Volunteer in Ghana with uVolunteer

Name: Volunteer in Ghana with uVolunteer
Brand: uVolunteer
SKU: 22063
Rating: 9.47 (17 reviews)

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Volunteer in Ghana with uVolunteer for the experience of a lifetime! uVolunteer offers a range of volunteer projects throughout the country. Volunteers can choose to work with uVolunteer's partner organizations in conservation, health care, community development, sports coaching, orphanage work, teaching English, and more.

uVolunteer also supports volunteers by offering a number of services including airport pick up, travel insurance, social activities, orientation and tour, and more. Check out uVolunteer's website for more information on the number of volunteer projects offered in Ghana!

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Volunteer

Impact 9.2
Support 9.6
Fun 9.5
Value 9.4
Safety 9.5

Showing 1 - 15 of 17

I chose volunteer in Ghana, last year by a few weeks. My experiences with uVolunteer were great. From the first minute I was in Africa I enjoyed it. I was teaching at a school. The children were really nice and I loved to teach there.

What would you improve about this program?

My arrival and pick up was good. All the things I did here were so amazing. My family here were so great and I would love to see them again. The house where I stayed is really good and the people are so nice and took really good care of me. The project had just started so they don't have yet a lot of material. I did what I can and hopefully the children enjoyed it. I also hope that in the future there will be more material for them and a good organized schedule. I enjoyed it there so much.
On one Tuesday they had: our day. I didn't know what the meaning of it was, but it was a nice day. The children brought food with them and the children were really happy. I experienced so many different things here! And all the people there are nice. I was very quickly used to the way of living there, and I liked it so much. Kokrobite is a real nice place. It's a so different than the Netherlands but now I'm used to the way of living there.
I have seen a lot in Ghana. I traveled to Cape Coast and Kumasi and other places. I had a great time.
It is definitely a life time experience. When somebody is hesitating to come to Africa for holiday or better for volunteering, the only thing I can say: just do it! You will never feel regret, I'm sure.

This trio came right when I needed a break from my day to day life the most. There were the struggles of planning the trip, the hot weather, the mosquitoes, and adapting to the different lifestyle. However, all those struggles were worth dealing with to be with the children and friends.

What would you improve about this program?

I am not a trained teacher, so I have to admit I struggled trying to keep all the kids in line and interested at all times. The kids had so much energy and passion that I had to bring my A game to keep up with them. Some of the kids were more independent, learned on their own, and knew when to seek help when needed. Others needed more attention in specific subjects and seemed to constantly want to share stories and have discussions with me. I appreciated all of their different styles and personalities. Just when I started to get to know them better it was time to leave.

I failed to prepare myself for the goodbyes. When I was there I looked forward to seeing them the next day or the next week. When it was time to say I will not return, it was heart breaking. Most of them said their goodbyes and seemed to have not noticed that I will not return. A few asked if I will come back to be with them again. As I tried really hard to hold back tears the only answer I had was that I really want to return, but I do not know. I could not give them a promise I was not sure if I could keep. Have I become another person in these children's life that has abandoned them? Or did they understand I was only there for a temporary time and just appreciate our time together?

This separation has been really hard to deal with because I miss them so much. I must remember that I will carry the joy and happiness they have brought into my life with me every day. This chapter of my life will not bring me down, but make me stronger, happier, more grateful, and hopeful.

Lia

It was a great month working with a local football team and local college sporting teams such as track and field, basketball,badminton, table tennis and volleyball. Since the West African Poly games are coming up, I was very busy volunteering with various teams.

What would you improve about this program?

At the college, it was track and field qualifications for the West African Poly games. Most of the athletes competed in bare feet, socks, and a few pairs of shoes. Kofi, the 20 year old man who represented the IT students, won the 1,600 meter race by running it bare foot and still managed to break the school record held for 15 years.

As a volunteer, it took long days to help prepare the field for the event. We had to measure, chalk the lanes for the runners, pick up and move large rocks, dig a large hole for the long and triple jump. The best part about getting the long and triple jump pit ready was going to a local saw mill with other Ghanaians and bringing the saw dust back on our bicycles. The day of the event was filled with hundreds of people from the local community, and the local college. The telecom company MTN, sponsored the event by giving the winners of each event shirts, trophies, and hats. A very memorable event that I will never forget!

