Hosted by GVI

GVI, Ethical Impact: Volunteer in Ghana

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4.94 Rating

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Location

Ghana
- Accra

Length

1 to 12 weeks

Project Types

Climate Change Community Development Service Learning Youth Conservation Environmental Conservation Education Teaching Computer Literacy Health Education Health Human Rights Women's Rights +3

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Program Details

Timeframe

Year Round

Housing

Guesthouse

Groups

Small Group (1-15) Medium Group (16-30)

Travel Type

Older Travelers Solo Women

Pricing

What's Included

Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Meals Transportation

What's Not Included

Airfare SIM cards Travel Insurance Visa

Last Updated: Nov 01, 2023

Last Reviewed: May 03, 2024

Wish List

8 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Travel to Ghana, a country with an abundance of nature, from mountains, waterfalls and wildlife to diverse beach coasts. In the city of Accra, visit forts and castles detailing over four centuries’ worth of history, or be sure to try the traditional kelewele, a favorite savory side dish.

You’ll join a team of like-minded participants, GVI staff, and partners to support sustainable development projects. Focuses include childhood development, education, global health awareness, and women’s empowerment, and your efforts directly contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

This is an opportunity to get involved in assisting with vocational training, financial planning for local livelihood initiatives, teaching English to youth, or conducting workshops on gender disparities within the community. At the same time, learn about culture, gain hands-on skills, and meet people from around the world, while traveling and exploring Accra, Ghana.

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Program Highlights

Connect with participants from around the world and actively contribute to the UN SDGs.
Learn about different cultures and traditions, and try a variety of local cuisines.
Assist with women’s empowerment, childhood development and health awareness initiatives.
Become a global citizen as you better understand local and international issues around community development.
Explore mountain ranges, relax on beaches and visit historical monuments that are over four centuries old.

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Program Reviews

4.94 Rating

based on 33 reviews

Leave a Review

Rating Spread Volunteer

5 rating 93.94%
4 rating 6.06%
3 rating 0%
2 rating 0%
1 rating 0%

Impact 4.85
Support 4.85
Fun 4.85
Value 4.8
Safety 4.85

Good for Solo Travelers, Students, Building your resume

Showing 33 - 33 of 33 reviews

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!

Response from GVI

Hey Rebecca, thanks for your review! I'm thrilled to hear you had such a positive experience with us and enjoyed your time on base as much as you did. We'd love to have you back on base sometime soon!

By GVI on July 28, 2021

Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

There is no perfect program, but GVI is one of the best. After several weeks of researching different volunteer organizations, I decided to volunteer through GVI because of the reviews.

I was also able to speak with representatives about my interests (teaching and working with children), and they were able to help me choose the right program for me. The process was easy and all of my questions were answered.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

As a GVI volunteer, you'll be given tips on how to raise money and a program guide with all of the information you need for your trip.

The program fee includes housing and meals, but it does not include airfare, travel insurance, or vaccinations and medications.

GVI does have scholarships to apply for potential volunteers that may help you cover most of your costs.

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What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

There are so many things I wished someone told me before I left home to volunteer abroad.

Staying in Ghana, and living in Tanzania, made me realize the importance of learning the language. People will respect you more if you do. To some, it may show that you are actually invested in them, that you are open to learning about who they are, and that you actually care. Try to remember greetings, please and thank you.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

As a volunteer, you'll be met by a GVI employee at the airport. That employee will then take you to your homestay where you'll meet other volunteers.

Before you begin your program, you'll receive a brief orientation on your program, the country's culture and language, and have your questions answered.

You'll volunteer during the morning, but will have time in the afternoon to mingle with other volunteers and/or sightsee. You'll also get a chance to spend time with the locals. Weekends are best used for sight-seeing areas that aren't close to your homestay.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

As a Black woman volunteering abroad, I'm not going to lie...I was scared. I was scared because of those two reasons alone. I was scared of how I would be treated by others. Being realistic, I don't go abroad with lofty expectations, fantasizing that I will be welcomed with open arms.

It's important that you know who you are, what you bring to the table, and that you are aware of your surroundings.

Is there any other advice for prospective travelers?

To all my fellow volunteers, whether you are volunteering through GVI or another organization, go with an open heart and open mind. We're all from different walks of life and that's what makes each of us unique.

Lastly, keep your eyes and ears open, and allow these experiences to help shape you, to help fuel you, and to help you see how you can make your mark on the world.

P.S. If you're visiting Ghana, please eat red-red and plantains on my behalf, it's delicious!

Staff Interviews

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

What is your favorite travel memory?

