base is in Kokrobite which is a town full of really welcoming people who are grateful for your time and efforts. I went out to do the Women's empowerment project, but also got really involved with the education side of it, and loved every minute. I have never experienced anything as fulfilling as the past 6 weeks of my life. I was only meant to be there for 4 weeks, but I very quickly decided this would not be enough time to spend there, especially when I had such an amazing opportunity. The connections and relationships you build up with your students (any age) and fellow volunteers is amazing, it's a bond you can't replicate. I love to be outdoors, meeting new people and trying new things, so this program was perfect for me.

Travelling has always been a massive thing for me and after my travelling got cancelled due to corona virus i was searching the net for other options. I found GVI volunteering and had a look at the different places i could visit during the pandemic. Ghana was one of the only places open at the time and i was a bit hesitant but after looking at the videos online and reading more about it i decided to book for 6 weeks (March 2021-May2021). I can say hand on my heart this was the best decision I've ever made, i even extended to 10 weeks whilst i was out there. I was working on the educational program which was so eye opening and incredible. I felt so lucky i could work so closely with the community and i was able to make such a difference over the 10 weeks. At times i did find certain situations hard to deal with but everything i did has made me grow so much as a person. Matt who is the Program Manager would always check on us and was always available to chat to if we were ever struggling or needed advice. Our weekdays were full with teaching the children and doing extra activities with them such as creative arts, boxing, dance and much more. As i have dyslexia i could straight away spot the children who also suffers with the disability. I found in Ghana the teachers were every unaware of the struggles some children may have because of dyslexia. I was able to do a presentation to spread awareness and give them tips of teaching methods which could help some of the children with learning. The weekends were our to do as we please. We were able to visit many places such as Cape Coast, Volta Region, Ada Foah, Accra and Wli waterfalls. Ghana is such a beautiful place with wonderful people and i couldn't recommend going enough. I'd give my whole experience 10/10. I cant wait to return, hopefully next year!! I also want to say thank you to Naa who did most the cooking which was all delicious.

I spent 4 weeks in Kokrobite, Ghana, teaching and travelling, and it was the best 4 weeks of my life! GVIs commitment to sustainable development really stood out to me and the staff at the base are very welcoming and friendly. GVI staff were incredibly helpful pre-departure also! Volunteering in the school is challenging but also so fun. The children give you such a unique insight into Ghanaian culture and its hard to see how the experiences I had in that school can compare to anywhere else in the world! I would recommend this trip to anyone looking to make a meaningful impact as a volunteer and anyone looking for an adventure!

Volunteering through Global Vision International was a great experience.

Before volunteering, all my questions were answered, and the registration process was simple. I was provided information on what to do when I arrived in Ghana and met with the Director of the program I worked with, Sabre Trust.

During my time as an English Volunteer, I taught primary school students and lived with an amazing host family. Outside of volunteering, I was able to spend time with other volunteers on excursions and explored the country.

I would recommend GVI for volunteering and interning, and I look forward to my next volunteer experience through them.

As one of the first volunteers on this project, it was an incredibly exciting, fun and humbling experience.
I learnt a huge amount on how projects like these are set up and run.
Getting to work so closely with the local NGO, Action for Compassion in the beautiful Elmina Castle made me feel very grateful every day. The people from the AFC and the local area were so welcoming and kind and really made us feel apart of their lives and community through teaching us the local language and going out of their way to make sure we felt at home.
Getting to work closely with AFC meant we could integrate easier into the local communities and make contact with women who we were targeting for our sewing project. Getting to know these women and learn about their lives was very special. Along with these women, the guys from AFC and the other volunteers and staff from GVI, I have made some life long friends.
The area of Elmina was very beautiful but quiet making it the perfect base with the slightly larger town of Cape Coast very close by which was nice to spend the weekends or evenings.
This experience has been very humbling, has taught me an incredible amount and really was so much fun!