I really appreciate UVolunteer for being organized and providing the volunteers with such a nice environment to live in. Great showers, kitchen, food, staff and a clean house with comfortable beds. Koforidua is surrounded by mountains, so it's a great place to have weekends off. It's close to waterfalls, hiking in the mountains, bicycle riding, local villages,and easy access to festivals in the Eastern Region. Only a quick ride to Accra to see any major attractions in Ghana's capital city.

I really enjoyed the Ghana experience.

Ghana was the most eye opening experience I have ever encountered in my life.

I would recommend the uVolunteer program to anybody and suggest you join because it will be the most important experience you will ever encounter.

What would you improve about this program?

Ghana was the most eye opening experience I have ever encountered in my life. Upon arriving, I was not quite sure what to expect, but I knew I would not be living a posh life. I was not prepared to have everything I had grown accustomed too in the states taken away from me, but I settled in quickly. I often times found myself looking around in awe that I was in Ghana and how the people lived.
The little things added up in Ghana and they were always a result of someone wanting to help in one way or another, and that is what I will remember about my experience, the people.

Despite the amount of poverty here, I can say with confidence that Ghanians are the most genuinely nice people I have ever been around in my life. I almost wanted to ask the first few people I spoke to what they wanted because they acted like a salesman, but they were just truly being friendly. After going to the crazy market, experiencing the upbeat style of church, and eating some Ghaninan food it was time for me to start my project.

My project involved teaching 15-18 year old girls how to play basketball. The game of basketball is rare in Ghana, and most do not have access to a court or ball. The first day I started teaching the girls I thought I was starting from the basics, but I did not realize they had never even seen a basketball before. Names such as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson were completely foreign and the concept of dribbling had not previously been taught.

My goal was to keep it fun. As soon as the girls started to show any signs of being bored, I just let them play even if it meant breaking a few rules. The first week was very entertaining and I enjoyed watching the girls' progress in their knowledge and ability of the game. In order to help my teaching process, I taught the girls in a classroom setting in the mornings to help explain how to play the game and show them a few skills. In the afternoon we would walk about 15 minutes away to play at a local court. I had a lot of fun teaching the girls and made some good friends along the way.

Outside of teaching at the local school, I got to know a lot of people in Ghana. uVolunteer got me plugged into the community with some great people and I was able to branch out from there. The hearts of Ghanians are genuine and everybody wanted to know my story. uVolunteer did a great job making sure I experienced the culture here and setting me up with people to take me around town. I got to go to a local church, experience the food market, walk around the clothes market, eat all kinds of Ghanian food, go to local night life spots, experience the national park, walk with elephants, see monkeys steal people's breakfast, wash clothes by hand, and be chased by 50 Ghanian kids hoping to take a basketball from me.

Every day on the way to class I would walk by the kids school and hear the word 'obrony' (white man!) about 50 times. At first I did not know what to do, but all I had to do was smile and wave as if I was some sort of celebrity. The kids' faces light up and some just want wave at you. The little things added up in Ghana and they were always a result of someone wanting to help in one way or another, and that is what I will remember about my experience, the people.

I would recommend the uVolunteer program to anybody and suggest you join because it will be one of the most important experiences you will ever encounter. Be thankful for your current life, but know that you can never be truly thankful unless you live in a poor town.

Arriving in Ghana for my volunteer trip to work in an orphanage, I learned one thing right away, one of my most important lesson in life, never expect things to go the way you had intended. So far this trip showed me and challenge me every single time.

What would you improve about this program?

One memorable moment I remember is when I was trying to teach the children about gentle touch, and patting or rubbing the shoulder to get my attention, instead of hitting or pulling aggressively. This was a hard lesson for them, as in their culture they are used to rough handling and gentle touch does not really exist. As I explained to them how to do it, and that I like it better than being pulled on very hardly, they really understood and started helping each other out by reminding each other and demonstrating it on me. It was really sweet to see how one girl showed another one what a " gentle touch" was and how quickly she responded and started doing it that way.
Overall my experience at the orphanage was truly wonderful, and I would not trade it for anything, despite its challenges and obstacles. It was an experience I put myself into and I think it has made me a stronger, more adaptable person because of it. I am glad to have been able to share something with the children and hope that the time I spent with them will leave some kind of impression or memory in there minds to carry with them for the rest of there lives. Ghana is an amazing country, rich with culture, flavor and excitement. There was never a dull moment in Ghana and my time here has enriched my life in a very positive way.

