Why?

Why volunteer in Ghana?

"If an award were given for the country with the friendliest people in West Africa, Ghana would be a strong contender" (Lonely Planet).

Ghana has long been known for its friendly people, unique culture, and rich history. No bigger than the state of Virginia, and yet it offers the visitor all the imagery that embodies African culture. But even more than the the big game of Northern Ghana, the sandy secluded beaches of Western Ghana, or the cryptic castles of Cape Coast, what you will find most beautiful, most remarkable, are the people you meet and the children you teach.

Click here to see some amazing pictures of past volunteer experiences.

Why volunteer through GWF?

Browse this page and you will easily see all that separates GWF from other volunteer experiences - costs, support, flexibility, and much more. Below are four things that we are most proud of.

Partner School Relationship - GWF works closely with all of the schools that we send volunteers to. Because of this, we are able to give you, the volunteer, specific details about all of our schools in order to prepare you for your volunteer experience. On top of this, there is a good chance that there will be other GWF sponsored projects and programs, besides teaching, to get involved with. If there isn't we can work with volunteers to create specific programs that may interest them and benefit a school.

Choice - GWF allows our volunteers to choose what school they would like to volunteer at (providing that the school is not full). Each school that we work with has a different set of needs and goals and therefore their requirements and expectations from volunteers is different. Choose the school that fits your own needs, desires, and skills.

Cost - Browse on-line at other volunteer programs and you will quickly realize that GWF's program fees are the cheapest. This is because we are a 100% volunteer run operation. Not a single penny of your volunteer fees will ever go toward other people's salaries or other unnecessary costs. Instead, we offer you the lowest cost possible by assuring that the maximum percentage of all payments are given to those who need it most - the schools.

A Chance To Make a Difference - Almost all of GWF's Board of Directors were in your position not too long ago...searching the web for the perfect volunteer organization, hoping for the chance to make a difference in the world. Today, despite having to return home, a part of us has never left Ghana, and so we continue to volunteer our time to help the schools we once taught at. GWF volunteers are encouraged to not only get involved with the schools they teach at (although this is certainly priority number one), but also, if they choose, to get involved with GWF for the chance to make a positive impact on hundreds of students in both Ghana and America.

What?

Q: What volunteer opportunities are available?

• Volunteer Teacher - This volunteer position requires a commitment to the host school only. You are expected to meet the basic volunteer requirements as stated by each school, but encouraged to get involved with any other programs, activities, and projects that you are interested in (e.g. starting a sports club or an after school tutoring session). Volunteer teachers must commit for at least one month.
• Volunteer Coordinator - In addition to the duties of the Volunteer Teacher stated above, this position requires volunteers to act on behalf of GWF as well. Duties would include being the liaison between the school and the organization, overseeing and assisting in GWF projects at the schools, and representing GWF during your stay in Ghana. More specifically, responsibilities may include visiting other schools in Ghana to interview the proprietors, submitting reports to GWF about the conditions of schools and or projects, overseeing the allocation of funds for a certain program, or running errands, like brochure printing, for GWF. The Volunteer Coordinator must commit for at least 5 months and should provide ample time to learn about GWF before their departure.

Volunteer Schedule/Duties - Each school that we work with has a different set of needs and goals, therefore it is impossible to determine what a volunteer's schedule and/or their duties will be like until they near departure. However, each school that we work with is required to submit a list of possible duties and activities that they would like to see volunteers do besides or on top of teaching. This list, along with many other answers you seek, is provided in the Volunteer Packet upon acceptance into our program.

Where?

Q: Where will I volunteer?

Unlike other volunteer organizations that load up on schools for self profit, GWF has chosen to keep our list of host schools small. All GWF schools must meet, not only a high standard of comfort for their volunteers, but also a high standard of education for their students. Our small list of volunteer schools reflects our dedication to each of our schools and the importance we place on the close relationship between school, organization, and volunteer. Today, we have three volunteer schools, all in the southern part of Ghana. Since GWF has volunteered or visited all of our volunteer schools, we can reduce the amount of apprehension one might have about living in a different country by providing specific details about where you will be staying (if you want them). Check out this map to see where you will be staying in relation to other points of interest in Ghana.

New! GWF now allows volunteers to choose which school they would like to work at. Below we proide general overviews of each of our schools. For more in depth questions and inquiries about the schools, please contact info@ghanawisdom.org

Wisdom Academy

Emmaneul International School

CYE Elementary and Junior High School

Who?

Q: Who can volunteer?

To volunteer through GWF you must meet the following requirements:

-You must be at least 18 years of age.

-You must hold a high school diploma and speak fluent English.

-You must be able to sustain physical activity in the intense heat.

- Most importantly, you must possess a sincere desire to help Ghanaian schools improve their education.

How?

Q: How long can I volunteer for?

Because we rely heavily on our volunteers to initiate and sustain many programs, we ask that volunteers make a minimum one (1) month commitment. Those who wish to apply for the Volunteer Coordinator position must be able to stay in Ghana for at least five (5) months. We also ask that you allow at least 1 (one) month between date of application and date of departure.

Please note the three school vacations: middle of April, end of August, and end of December.

Q: How much does it cost?

This is how we calculate the price:

Food - $7.00 per day (includes all three meals)

Room - $30.00 per calendar month

Airport pick-up and drop-off - $40.00, one time fee

Processing Fee - $50.00, one time fee

*Program Fee - $100.00, one time fee, paid to the host school

A weekly budget of $20.00 should cater to all your other expenses like bottled water, personal costs, beverages and entertainment.

Other costs include: flights, visa, shots, travel insurance, and departure tax.

We can work with anyone to calculate exact prices. The monthly prices shown below are used for estimating purposes only.

1 MONTH - $430.00

2 MONTHS - $670.00

3 MONTHS - $910.00

6 MONTHS - $1645.00

Since room is determined by the calendar month you may need to add an extra $30.00 to all prices.

*The program fee is a mandatory donation made to the host school. Rather than give it to GWF we prefer that you give it to those who truly need it....the schools. Work with the proprietor to come up with an idea of how you want your money spent.

All payments must be paid 2 weeks before departure and will be wired to Partner School via Money Gram.

Q: How do I sign up?

Step 1: Fill out the Application

Step 2: Click Here

Once applicants are accepted to the GWF Volunteer Program, they will be sent a Volunteer Packet which covers all the necessary pre-departure information.