German-Ghanaian Development Aid Association

Ghana is an intensely colourful and tourist attractive country on the west coast of Africa. It was formerly a British colony and was known as the 'Gold Coast', because of its wealth of deposits of Gold. The citizens are renowned for their friendliness and warmth towards all nationals. Ghana is an exciting and a popular place to spend some time on a volunteer project. Our voluntary projects in Ghana are available for anyone interested in volunteering in the developing world, including those on a gap year, career break or as work experience while studying.

A place for volunteer work or an internship is the Bethel Bridge International School in Teshie/Ghana. The Deutsch-Ghanaischer Entwicklungshilfeverein e. V. (German-Ghanaian Development Aids Association) has established a day nursery and kindergarten in the developing area of Teshie/Ghana. The facility was opened in October 2009 and has developed very successful. Our target group are single mothers and families with low income.

Experienced kindergarten personnel and teachers take care of the children. The usual lunch and in-betweenmeals are served by the associated kitchen. Qualified personnel from Germany together with the local teachers have developed a concept for the project. The main aim is nonviolent education and learning methods appropriate to the children's age. Our motto is: learning with fun.

The active parents council has requested for a primary school to continue the education following the same principles as in the kindergarten and so we started a new project at ending of 2011. With beginning of the academic year 2012/2013 the first children moved to the new classrooms and in 2013 the upgrade as a primary school was completed. In January 2015 the first constructional measures for further extension have been started and will be finished at the end of the year.

If you have pedagogical education or experience with small children with an age between 2 and 6 years you are welcome to apply for volunteering or internships in the nursery and kindergarten. For the primary school we are looking for volunteers and trainees with pedagogical education, students of social or pedagogical science.

The work is not easy and requires a lot of commitment and talent for improvisation due to the poor equipment. But the children who are love to learn will give you the strength and motivation to do the job.

The project is suitable for students of social or pedagogical science and educators/teachers. Please inform us about special requirements for your internship in order to be acknowledged.

With your voluntary work you can also help to improve the facilities e.g. by decorating the walls or by building educational toys.

Currently we are working with several Hospitals in Accra where you can make your medical practicals. You will be based in a bustling city hospital where you will see a wide range of illnesses and ailments.
Small village clinics in Ghana often lack even basic healthcare facilities, so you will be attending to patients from a huge catchment area. These patients have often travelled many miles to reach a hospital to get the appropriate treatment they require. You will find yourself coming into contact with disease patterns and conditions that you would not normally see in Europe. In view of the fact that a lot of village people go to hospital very late due to financial problem, Malaria, diarrhoea and typhoid, for instance, are common diseases ailments.

To start with your practicals or voluntary work your supervisor at the centre will draw up your working plan with your active participation and necessary input.

The hospital you are going to work in is suited for nursing training for medical students. Due to the organisational effort and expenses to obtain the permission by the health authorities we are charging a fee of 180.- GBP.

We are open to new ideas and activities. Please let us know your visions and ideas of your volunteer work and we will do our best to make them a reality.

Requirements

• Minimum of 18 years of age. on certain agreements from 16years
• Good knowledge of English.
• Practical experience is not necessary but advantageous. eg. public health, caring and teaching of children
• As you will be entering a completely different cultural context, you should be adaptable, independent, and an experienced traveller

What we provide

• Placement in one of our projects
• Assistance for accommodation (e.g. accommodation in a African family with monthly costs of 220.- GBP (lump sum) for board and lodgings).
• Tips for travel preparations, medical precautions, visa.
• Transfer from the airport in Accra.
• Escort you to the place of work by public transport.
• Mentoring and advice before you leave.
• If applicable contacts to fellow travellers.
• Certification after return if required.

What we do not pay for

• Flight tickets
• Visa fee (e.g. 50,- £ for a 3-month single entry visa)
• Vaccinations
• Accomodation and catering or services
• Travel insurance
• Personal expenditures and excursions