The age that I am and where I live were two was the main reasons why I thought I had never doing volunteering in an African country. My name is Patrick, I am 25 years old, I am from Spain and I did volunteering in Ghana.

What would you improve about this program?

I had an exciting week because things were so different compare to our country that I could not believe what I saw.
The first week was a bit of orientation to the projects we were about to do. I had an exciting week because things were so different compare to our country that I could not believe what I saw, such as how people worked at the market or the condition of the roads and taxis or "trotros".The second week was more normal because we had got used to some things in the country.
Working at the orphanage was amazing; the summer camp was successful, well organized and above all, the children were so nice and polite, they made our stay in Ghana much more pleasant, and always made us come home and feel happy for the work we had done that day.I thought of this trip as a challenge or an adventure, and I did not know what would or could happen. But fortunately everything went well and, for me, it has been so far the most rewarding experience I've ever had-certainly one to be repeated.

I had wanted to do a volunteer program in Africa for a new years before I chose uVolunteer. I had been looking for a program that was reliable and also affordable. When I was recommended to uVolunteer by a friend, it seemed to fit both of my requirements.

What would you improve about this program?

The little expectations I did have were definitely exceeded when I arrived and met the staff and settled in. Everyone was extremely warm and friendly from the moment I was picked up at the airport. The weekend was busy exploring Koforidua and getting familiar with the Ghanaian food and culture .After seeing how people lived in the town I was relieved to find our dorms very comfortable and clean.
Before we began camp at the Orphanage, we were brought to the orphanage to meet the staff and children. Sunday night we spent planning how we would execute the English and Sports camp for the next two weeks. I was glad to find that Nat and the team had already done some basic lesson planning for the week so I felt prepared. Mon-Thurs we worked from about 9am-3pm at the orphanage. The days were well organized and it was comforting to have local staff and teachers there to help us as well. I was pleased that there were other volunteers with me during the program so I could not only make new friends but also have co-teachers to plan with. Even though I am a teacher, the work was challenging but extremely fun. Coming from teaching in West Philadelphia, I was blown away by how well behaved, well-mannered and respectful the children were. They were eager to learn and try new things and their excitement for us being there was incredibly rewarding.
On the weekend, Nat accompanied our group on a trip to the Cape Coast and was an excellent tour guide. At the end of the two weeks, I could have never imagined how upset I would be to leave the children. The children are amazing and really make everything about working at the camp completely worthwhile, in just two weeks I felt a developed a really strong bond with my entire group of kids.
Overall, my experience is exactly what I was looking for in a volunteer program. I made sure to stay open-minded and patient the entire trip. At times, when I wanted to feel frustrated with some of the ways of the culture, I reminded myself that it was part of the whole learning experience. I would not have done anything differently and I am completely satisfied with the program. I felt by having the opportunity to immerse myself in the culture I was able to come away with a life changing experience that I will surely never forget.

Going to Africa was a life long dream. Whena friend of mine recommended me uVolunteer, I knew that this was the right organization for me. I had been looking into so many different organizations for so long, but never found the right one.

What would you improve about this program?

In Ghana, everyone was extremely friendly from the moment we arrived. I was a little worried about our living arrangements but I was so relieved to see our house. It was clean, comfortable, and safe. Our first weekend was busy with orientation and getting to know the city, food and culture. Our program coordinators, Fred and Annette, were always there to listen and answer any questions or concerns we had.

That first day at the orphanage we learned that one of the children (Naomi) was very sick. Once we met Naomi we both felt an immediate connection with her. We knew that we had to help her. Once we talked to Annette and Fred about it, they arranged for us to take her to the hospital on our first day off. She was admitted to the hospital for malnutrition and we found out that once a child is admitted, someone has to be with her 24/7. Alec, one of the other volunteers, was part of our team to help Naomi, we set up different shifts with Fred, Alec, Sammar and I spending hours at the hospital each to care for her.

