Download Our Program Brouche
Our PDF brouche contains all you need to know about GHVN. Please download and read this document before booking. Our program described simply and its easy to read.
About Ghana Volunteer Network
Location:
About Us
Ghana Volunteer Network (GHVN) is a local Ghanaian Non-Profit Organization whose sole purpose is to host international volunteers in Ghana. We are a hosting and receiving organization that focuses on the part of the volunteer vacation that begins once a participant has booked their program.
The majority of our volunteers book their trips through larger international volunteer abroad agencies. And we provide their in-country local volunteer management and care for these companies.
Our main focus is on servicing and hosting volunteers, rather than the marketing and recruitment of volunteers internationally. But, hey, if you have arrived on this page and are researching volunteering in Ghana. then to use a Ghanaian expression, we would say "then you have arrived at a good place".
So why not book your volunteer vacation in Ghana directly with us
We are specialists in managing and hosting in Ghana and have been looking after volunteers since 2009. Because we are in-countryand with you, at all times we are best placed to to provide you with the best possible volunteer experience abroad. Our level of service is so personalized that it cannot be beaten by the larger agencies.
Volunteer hosting basically means that we take care of placements, arrivals, training, accommodation, food, inspecting and ensuring the smooth operation of your placement abroad. Another aspect of our role is to integrate you into the culture and community of Ghana and to advice you on how best to travel and tour Ghana.
Our hosting organization operates as a network and we do not our own programs. Instead we connect to our network of local organizations that are in need of assistance but are too small to be noticed by the larger international volunteer abroad companies. These small organizations do not have the funding nor facilities to maintain a presence online and only dream about having international volunteers in their projects and institutions. We provide them with this resource and, as a result, provide you with genuine and useful volunteer placements in Ghana.
As an organization we have chosen to HQ and base the center of our operations in Koforidua, the capital of the Eastern Region of Ghana. This town is centrally located and makes for a great hub to travel around Ghana. The eastern region is also one of the last regions to receive developmental funds from the government of Ghana. We have made this location the center of our network of local placements and our reach is growing daily and spreading to all parts of Ghana, thus enabling you provide your services to help develop our young but shining nation in Africa.
Book: your volunteer vacation in Ghana directly with us
Our ServicesApart from our quality Volunteer Management & Coordination Services our organization also offers a great package of services such as:
Pre-Arrival ServiceWe will be in contact with you by telephone and email to provide you with our pre-arrival service. During this stage, we will explain how best to apply for your volunteer visa for Ghana. We will provide you with letters, references and all documentation needed for you to successfully complete your visa application. We will also call you to go through your Placement Pre-Arrival Checklist to make sure that you are ready for your trip and that you have not forgotten anything. We will also explain to you how our airport welcome service works. So, don't worry, we have everything covered!
Airport Pick-Up & Welcome ServiceA week before your arrival we will call you to go over the final preparations and walk you through what will happen when you arrive at the airport in Ghana. We will also go over with you our method of ensuring that we do not miss you at the airport. We will explain everything in detail so you will not be nervous and will know exactly what will happen when you arrive in Ghana.
Once we pick you up from arrivals hall (we have never missed anyone) we will give you a bottle of cold mineral water to drink; its customary in Ghana to offer drinks to guests. We will then explain what happens next, for example if we are to wait for other volunteers or if we are to start our trip to Koforidua immediately. We transfer you to Koforidua in our private shuttle service (Ghana Style). During this trip we will educate you on all the sights that we will be seeing and we will even make a quick stop in village market to buy some fruit for breakfast the next day. This trip last 40 minutes and in itself is a great introduction to Ghana and our volunteers love it.
Volunteer Dorm HomeMost of our volunteers in Ghana are accommodated in our volunteer dorm home. We do not send volunteers to home stays because we have found from experience that the cultural differences and the quality of most normal housing can make for uncomfortable boarding. Also, our volunteers over the years have expressed a preference for their own private accommodation shared with other volunteers and travellers.
So our volunteer dorm homes are designed to be a mixture of a home stay and a volunteer hostel. This means that we have our staff quarters also in these building and staff and volunteers share this accommodation. With this system, our staff become your family away from home and will be an important part of your social network during your placements. Volunteers and staff make lasting friendships and are in constant contact on our alumni networks even after volunteers return home.
Our volunteer dorm home in Koforidua is relatively small and only sleeps a maximum of 12 volunteers. Each room sleeps a 3-4 volunteers, with bunk beds in and storageeach room, and each volunteer has their own keys. The accommodation has a kitchen, western washing facilities, a garden, outside terrace and ample living space. The building is located in a safe compound and has several security features.
Local Meal PackageAs part of your hosting we will provide you with breakfast and dinner from Monday to Friday.