With .c 50 countries and 15+ years of travel and living abroad under my belt, I honestly could not choose a single fav. But definitely in my top 5 would be, aged 18, taking an impromptu few weeks out of an otherwise diligently planned overland solo trip from Zimbabwe to Kenya and hiring an off-road motorbike to spend several weeks with no map, plan, phone, or itinerary exploring the beautiful island of Zanzibar, off Tanzania. I was 18 years old, had just completed a 12-month gap year with friends in South East Asia and Australasia, and - unwilling to return home and full of the confidence of youth - I headed off to Africa alone and for the first time (blowing the 'year' component of my gap year, and doing so without informing my parents - WHICH YOU SHOULD NEVER DO! Mum, if you're reading this, I'm SO sorry; I was young and irresponsible, and you deserved much better!). Nevertheless, I did absolutely fall in love with Africa during that trip (I now live in West Africa). I felt such a profound sense of peace, freedom, and security, and - despite on occasion not seeing another human being for up to 48 hours - I had never previously imagined you could feel such a sense of belonging to a place that you had never once before seen or even visited. I was home.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

I would not describe this change as having occurred only during my time at GVI but rather as a longer-term journey of change that has culminated during my time at GVI. I am responsible for the safety, welfare, and development of our community partners and stakeholders and, of course, the hundreds of volunteers, interns, and staff members who join our team in Ghana each year. I have also been a volunteer in Ghana, and so I know what it is to be truly blown away by this incredible new country with its amazing people who constantly steal your heart, and so it is impossible to put into words the fundamental emotional recalibration you have to undertake to transition effectively from 'the person who is experiencing this' to 'the person who is responsible for the person who is experiencing this'. GVI's sector-leading health, safety, and ethical policies are incredibly complex and robust, and holding the responsibility for their management and implementation is a complete honor, as well as a colossal responsibility. Every moment of every day, I - and my team - are entirely focused on ensuring that you receive the very highest standard of experience, reward, and care from GVI. It would be impossible for anybody doing this work not to grow under such circumstances.

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What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

In 2020 we had an incredible young couple from the U.K. join us as volunteers in Ghana for 6 weeks, after which they were due to fly to Seychelles for a further 8-week excursion that they had already booked and paid for, to a value in excess of £10,000. They were not wealthy and had saved and saved for this amazing journey. After 6 weeks in Ghana with GVI, they were smitten and wished they had never booked their next leg to Seychelles. After an extremely tearful goodbye, they departed for the airport and to their onward journey to Seychelles. But as it turned out, their flight had been canceled. Seeing this as a clear sign of fate, they turned right around and headed straight back to GVI, blowing off their extremely expensive Seychelles trip and opting instead to remain with GVI in Ghana. A year later, they were still with us! They only left that day for a few hours, and they didn't actually even make it out of Ghana, but that is a return story that is difficult to top!

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I plead the 5th here so as not to offend any of my GVI colleagues and their incredible operations and teams around the world or to incriminate myself by demonstrating favor for one GVI team over another. I shall not be duped here, and I shall commit nothing to write that may be used against me in the court of GVI WhatsApp group gossip.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

GVI is truly unique in many different ways to many different people for many very valuable and different reasons. I'd recommend you take a moment to look through the reviews and feedback on this site, on GoAbroad, on TrustPilot, and on GVI's Instagram and Facebook account pages... don't listen to me, listen to all those volunteers and travellers and communities who have fallen in love with GVI and the work it does, for a reason that is unique to them and that will become unique to you.

I have never not been especially proud of my team.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

Empathy.

With it, you can identify, understand and truly value your customers' requirements, your staffs' ambitions, and your partners' or suppliers' needs: three components that are essential for you to navigate a well-balanced business model. Without empathy, you consider others only as instruments for your own success... a business model that rarely goes unpunished (especially in GVI's line of work!).

Location

Location:

Accra

Currency:

Ghanaian Cedi

Weather:

Jan-Mar

91 F / 73 F

Apr-Jun

90 F / 73 F

Jul-Sep

84 F / 72 F

Oct-Dec

90 F / 73 F

Airports:

Kotoka International Airport

( ACC )

Accra is the capital of Ghana and has been on the rise for the past 20 years. This multilingual country has offers museums, cultural centers, and beaches.

About GVI

GVI is an award-winning organisation that tackles critical local and global issues through our travel-based volunteer, internship, fellowship and apprenticeship programs as well as online courses, and virtual programs. At GVI, we believe that long-lasting impact is locally-led, which is why our programs are run in partnership with local...