I have had a lot of memorable chapters in my life, but none compare to this life changing experience. From the culture, country, children, and people I met along the way to the friendships I've made with Fred, Annette, and the other volunteers. I am truly blessed to have met such wonderful people and I know that I have made some life-long friends.

I would recommend going to Ghana to anyone that is even remotely interested in doing volunteer work in Africa; it was a beautiful country with beautiful people. This trip has awakened a passion in me that I could have never imagined and I am hoping to add many more chapters in my volunteer journeys of this type.

When I arrived , it was amazing to realize that everything I had seen on cocumentaries or the news on TV was all both, real and really impressive. Living in Koforidua made me appreciate everyhing I have at home, in Spain

What would you improve about this program?

Although my time in Ghana will always be remembered as one of the best in my life, I must say that generally speaking the place where I live is much more developed and that is something that, in broad terms, we should certainly appreciate more.
The showing of affection, respect, friendship, generosity, just to mention a few was so widespread that it was hard to believe that all these things could be found altogether in one place at the same time.
The staff that works for uVolunteer made my stay really comfortable as well as pleasant. I was able to visit famous places around Koforidua and also to make my wish come true, which was to teach the Ghanaian children and at the same time learn from them. I learnt people should try to share everything they have, life is warmer and more agreeable if you offer what you have, to those not only you most love but also to the ones that have nothing to live on.
I also learnt customs I was never taught at home such as praying at assembly and before meals, etc. Their culture was something that made me think as it was very different from mine but nonetheless important.
I think volunteering with all such generous and non-prejudice people has made me open my mind and reaffirm the saying "Money can help towards happiness but does not guarantee it 100%".
The showing of affection, respect, friendship, generosity, just to mention a few was so widespread that it was hard to believe that all these things could be found altogether in one place at the same time.
Volunteering in Koforidua for Ghana uVolunteer has been a memorable experience thanks to the organization that planned my vacation but also thanks to the people that live here and make it easier for the "brownies" to feel as they were at home.

I arrived in Accra December 24th and was greeted by my coordinators of uVolunteer. The city was in frenzy as i was Christmas Eve. The sights, sounds and smell were overwhelming. There was so much to take in just going thru Accra. Upon my arrival we settle in for a few hours and headed downtown to celebrate Christmas.

What would you improve about this program?

The importance of faith, love, not to take anything for granted and the value of a smile are just a few lessons that I have learned this past month. Fred introduced me the Queen mother and her family and during my stay I have become a member of their family and their love, kindness and generosity will never be forgotten. I attended the wedding of her son and mourned a loss with them, ate fufu (of which is my understanding am the present record holder, 3 fufu meals), celebrated and danced with them. Their door was always open to me and their spirit of kindness and hospitality will always be treasured. They are my family now. My passion for photography was more than fulfilled and I was able to extend my interest of photography with the older children at the orphanage. My young friend Bryce certainly took a liking to my cameras and I happily gave a few pointers to this young man's new found interest. Market days were certainly a favorite day of mine as there were many interesting subjects to be found and photograph.
My introduction to the Chief of Adweso and his family has allowed me to have some insight in the everyday activities of a Ghanaian family. My friendship with Chief Nana has given me the opportunity to meet some very interesting people and to witness the responsibilities that come with this position. I also had the opportunity to befriend a man whose life purpose is to eradicate some of the customs of the Trokosi Tribe. Stephen Awudi Gadri is the founder of Trokosi Abolition Fellowship International and author of the book: The Revealed Myths about Trokosi Slavery: Human Rights Violation.
This kind and gentle man has helped save and free over 3800 girls and women from a life of slavery within the Trokosi community. I consider myself truly honored to have met this man. Last but not least my new found friends, Annette my compass, Fred my dance partner and Naomi my care taker. There are not enough words to describe how you have made this opportunity one of my life's most amazing experiences and journeys. Your friendship, insight and guidance have been more than helpful and you have helped me deal with some of the difficulties and comprehending some of the challenges of being immersed in a new culture. Believe me that at the end of each and every day as I washed my feet of the Ghanaian dust I counted my blessings and even though I washed away the dust I will never wash away the lessons of my 28 days here. Again I am truly blessed to have met such wonderful people and I am definitely planning on coming back to Ghana as now I have family.