Why do we not provide 3 meals and on weekends?Because we want you to get out there and try the local cuisine. This is an ideal opportunity to explore the local restaurants (chop bars) and food joints with your house mates and placement colleagues. What better way to learn about a county than through its food?
Another reason we do not provide lunches is because most of the time volunteers are at the projects during the day, not at the volunteer home dorm to eat. So it's more convenient to eat out than return to the dorm home to eat. After all, lunch will only set you back $2. Alternatively you can prepare lunch in our kitchens and take to your project.
On weekends volunteers always travel so there is no point in preparing food. Also this gives our staff the opportunity to rest and recuperate
. 3 Day OrientationOnce you arrive at our volunteer dorm home your orientation continues. You will be shown around the dorm and shown how to use the facilities After you have had some time to settle down and relax we will take a short walk around the neighbourhood. On this walk we will point out the important landmarks and services.
On the following day you will be given a presentation that explains all about Ghana and GHVH. This presentation will include historical references, cultural aspects, a basic language (Twi) training, cuisine, transportation, attitudes, public behaviors, and health & safety issues.
Your main orientation session will then have an extensive tour around the town. During this tour we will eat a local lunch, visit the bank for you to withdraw some money and we will teach you how to get about town. In the evening we will take you to socialize with our network of friends and introduce you to any other volunteers that are in town from Projects Abroad. Usually we have volunteers in the same town and in the same projects.
On the third day of orientation we will take a hike through the country side of the Eastern region and visit two waterfalls. This is quite a strenuous trek so come prepared. On the way back we will stop in town to grab lunch and then head back to the dorm home to get some much needed rest before your placement starts on Monday Morning.
Volunteer PlacementWe can offer all types of work placements through our network of local originations????. We have organized them into project categories listed on our projects page. If you are interested in a project that is not listed on our project pages then contact us because 9 out of 10 times we can custom build the placement for you in less than 48 hours.
Weekly Placement InspectionsOn the first day of your project your GHVN coordinator will take you to your project location and introduce you to your placement. Your GHVN coordinator will even volunteer with you on the first day to make the introduction to your project less stressful. Sometimes however we may not be able to do this - for example in the hospital. At the end of the working day your GHVN coordinator will travel back with you to the dorm home. On the way back you will be shown how to travel back and forth to your placement the following day.
You GHVN coordinator will regularly visit your placement for inspection. This happens weekly if not bi weekly. During these visits, your GHVN coordinator will join in and also volunteer. You GHVN coordinator uses these visits to see you in action and to talk to the project staff to ensure that your placement is running smoothly.
Your GHVN coordinator will be in contact with you daily and you will have a direct line to call them 24 hours a day, should you need any assistance. They will become your go to person during your trip to Ghana.
This level of service and supervision is unparalleled and we can only do so because this is what we are in business to do. Our only objective is to ensure that you have a great volunteer abroad experience in Ghana.
Social ActivitiesOur local team will make sure that you are immersed into the community of Koforidua. You will be invited to help cook communally, invited to attend weddings, funerals, church, invited to distant cousin' birthdays.etc. And they will also travel with you some weekends.
Travel and Tour AdviceWe are based in Ghana and we have a constant flow of volunteers passing through our doors, so we get all the up-to-date information from previous volunteers about the best places to visit, where to stay, where to eat, how best to get around etc.
We can even arrange all of this for you as a package and, of course for a fee . but we prefer that you go and explore and have fun, find out new things about Ghana on your own. Don't be afraid to explore, Ghana is a very friendly country and you will meet locals and other travellers everywhere you go.
Free InternetWi-Fi internet is available in all the rooms in our dorm home. We have done this so that you that you can keep in contact with your friends and family back home.The internet connection is not for streaming shows such as Netflix as this download clogs up our network. You should be out and about living in Ghana not stuck in your dorm room watching shows. This is a key service feature of our program that no other organization offers.
Airport Drop off ServiceBy the end of your program we expect that you will know Ghana enough to make your own way back to the airport. However, some volunteers have a lot of luggage and it may not be suitable to return to the airport with public transportation. For these occasions, we can arrange for your GHVN coordinator to take you in a private car and drop you off at the check in desk of your airline. If you want, we can even arrange for a local drumming school to come along to send you off the traditional way!
Our MissionWhen you are hosted with GHVN always remember that the only reason we are here is to make sure that you have the best possible trip to Ghana. We are looking forward to meeting and getting to know you. Should you have any other question about our program, please feel free to contact us.
Ghana Volunteer Network is a registered charity in Ghana. Our organization is NON-Profit and is certified by the Department of Social Welfare of Ghana, registration No. D.S.W/4906.