DARE Ghana Project 2009:

Dynamic Hands Youth International

Ho, Volta Region

Overview

Ghana is well known for being one of the friendliest African nations. It is a beautiful country which is home to forests, golden beaches, ruined slave forts and wildlife reserves.

It was the first Sub-Suharan African country to gain independence in 1957 and is stable and safe in comparison to other countries in the region.

Nearly everyone in Ghana speaks English and the people are extremely welcoming making it a great country to visit especially if you’ve never travelled to Africa before.

Activities

The project will involve working with an NGO called Dynamic Hands Youth International in Ho, a city in the Volta region in the East of Ghana. Volunteers will be teaching English and Maths at a primary school or in the local orphanage.

Although English is the official language of Ghana the people normally speak a tribal language as their first language and learn English once they start school. As they progress to secondary school they are examined and taught all their subjects in English so it is essential that they have a good knowledge of the language by this point. However many children drop out of school for long periods of time because they can’t afford school fees and then have problems catching up when they return.

Dates

The project will run for 4 weeks during the summer but can be extended if the group wish to stay longer. The dates are flexible and can be arranged to suit the team.

Costs

Flights are currently around £480 return from London with British Airways.

Accomodation will be in a volunteer house where they will also provide two meals a day. The cost for this is $650 for 4 weeks and $163 for each additional week.

Volunteers will also need to pay for immunisations, anti-malarials and a visa.

Volunteer Qualities

This project would be good for anyone who enjoys working with children or anyone looking for teaching experience. You don’t need any previous teaching experience for this project but volunteers must be enthusiastic flexible and patient as teaching in Africa is a completely different experience to working with children in the UK.

There is a lot of opportunity for individual travel around Ghana. As you will only be teaching during the week you will have the weekends free to explore the country. Coffie who is in charge of the volunteer placements in Ho will be more than happy to advise you on the best places to go and how to get there.

Ghana is a fantastic country and the people are overwhelmingly friendly making it a great place to travel if you haven’t travelled much before or are visiting Africa for the first time.