My time in Ghana has been life changing, I have made lifelong friends and I encourage everyone to leave the comfort of their homes and I will cherish these memories forever. I encourage everyone to leave the comfort of the children of Ghana. You will not regret it.

What would you improve about this program?

I arrived in Accra and the volunteer coordinators were waiting for me at the airport; they have been helpful and kind since then. My experience was wonderful because of their guidance and support.
Saturday's orientation provided useful cultural information and helped me to navigate through the busy town of Koforidua. Every sight and smell was a new experience for me; the community was welcoming and made me feel right at home.
On Monday I met the amazing children of the Orphanage. Their smiles and kindness exceeded my expectations. Brenda, one of the volunteers, introduced me to the volunteer room filled with medical supplies. I quickly learned to nurse a wound and care for the children. The rest of the week went by quickly; I kept busy teaching the third grade class lessons. Each day we reviewed math, English, and science. Teaching this class has been the most rewarding experience. My students greeted me each morning without a complaint, eager to learn.
I spent the following weekend in Accra. My roommate Katie and I took a tro-tro ride into the capital on Friday. We dined at a beautiful outdoor restaurant and toured the city. We had a chance to see the Nyame Memorial, Independence Square, and the local beaches. On Saturday we walked through the Art Center and local markets. My African mask will be proudly hung on my wall when I get back to the United States. The fun continued on Sunday. Fred, Annette, Katie, and I hiked to Akaa falls and had lunch on top of Umbrella Rock. The scenery was breath taking. It was great to get away from town and experience the outdoors.
My final week at the orphanage was better than the first. I formed close bonds with the children and took in each moment with them. I was the assigned teacher, but I found that my students taught me just as much each day. I purchased a pencil and sharpener for each of my students because I noticed their lack of supplies. This small gift made their day and mine.
Also, we ventured to Shia Hills Resource Reserve. Our tour guide had a gift. After meeting the ostriches, we went deeper into the reserve in hopes of seeing the baboons. Within a few minutes several baboons emerged from the forest. We feed them bread and learned interested facts about the group dynamic. The lands of the reserve are beautiful; I highly recommend taking this trip.

Arriving in Ghana, I was excited to immerse in a new country and continent. My month stay in Koforidua was one to remember!
The volunteer coordinators prepared me to be engulfed into the Ghanaian lifestyle.
I was dancing, eating and smiling are the three actions that I will remember the most of my stay. The experience I gained from this trip is indescribable, which makes it hard to write a volunteer story. I think to whomever is reading my story, I guarantee you, you will not regret this experience. Two tips to keep in mind while you are in Ghana: Keep an open mind and be happy!

What would you improve about this program?

Better imposible

When I first arrived in Ghana I was really nervous and excited all at the same time. As soon as I received my luggage, Annete was right there to meet me. .

What would you improve about this program?

We then drove to the dorm that was approximately an hour and a half away. I really enjoyed this car ride because I got the chance to observe everything.
My first month in Ghana I taught at Hour of Grace Orphanage. I didn't have much experience teaching before so I was really nervous on my first day. I taught the Kindergarten class (ages 6-7). After my first day I was really comfortable because all of the children are willing to learn whatever I could teach them. On an average day, in the mornings I would teach mathematics and in the afternoons I would teach spelling and grammar. I really loved my class, every morning they would greet me, and after classes were done they always gave hugs goodbye. Also, at the orphanage I was able to play with the little kids (aged 2-4), which was a lot of fun. All of the kids were so welcoming and loved to be around all of the volunteers.
During my second month, the other volunteers and I ran a sports and English camp because the schools were on vacation. The first week of camp was held at a local community and it was really interesting to see how the level of education differed from the children at the Orphanage. In this camp, I taught children that were aged 13-15. At first this class was really quite and did not want to speak up about anything, after our few warm up activities the morning the class quickly became comfortable and it was really enjoyable. In the mornings we would teach mathematics and English until lunch and then after we would play a variety of sports (soccer, sack races, etc). The second camp was held at the Hour of Grace Orphanage and we had a very similar routine with these children.
One the weekends and when there wasn't a camp running, I was able to travel quite a bit to different places, such as Mole National Park, which was awesome to walk through the safari and see the animals really close up. Also, I travelled to Accra, which was really fun to go out and see the big city. I spent a few days on the beautiful Labadi Beach, and the Accra Art Center where I bought lots of souvenirs for my friends and family back home.
Overall, my trip in Ghana was absolutely amazing and I don't think I could have had a better time. Over the two months of my volunteer I had the chance to meet some really awesome other volunteers and local Ghanians as well. I became really good friends with some of the neighbors around the dorm, I always had fun with the local people and they really showed me a lot about the culture and the country.
Laura

