Description:
Volunteering abroad is the opportunity of a lifetime, and our flexible short-term programs let you design your ideal experience in Ghana. Volunteer from 1 week to 3 months in meaningful projects that will let you work side-by-side with local people and experience the Ghanaian culture like never before.
As an international volunteer with Cross-Cultural Solutions, you're making a positive contribution, by sharing in the goals of a Ghanaian community that warmly welcomes you. You'll gain new perspectives and insight into the culture and yourself. It's an exciting and personally inspiring experience, and you'll develop memories that will stay with you forever.
As a volunteer in Ghana, you will gain unparalleled access to a country that is rich with the traditions of West African culture. Ghana was the first African country to gain independence, and while the official language of Ghana is English, more than 70 different languages are spoken. The clan and tribal systems are part of the culture in Ghana, and many traditional chiefs operate on a parallel system with the freely elected governmental body, the District Assembly. Ghana's landscape is diverse - it has low bush lands and grassy plains in the north, rich tropical rainforests in the central belt, and plains and scrub surround a sandy coastline.
Volunteers in Ghana are involved with caring for infants and children, teaching children, teaching English, assisting teachers, working towards women's empowerment, sharing their professional skills/experience, observing and assisting local health professionals, and assisting teachers of special education.
Cross-Cultural Solutions is a recognized leader in the field of international volunteering, with more than 4,000 volunteers each year. Founded in 1995, we are an international not-for-profit organization with no political or religious affiliations. CCS has a worldwide staff of more than 300 people, and operates in 12 countries, with administrative offices also located in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. We are in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations, and have been profiled in more than 500 news outlets.
Highlights:
Cross-Cultural Solutions operates in several towns in the Volta Region, the heart of the Ewe tribe. The Volta Region is one of Ghana's most picturesque, with a lush landscape and low, rolling mountains. In this region, you will come across old slave forts, indicative of Ghana's darker past, and many farms and local fishing areas. A variety of environments can be found in the region, from bustling cities to more typical rural villages and terraced farms where people reside in mud or cement houses and get their water from a town well or nearby stream. The region also includes several small farming and fishing villages along the coast of the African Gulf.
Known for their laid-back manner, Ghanaians just may be the happiest people on earth. They love to laugh and do not like to rush, as time is never an issue. In fact, interrupting a discussion or breaking up a moment between friends to get to an appointment is unheard of. This can come as quite an adjustment for many volunteers who are used to rushing rather than focusing on relationships. While they have few material possessions, Ghanaians possess a strong sense of family and community responsibility. They are hospitable and friendly to foreigners, which is not surprising given that the basis of Ghanaian life is an appreciation for taking time to visit with others. Rather than making a phone call to conduct business, most Ghanaians would prefer to wait and meet with the person face-to-face.
Cross-Cultural Solutions offers a wide variety of programs and experiences, but all of our volunteers come away with the same benefits:
- Personal Growth
- Having a Purpose
- Gaining Independence and Confidence
- Connecting with Others
- Seeing a Country from the Inside-Out
* The CCS Home-Base
CCS offers volunteers unprecedented support, and our entire infrastructure is designed around volunteer safety. Each of our programs is located close to a CCS Home-Base, your "home away from home" while volunteering abroad. Each Home-Base is exclusively for CCS volunteers, and designed for your safety and comfort. Here, you can connect with other volunteers and CCS staff, reflect on your experiences, enjoy meals together, read, and relax.
The CCS experience also includes cultural and learning activities so that you can learn about the local culture. These include an in-depth orientation, language training, guest speakers and more. Volunteers also have plenty of free time to relax, reflect, or explore the community and country.
Qualifications / Skills Needed:
No special skills or experience required.
Intern Types:
Counseling,
Development,
Education,
English as a Second Language,
Medicine,
Nursing,
Social Sciences,
Social Work,
Sociology,
Tourism
and Women's Studies
Language:
English
Cost in US$: Visit our website for program fees.
Cost Includes: What You Get For The Fee
* Personalized Volunteer Placement with our Partner Programs, based on your skills and interests, including all the coordination, in-person visits and communication necessary with each local organization.
* In-country Perspectives Programming that includes excursions to nearby points of interest, special events and discussions with a variety of local cultural, professional, governmental and community agencies and people.
* Cross-Cultural Solutions' Home-Base structure, providing you with a comfortable, safe place to live, the basic amenities, all of your meals, and transportation to and from all Cross-Cultural Solutions' placements and programs.
* An experienced U.S. based Cross-Cultural Solutions Program Manager (and former volunteer with Cross-Cultural Solutions) who will serve as your coordinator, guide, and liaison with our in-country staff.
* In-country basic language assistance (optional).
* Professional, locally-based staff to provide orientation, supervision and guidance throughout your stay.
* Travel medical insurance and emergency evacuation insurance, applicable to participants worldwide.
* Important documents, including in-depth pre-departure packs, orientation information, and all in-country informational materials.
* Country-based airport transportation.
* Local phone calls.
* In-coming international phone service.
* A toll-free 24-hour emergency hotline in the U.S.
Credit Available: yes
Experience Required: no
Typical Volunteer Projects:
community development
Typical Volunteer: While other volunteer programs may require certain skills or degrees, Cross-Cultural Solutions' programs are open to everyone. No matter what you believe your skill level to be, you have something meaningful and helpful to offer. We are dedicated to providing a meaningful placement for anyone willing to volunteer, and believe that the only skills required for international volunteering are a willingness to learn and an open mind.
Age Range: 18 and older, younger volunteers accepted with application
This Program is open to
Worldwide
Participants.
This Program is also open to
Families, Couples and Individuals.
Participants Travel to Ghana
Independently
Typically Participants Work
Independently
Application Process Involves:
Post Services Include:
- Alumni Network
- Exit Debriefing Abroad
- Re-Entry Debriefing at Home
Cross-Cultural Solutions's Mission Statement: Our mission is to operate volunteer programs around the world in partnership with sustainable community initiatives, bringing people together to work side-by-side while sharing perspectives and fostering cultural understanding. We are an international not-for-profit organization with no political or religious affiliations.
Year Founded: 1995
Ghana
