Projects Abroad - Volunteer Projects in Ghana

This was an amazing experience. You meet great friends all over the world and get a better understanding of not only the west african culture but the culture of many different countries as well. Throughout the week you will go to your placement with weekends off, which gives you a great opportunity to travel around the country and see more of the sights.

Going with a program gives you the security to live in a forign country, I personally was very glad that I did not try to travel there myself as the customs are very different and the culture takes some getting used to.

As for the work placement its self the work is very challenging but rewarding. I worked in a care placement in the orphanage and found the children difficult because they are not used to time outs and the only form of punishment that they recieve is the cane. That being said this is the custom in Ghana and although it took some getting used to we showed the teachers different ways of discipline and convinced them to be open to other methods. The children are fun and great to work with, many people think that they will volunteer and "Change Africa" but as a volunteer you need to understand that the rewards come from teaching one child on one day to say please and thank you, or helping a child with their math homework and watching them get excited because they got the answer right. As a single volunteer in Ghana you will not make a world of difference, or change the whole country, but you are the buliding blocks that collectivly over time will help to change the country.

Going to Ghana after high school was probably the best decision that I could make for myself. It was beautiful and great fun, and opened my eyes to all of the different opportunities that the world has to offer.

My placement with Projects Aborad was at Central Regional Hospital in Cape Coast and my first day was awesome. I got the tour around the hospital like everyone does. The fun part of my day happened when we got to the operating room during my tour. I got sucked in with some medical school students and got to watch an appendectomy! The surgeon was a Bulgarian doctor who has been in Ghana for more than 4 years. He explained everything about the procedure and let me come in close to see the perforation of the appendix. That was my first day and it just got better from there.

I was in Ghana for a total of 4 months and I chose to spend most of my time in the Surgery Department. A doctor on ward duty basically had to stay in the surgical wards and do anything that was needed from putting in catheters and NG tubes to washing burn victims. This is when I got my most hands-on experience because less people were around. I got to do many awesome things, as odd as some of it may sound. I helped bath burn victims, dressed wounds, gave a rectal exam, put in IV lines, drew blood for analysis, and assisted in a minor surgical procedure. For example, one time a doctor that was supposed to assist could not be reached so Dr. C asked the nurse to get me a gown and gloves. We had to put in a suprapubic catheter into an old man who had an obstruction that wasn’t allowing him to release the urine from his bladder. He was too old to have an operation so they decided to put a catheter directly into his bladder through the abdomen. Dr. C made a small incision and then clamped the catheter tube with a forcep. He handed it to me and told me to push down as hard as I can until I felt a rip. Skeptical, but definitely willing, I did as I was told. I pushed and urine began to flow out through the tube and into the bag, much to Dr. C’s satisfaction. He showed me how to do a proper stitch then allowed me to do the remaining few stitches. This was probably the most hands-on, doctor-like experience I had while I was in Ghana and it definitely confirmed my desires to go into surgery.

Aside from the hospital, I also went on medical outreaches to villages and schools about once a week. We provided minor health services by treating ringworm, small infections, cuts and wounds, etc. This weekly experience helped me to apply a lot of the things I learned while at the hospital, and one weekend, a bunch of volunteers went to a rural village in Assin Praso to have our own one-day health clinic where almost 200 village people came.

Every week I also got a chance to do something outside of the medical-related area. On Tuesdays we took the kids from New Life Orphanage to Han’s Cottage to swim in the pool and see crocodiles in the nearby lake. They were the sweetest kids ever and they even gave me a tearful goodbye ceremony on my last day with drumming, dancing, poem-reading, and singing.

Needless to say, my experience in Ghana is one that can’t be fully expressed in mere words. All I can say is that I gained so much from this trip. Educationally, I learned a tremendous amount about medicine and the practice of human care. However, my gains were not limited to the educational benefits, because I also created so many memories that have changed me in some way through the different people, culture, and ideas that really defined my experience and every time I think back to my time in Ghana, that’s what I remember. And I thank Projects Abroad for giving me that experience.

Most amazing trip of my life. I learned so much and it gave me a new perspective on the world. going with projects abroad is a must! The staff was very friendly and i felt safe the whole time. An experiance that i will never forget

As soon as I arrived in Ghana I was greeted by a staff member, very clearly marked as a Projects Abroad staffer, as well as, a few other volunteers who arrived on the same plane. Projects Abroad also provided me with plenty of contact information of staff members, just in case anything were to go wrong, a few weeks prior. This staff support continued throughout the 2 month trip. I was also very pleased to have weekly staff interactions during Tuesday night Quiz nights and during my outreach programs. I honestly could not have asked for a better accommodation. I stayed with Molly Yankey for my two month placement. She is the kindest and sweetest Host Mother in all of Cape Coast! She took care of me and my seven other roommates like we were all her daughters. She cooked to our preferences and always made sure we were well fed. Even having a roommate who was a vegetarian, she met her needs to the best of her abilities. I am so thankful for my placement at Miss Molly's because it also meant living with Esi and George, as well. They are like family to me now and I stay in contact with them, even a year later. The conditions were great, especially for being in a third world country. The running water would often not work, but that was only due to overall Cape Coast city problems. However, Molly always made sure to have water stored on hand so all 8 of the volunteers and the three family members could take showers and use water as need be. My project was with the Central Regional Hospital in Cape Coast and I worked as a Physiotherapist. I was able to work with my own patients, diagnose, and rehab with my own plan. Definitely an experience that I would not have been able to have in the united states without being certified. I was treated respectfully and always have plenty to do. Overall, I had an amazing experience with my placement and on top of that, an extraordinary time traveling all around the country of Ghana during the weekends. The price for the program was a bit lofty, but with how well the two months went and how well everything was taken care of, did I mention I contracted Malaria and the staff took me to the hospital and checked up on me for days after??, I am perfectly satisfied with how much I paid. I know I could not have had an equal experience going through a different program.