I arrived to the airport in Accra, afther two long days of travel, and was greeted to meet my volunteer coordinator Annette. After meeting up with two other volunteers, we made our way to Koforidua .

What would you improve about this program?

Getting to know the town as well as the other volunteers was really fun throughout the weekend, and it was packed with fun things to do. During my first two weeks in Ghana, we held two different camps English and Sports Camps, Teaching English and Mathematics in the mornings, and playing sports each afternoon. The Kids were awesome, they were so kind and respectful, and although teaching was a challenge, it was well worth it to see their faces as they received their certificate at the end of the camp.
I was surprised that after only a four-day camp I was so sad to see them go! Between the two camps, we took a trip to Mole National Park. It was a long 12-hour trek to get there, but we made it! We saw tons of Elephants, and went on two different Safaris.
This past weekend, we drove down to Cape Coast to visit Cape Coast Castle, which was used in the Slave Trade. On our way home, we did Kakum Canopy Walk, and did a little bit of shopping in Accra. Shopping was fun, a lot of bargaining was done and in the end I got a lot of good deals.
This last week was spent at the orphanage, getting to know the orphans well was really great, but it made saying goodbye really tough. I'll miss them all so much.
Overall, my time in Ghana was an amazing, eye-opening experience that I wouldn't take back for anything. Being with uVolunteer was the perfect way to see a new country, and although there were a lot of things to get used to like being stared at wherever I went and being woken up by a rooster every morning, they were there with me every step of my way.
Sophie

I stumbled upon uVolunteer, the price was great, and the response I received from the program when I made my initial enquiries was also fast and detailed

My name is Austin Ikechi, I am an Pre-Medical student from Maryland, USA. As a premed, getting the required amount of community service and volunteer exposure at the hospital is an important step in medical school application.

What would you improve about this program?

Having volunteer at a hospital in Maryland, I opted for a program in a developing country because I feel I can better utilize my skills, while gaining valuable knowledge on health care in developing countries.

My program started my first Monday; I was introduced to the HR department at Koforidua general hospital where I was scheduled to volunteer. My first placement was in the surgical ward, it was hands on, I started learning right way because the doctors explained the cases and treatment plan to me. I was let to draw blood and set up IV lines under the supervision of a doctor and with the permission of the patient. There were also lecture series that I attended. Attending theater was the best part, I was able to watch and ask question on the procedures being done. After the first week, I went to pediatrics ward; this ward was very challenging. The doctors and PA's had review sections that I sat in for, they went over several diseases and their causes and how to diagnosis them. After sitting in for most of these reviews, I was let to see patients one on one under adoctor's supervision. This felt like a crash course in medicine.

My last week was in internal Medicine, the learning process was the similar with the other wards I rotated, doctors taught every step and approach they took on the patients. Every doctor had time to explain questions I asked. At the end of my three weeks, I can say I really appreciate the jobs being done by doctors in developing countries, without state of the art facilities in these hospitals; they do their best to save the lives of people whom they treat. Ghana has been a wonderful place, and I loved every bit of it, from traveling to Accra, to Labadi beach and travelling to Nigeria as well. My advice to future volunteers is, prioritize what you want to do, because there is so much to do.

Always ask questions when you feel lost and people will gladly help you. Have fun and get a sun cream, lastly visit the beaches you would love it and most of all come prepared to learn.

