Affordable Volunteer Opportunities Abroad
Africa, Latin America, Asia

With greater efforts to improve health service delivery, especially the health of women and children, an emphasis is placed on improving the quality of reproductive health services and on preventing and reducing the impact of widespread communicable diseases. The project is aimed at bridging gaps that prevent efficient and effective delivery of health services, and fostering partnerships that lead to improved health in Ghana. Government and non-governmental organizations run a number of different health facilities, hospitals, maternity clinics, children's hospitals, HIV/AIDS wards, and alternative-medicine clinics in many cities and small rural villages.

In the health project, volunteers support the local doctors and nurses. Work ranges from observational to basic assistance, depending on level of knowledge, experience, and skill. As a volunteer you can work with a health center within a local community by observing and assisting with a local medical practice. Access to basic healthcare is often one of the most challenging issues that low-income and neglected populations face. Community level intervention and local health clinics offer services to local families at minimal or no cost. Working on health projects offers a wonderful opportunity for volunteers to become familiar with the challenges and health issues of developing countries.

Minimum Program Length: 2 weeks
Start Date: Every Monday
Arrival Date: 2 days prior to your Start Date (Saturday)
Minimum Age: 18 years old
Volunteer Gender: Male and Female

Accommodation:
During their stay, all volunteers are housed with host families in the community they will be based. Volunteers will typically have their own private but at times it may be necessary to share your room with another volunteer. The host families are consistently screened with their information updated on regular basis to make sure they meet our standards.

Food:
2-3 meals per day will be provided by the homestay family. Meals will typically be made with rice, chicken, beef, tea, coffee, bread, eggs, soup, potato, oats, fruits, and fish. Vegetarians can be accomodated. Drinking water is an issue we take seriously and we make sure that volunteers drink only distilled and treated water.

Pick-up Info:
A Volunteer Visions representative will be at Kotoka International Airport to pick you up and guide you to your project location.

Project Schedule:
Volunteers will participate in their program 4-8 hours from Monday to Friday. During the weekends, volunteers are free to travel to explore local communities or engage in activities with their homestay family.

Suggested Donations:
Donations of books, pens, notebooks, basic medical supplies, clothes, blankets, hygienic items, games etc. are welcomed. For large sum donations, please contact the Volunteer Visions office.

Health care professionals, students, and non professionals are needed at the small village clinics. The working conditions may not be what you are used to. The equipment is quite basic and the quantity and variety of medicine is very limited. You can record attendance, review patient history, perform general patient examinations, provide pre-natal care, assist in deliveries, offer education to clinic attendants and community groups regarding ways of preventing diseases affecting them most. Examples of demonstrating these preventative measures are educating them on how to treat contaminated water before use, how to prepare a balanced and healthy meal, the practice of basic hygiene, etc. There is severe shortage of Dentists and eye-care specialists are desperately needed as well. If you are a medical doctor, nurse or group who wishes to offer health assistance, these communities are in critical need of your assistance.

Suggested Skills and Interests

No specific skills are required for the health care project. If you do have a background in medicine or related field, your skills would be welcomed.

The teaching projects take place in rural areas of Ghana. There are three main villages where the projects are concentrated:

Yeji
The Yeji town is a lovely local town with a cosmopolitan outlook. It serves as the meeting point for traders both from the south and the north of the country. Plotted on the shores of the Volta lake (damned into the largest manmade lake in the world few miles south of Yeji) fishing is very active in the town which also happens to be one of the leading trading centers in the country. With a population of about 125,000, the presence of traders from all parts of the country has forced the town to take up about 300,000 people per day. Trading in farm produce, fresh and preserved fish from the volta river, and livestock are the leading activities. Child labour and early marriage are the leading social problems of the bicycle populated town. The standard of living of the people in the town is low.

Sepaase Village
The Sepaase village is on the highways leading to big farming villages in the west of the country. Surrounded by several communities and very close to Kumasi (second largest city in Ghana), Sepaase village does not have any brisk commercial activity. Most of the inhabitants survive on peasant farming whilst the rest are engaged in various types of employment in the city.

Kodie Village
Located at Kodie, a village on the highway leading to the northern part of the country, the town serves several communities around the village. About 8 miles from Kumasi (second largest city in Ghana), Kodie village does not have any central commercial activity. Most of the inhabitants survive on peasant farming whilst the rest are engaged in various types of employment in the city and other close district capitals such as Offinso.