Volunteer in Ghana: Most Affordable & Real Impact!

Volunteering at a local school in Ghana was such an eye-opening experience in terms of engaging with the welcoming locals, learning about the Ghanaian culture whilst living with a loving host family and growing personally into a more globally-aware and agile individual. Princess, my host sister, was always full of energy and keeping us on our toes. The staff and students at the school welcomed us unconditionally and taught us to sing and dance Ghanaian-style, which is one of the many experiences I will never forget. Through the program with Ubelong, I have been inspired and motivated by the local team and fellow volunteers to continue to help improve living standards to communities in need. It was my first time travelling without family and I felt supported and well-informed throughout the experience; from the time I submitted my application until post-program, where I still feel connected to Ubelong and the local team in Ghana. I have shared this unforgettable trip with my family, friends and peers and it is definitely something I recommend everyone to personally experience.

UBELONG was a good choice for me. I was seeking something more than simple traveling. I wanted a deeper level of cultural understanding. To understand another culture, I had to get to know its people and immerse myself in the new environment. UBELONG allowed me to do that. They provided me the platform in terms of resources, preparation, and support - both from the UBELONG management, and from the fellow international volunteers that I had an unforgettable time with. From there, I was able to make my experience with UBELONG my own. If you are a self-initiated worker who is passionate about travel and humanitarian work, then a UBELONG program is probably what you're looking for. It wasn't easy, it wasn't always relaxing, and it opened me to a world of conflict and struggle. But there's a deeper benefit to all of that, which you can only really understand by living in it. This experience gave me back ten times what I put into it, and I put in a lot!

I was generally really happy with my UBELONG experience. I was particularly impressed by the support and care not only during the preparation but also throughout my stay in Ghana. We received regular emails checking up on us and when there was the Ebola outbreak in the countries around Ghana, we received information about it and useful links with news. In general whenever I contacted my UBELONG mentor with a question I received a prompt and detailed answer. I felt well looked after! Further, offering exactly the same volunteering experience just a lot (!!!) cheaper than other organisations you really know where your money ends up. This was incredibly important for me since I, out of principle, wanted to spend my money on the actual cause rather than the organisation! You need to be smart both when choosing your volunteering project and your organisation- while good volunteering can achieve great things, bad volunteering can actually be harmful for the communities that you are trying to help.

UBELONG gave me the opportunity to discover something new; something I was not even close to imagine to be real.
Sometimes, discovering a new reality can be very though as well as scary.
However, thanks to UBELONG and to the support they provided me, I had the chance to enjoy every single second of my discovery experience.
It has been a great experience!

I have always wanted to volunteer abroad in the nutrition field, but never had the resources or information to do so. When I came across UBELONG, they provided extensive information about the program and made me feel confident that I could actually pursue this goal with their great guidance. I also never traveled alone before volunteering with UBELONG; their mentor service along with the preparation materials really helped me to feel comfortable and prepared for my journey to somewhere new and totally unfamiliar.

As an experienced volunteer, I know that travelling and volunteering overseas is always a daunting task. UBELONG really made this experience easy and simple, and the team was always avilable for help.

UBELONG is a great program as it provides those who truly want to make a difference abroad with the tools to do that. The preparation materials, and in country support, along with the low program fee and bottom up philosophy, combines to make them one of the best international volunteer organizations out there.

I found out about Ubelong through my professor at college so there actually was not much research for me to do on programs. Ubelong has a very good reputation among college students I know so that meant a lot to me. I found the Ghana program to be very affordable and I felt a lot of support throughout my experience, which was important as this was my first time volunteering abroad. Everything went a lot smoother than I could have imagined and the preparation I received beforehand made me feel prepared. I think Ubelong's focus on being volunteers instead of tourists is really good, and is a reason why Ubelong volunteers tend to fit in better. I was on the public teaching program and found the work to be very challenging but very rewarding. I was shocked by how many kids were in a class, I literally counted over 50 one day. They were so eager to learn and I felt my presence over there made a difference. We focused a lot of nutrition and cleanliness, and while past volunteers had helped bring the levels of understanding among the children up, there was still a lot more that needed to be done. But again I do think I made a very small but still important difference. The living situation was better than expected, I found almost all the other volunteers to be very motivated and friendly. I consider many lifelong friends. Overall it was a wonderful experience and I am very grateful for the opportunity.

I am extremely grateful to have heard of UBELONG through Cornell. This was my first time travelling alone, and I felt more than comfortable with all the guidance and help provided by the UBELONG staff. They took care of me from the moment I signed up to volunteer, until I returned home from my trip. In addition, the projects they offer are great learning experiences. I came back home feeling inspired and energized. I will definitely be recommending UBELONG to prospective volunteers!

After working with UBELONG in Ghana this summer, I can honestly say that the organization is forth right and always strives to help those that are suffering. Raul did a great job in creating a web of families within the international community. It was clear to me during my stay that the bonds that Raul had fostered while traveling abroad were still strong today. It is with this kind of leadership, UBELONG has promoted prosperity in every community that they have reached out to, and with the help of the volunteers will continue to help impoverished communities all around the world.

I had an amazing time in Ghana and I definitely miss the place! It is hard to describe everything in a brief note, but I will always cherish the unbelievable experience that I had. In a nutshell, I really appreciated the PEOPLE I met during my journey to Ghana. The volunteering project was awesome, no doubt, and I definitely learned a lot from teaching in different schools and from working at the clinic. Still, the experience would not have been the same if I had not met all the volunteers and friendly Ghanaians that taught me about myself as much as my project did. Thank you for working with me and for providing support throughout the whole process. UBELONG is a great organization, and I am grateful that I have gotten the chance to go on this journey through this organization. I am happy to be a part of the UBELONG community.

I always knew I wanted to volunteer abroad, but I never knew how I would get there. I looked into many different programs before finally discovering UBELONG. After a quick glance at the website, I knew I had found exactly what I was searching for.

My experience volunteering in Ghana felt personalized and “custom-made” because of the one-on-one communication I had with my UBELONG mentor. Prior to my trip, I was able to ask questions, express concerns, and video chat with my mentor to discuss day-to-day life and safety in Ghana. UBELONG went above and beyond to help me feel comfortable and prepared to embark on my life-changing journey!

An aspect of UBELONG that particularly impressed me was the affordability. I could tell right from the beginning that this was a program truly interested in giving volunteers the best cultural experience imaginable. My expectations were exceeded in every way.

UBELONG became much more to me than just a volunteer abroad program; it became a community. I have been welcomed into a community that stretches over three continents, nine countries, and seventeen different cities, each of which contains its own little UBELONG home.