Austin

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

What position do you hold at uVolunteer? What has been your career path so far?

Nat: I'm the Founder/Managing Director. I have an educational background as an industrial designer (BA), then moved over to study interactive media design (MA). Both of these programs were done in London, England where I was born (not raised, I was raised in Ghana). I then entered work as a interactive designer for the BBC in London for 9 years. I resigned from corporate in 2006 to travel to Costa Rica and start uVolunteer.

Did YOU take volunteer abroad?! If so, where and what inspired you to go?

Nat: To cut a long story short... I volunteered abroad in Thailand. I took an unpaid leave form the corporate job in 2004 to backpack South East Asia. The reason for doing this trip was that I always dreaded Sunday evenings when I had to start preparing mentally for work on Mondays.

I thought this was not a good way to live life so I decided to do something I had always wanted to do as a student but never had the money or time. To travel alone abroad to South East Asia. As a student, I had been fascinated about the secret and not so secret wars in Indochina.

I knew I'd get bored of partying and traveling for 3 months and I was also considering retraining as a technology teacher upon my return to the UK, after the break. So I considered doing some volunteer work as part of my trip. Test out if I could really teach!

The period I spent volunteering in Thailand lead me to return to work in Thailand for my volunteer agency. After that experience, I returned to London, quit the day job and moved to Costa Rica without knowing anyone to start uVolunteer. By then, I had caught the volunteering fever.

What does the future hold for uVolunteer - any exciting new programs to share?

Nat: The future of uVolunteer holds many exciting new things. We are growing very different from other organization in our industry. We have capped our yearly recruitment to a 1000 volunteers and want to focus in providing a great program to these 1000 participants.

We are a small company that likes being small but we have big ideas. We are not trying to be Cross-Cultural Solutions or Projects Abroad, we are looking to specialize, further niche , and introduce some really exciting services in the coming year. I can't give details yet.

What about the future of the industry? How do you think volunteer abroad will change over the next 10 years?

Nat: Future of the industry? Though one! The sector is growing.... there are more organizations each year. I'd say 1% of the volunteer travelers are prospective volunteer companies. There are many people who come through our program seeking something meaningful to do in life.

Also technology is becoming easier and easier for the masses. It is only a matter of time before the local receiving organization start to really challenge and compete on-line with the global international sending organizations. When this happens the industry will go through a bit of a shift.

Which volunteer abroad destination is most underrated? Conversely, which is most overrated?

Nat: Most underrated volunteer destination is Thailand. Thailand still has a lot to offer. Most overrated????? Ecuador!!!!

Location

Location:

Ghana

Currency:

Ghanaian Cedi

Weather:

Jan-Mar

102 F / 66 F

Apr-Jun

100 F / 72 F

Jul-Sep

88 F / 72 F

Oct-Dec

90 F / 66 F

Airports:

Kotoka International Airport

( ACC )

Kumasi International

( KMS )

Ghana is considered one of the most peaceful places in Africa, due to there longstanding stability in their economy and politics. This country is rich in history, which you can see in their UNESCO world heritage site that displays the effects of the slave trade and gold reserves. If you are looking to relax here, there is 335 miles of coastline that is ready to be explored.

About uVolunteer

uVolunteer specializes in providing volunteer work placements in Costa Rica, Ghana and Thailand. Our service learning projects include Teaching, Care & Community, Construction, Environment and Animal Conservation.

Our program promotes change and provides direction and purpose for our participants. Additional benefits are cultural insight, adventure...

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Plan My Gap Year - Community Volunteer Projects from $330

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Staff Interviews

Nathaniel Amponsah

What position do you hold at uVolunteer? What has been your career path so far?

Did YOU take volunteer abroad?! If so, where and what inspired you to go?

What does the future hold for uVolunteer - any exciting new programs to share?

What about the future of the industry? How do you think volunteer abroad will change over the next 10 years?

Which volunteer abroad destination is most underrated? Conversely, which is most overrated?

Affordable Group Volunteer Programs in 35+ Destinations Worldwide with IVHQ

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Volunteer in Ghana | Most Affordable Projects Starting From $270