When I first got of the plane in Accra, Ghana, I could not have anticipated the profound effect this trip would have on me. The first experience that embraced me in Accra, ( besides the overwhelming heat which I wasn’t used to coming from Canada) was the warm welcome from Nyami, the driver that picked me up from the airport. He took those first few minutes to introduce me to the program, and what would then become a recurring theme throughout the trip, that famous Ghanaian hospitality. After finding out a bit about me and my aspirations, he quickly gave me a name day and introduced me to the jewels of interpersonal interactions in Ghana such as the tricky to get but fun to do snapping handshake. Despite the jarring differences I witnessed between Ghana and Canada, I quickly felt at home in Ghana because of my kind host family that I would be very sad to leave in 2 months.
My placement was at the Ghana Police Hospital where I was put on rotations through the various wards in the hospital, from the outpatient department or OPD ward (emergency ward), surgery, female ward, paediatrics, ob/gyn and the rest. I originally planned to stay only a month in Ghana, but after two weeks in the hospital, I quickly extended my stay by a month. Not only did I get to do some technical things I would never get to do in Canada (such as giving injections, assisting with IV lines, and following doctors on ward rounds), but I felt as if I was real member of the health care team by the level of respect given to me as if I was true colleague. The degree of professionalism as well as team work displayed by the employees of the police hospital truly made my short time there an enriching one. I got to see things I have never seen before such as c-sections, hysterectomies, hernia repairs, and amputations to name a few. I got to also read up and see patients who had diseases I had never come across and perhaps never come across again such as typhoid fever, malaria, elephantiasis, colon cancer, diabetic sores, gangrene, and much more. If you want to get in on the action, it all depends on the enthusiasm and dedication you show! You really do influence how your placement will go!
Those on medical placements also had a chance to participate in weekly medical outreaches to orphanages in the Greater Accra region. Here you got to realize the true impact of your volunteerism. Cleaning the scrapes and cuts of these children who would have a smile on their faces despite everything they had to endure taught me so much about what true perseverance and resilience is. It is not about what life hands you but how you handle it that develops and shows your character and what marks the difference between one who is happy and one who is defeated by life.
It wasn’t all work in Ghana! If there is one thing people in Accra know, its how to have to good time. With the various events to do after work from the weekly quiz nights at the Projects Abroad office in Pig Farm ( one of the numerous personality-filled neighbourhoods in Accra), to the ethnic restaurants, bars and clubs, there was always something to do! If shopping is your thing, the arts market, makola market and Oxford street were prime places to bargain and get deals. Weekends were filled with trips through the beautiful locales of the many regions of Ghana.
My two months in Ghana hold some of my most profound memories of my life thus far. This trip in Ghana fully immersed me in the culture and really showed me what it meant to be a Ghanian. The food was excellent, the people were fantastic, the work was rewarding and the time there was unforgettable. Ghana is a place full of untold beauty in not only the sights but the people. What you will take back home that will be the most important won’t be the souvenirs and the pictures but the experiences and the feeling that Ghana gives you. Ghana one love indeed!

I spent 3 months in Ghana as a medical volunteer with Projects Abroad. I was placed with an incredible host family in the city of Kumasi; the family took me in as one of their own, took me on weekend outings, taught me some of the language and culture, and we are still in touch frequently even though I left Ghana 4 years ago. I volunteered in a government hospital, where I had the opportunity to see many of the departments. I didn't have the opportunity to help much in the medical departments of the hospital, but worked for several weeks in the hospital lab, where I ran all of the tests performed there, including malaria testing and blood typing. I particularly enjoyed the Projects Abroad medical outreach program in the local schools; each week we would travel to a different primary school and provide free first aid to the children. They were always excited to see us and loved the attention we gave them. It was nice to know that we were able to provide some basic medical care to them, which they more than likely would not have received otherwise. The country of Ghana itself is beautiful, the people are very welcoming, and the government is relatively stable, making it a safer place to travel than many other African countries. The Projects Abroad staff were friendly and made an effort to ensure we were learning about Ghanaian culture in addition to our volunteer work. The program coordinators organized social events to help bring the volunteers together, and were available to help solve any problems or address any concerns that arose. Overall I had a fantastic and experience with Projects Abroad in Ghana. It was expensive to travel through this organization, but as a first-time overseas volunteer, the help in getting my visas, arranging air travel, and providing host families was worth the expense.

Going to Ghana and doing the care program was an amazing experience. We got to see what the Ghanian culture was like as well as help out with the kids. I was stationed in Akuapem Hills and i stayed with a host family in Kwamoso village. In the mornings we painted a school and in the afternoons we went to a day care. On the weekend we visited cape coast. We went to the slavery castle and did the canopy walk which was awesome! The people were so welcoming and friendly and you get to meet other volunteers from around the world. My time spent in Ghana really opened my eyes up to just how great it feels to help others in need. I recommend that anyone who is debating on going GO!