to development in rural Africa. To fully address the needs of communities in which we work, most of which are poor and marginalized from society, we focus on sustainable social entrepreneurship. While some activities generate profits, our main aim is to grow G-lish to reach more people in need. Thus, profits are reinvested in G-lish to fund expansion and non income-generating activities essential to development such as conflict resolution, health, education, youth-based, and environmental projects. G-lish Foundation therefore seeks volunteers and interns who wish to apply their talents in innovative volunteer projects in Africa and gain valuable work experience in the process.
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Sample International Volunteer Project Outline. This is a snapshot of a volunteer project created for an artist volunteer for our
Arts Development Program. Your project description will be tailored to suit your skills set, skill level and experience.
Volunteer Name: Jane Wilson Dates: 15th December 2011 7th February 2012 Project: Artists Development Program We produce recycled baskets using traditional basket weaving techniques. However, we are keen to develop art work for sale in galleries overseas. We are seeking ways to experiment with materials and with traditional techniques to create art that has potential to generate income in our villages and beyond. Volunteer Abroad Position: Our artists program will provide the foundation for capacity building and income generation in our weaving communities, and we are excited you will be joining us to help us deliver this program in Ghana. New artworks design and creation: You will spend time with our basket weavers, learning how to weave a basket and observing the techniques to familiarise yourself with the process of creation. Under the guidance of one of our basket weavers and your project manager, you can experiment with materials while you sit together and sketch potential art work styles which the weaver can develop with your direction, experimenting as you go. There are many possibilities for artwork creation so were excited to have your skills and expertise to help develop and refine this exciting project. Identifying potential artists: Many of our basket weavers are highly creative and have a natural eye for colour and balance. We appreciate your input on identifying craftspeople that show strong potential for artist creation as well. We will hold workshops where you will work with individuals, supported by our project managers, to help identify those with potential to become artists and lead this exciting development in our core villages. Photographs: We like to document all our activities for our supporters so we may need your help to take photographs as well. If our film volunteer arrives during your stay, you might work together to create a short film about the development of the Artists Program. Continued a typical Volunteer Project Outline is two A4 pages long.
Images at top: Left: early morning walking tour to see elephants at Mole NP, Middle: one of the elephants at Mole, Right: Children in Cape Coast
Local Features
You can explore Ghana during your time off from your volunteer abroad project. SWOPA: Sirigu Womens Organisation for Pottery and Art is 40 minutes by local transport from Bolga and is a popular attraction in the north of Ghana. SWOPA is famous for the geometrically-painted mud-brick compounds in the style of northern Ghana and for gorgeous and very inexpensive local pottery as well as the guest house and village walking tours. Even former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan stopped by for a visit. They have several guest huts in traditional style, and a guest dorm with a flat roof that you can sleep on if its hot or if you like to experience sleeping under the stars. The endless Baobabs and rolling savannah of this region make you feel like you've arrived in Africa.
Above Left: View from the central courtyard in Elmina Castle in the Central Region, Middle: Waterfall Lodge at Wli in the Volta Region in the mountains of eastern Ghana, Right: Nzulezo Stilt Village in the Western Region on the coast near the Ivory Coast Boarderall easy to get to using public transport and staying in affordable guest houses. Below: The SWOPA guest house ,the painted mud-brick villages near G-lishs project in the Upper East Region. Spending the weekend here is an unforgettable experience.
Travelling south from G-lish's volunteer project in Bolga is easy as there are direct coaches to Cape Coast and Takoraditwo key points for travelling to beaches along the coast, and also to Accra, the capital: you can go straight up or down in a day. Our founders lived in Cape Coast for several years and travelled to almost every major beach and can give you directions if youre planning to beach-hop or hang out at beaches for a whilewe thoroughly recommend thisand also visit the major attractions in the south like Kakum canopy walk, Elmina Castle or further west to Nzulezo Stilt Village. Our founders have also lived in Kumasi and can give you tips if you plan to spend time there or visit Lake Bosumtwi which is quite spectacular and worth the trip. Its one of our favourite places and we may well head there while youre staying with G-lish volunteers are welcome to catch a ride.
Top left: Busua Beach in the Western Region where local kids play soccer on the beach. Not sure if the shoreline has corners. Busua is one of the safest beaches in Ghana at which to swim and has great backpacker hostels all the way along the beach front. Above left: A truck stacked with produce and people heading to Burkina Faso from just outside Bolgatanga, our project area. Top right: The glassy waters of Nzulezo Stilt Village in the Western Region, Ghana, a perfect day or overnight trippaddle in and out through jungles submerged in the lake and stay in the hut on the end there right over the water.
Below left: The borehole at one of our core villages in Bolgatanga during the rainy season. These girls are filling up on water to take back home for the evenings needs: cooking, washing, drinking, etc. Bottom middle: The great 2011 chicken conference of Bolgatanga. Any ideas for a caption? Bottom right: Vida, who hopes to complete high school, twisting plastic into twine for weaving. Shes closely involved in our activities and youll certainly meet her during your stay.
Table of Fees
Please check www.oanda.com for currency conversions. If you are checking Ghanaian currency, use the Ghana New Cedi option.
Left: a child looks after a younger childcommon practice in Ghana, a young girl heading to the bore hole to fetch water, one unlucky boy pulling two others to the bore hole to get a drum and jerry cans of water. Relax indeed. All houses are fancy by Ghana standards, although simple by western, and are situated in large compounds where you will experience life in a modern, but rural Ghana. We have mango trees so between April-June you can walk out and pick juicy, sweet mangoes straight from the tree!
When to volunteer abroad with G-lish? Whatever time of year, there is always something happening: festivals, funerals (big events!), and grassroots volunteer projects! For a quieter experience: SeptemberMay. The busiest months are June August, the northern hemisphere summer.
What makes a good volunteer abroad in Africa? In our experience, age, gender, work experience and nationality have less to do with volunteer success in Africa or how well you cope once you arrive, than do personal outlook and attitude. Those volunteers who seem most fulfilled are apt to embrace change, have a willingness to do whats needed (sometimes outside the scope of their volunteer project) and to look on the bright side of situations. Being flexible is essential because conditions in Africa in general are unpredictablepower cuts, for one! Volunteers who draw on the breadth of their life experience, and who understand that progress takes time, are also likely to have a fulfilling international volunteer experience. Essentially, helpful qualities of volunteers abroad are: flexibility, determination, commitment, compassion, being non-judgmental, sense of humour, and patience. You dont have to be the most mindful, patient or determined person on earth, but a little of each helps. For example, being on time is not valued in Ghana (or broader Africa) so people often arrive late to meetings, which means we simply schedule meetings ahead of the intended start time. Dealing with frustration helps if you can have a laugh. Ghanaians love a joke and laughing is part of the culture, so you will find many opportunities to relax and share a smile while volunteering in our project communities.
Ghana is Fun! Fun is considered almost a dirty word when people think of Africa. Ghanaians, however, will joke, laugh and tease each other at the first opportunity. This is one of the most surprising things that volunteers mention: It was so much fun! Most westerners just dont associate the idea of fun with Africa and its really hard to explain this to family and friends when you return home. We often feel the media has done a great disservice to Africa in neglecting to show a real and joyful side of a vibrant continent. Another surprise for most volunteers is meeting other international volunteers. Chances are that youre like minded and will naturally click with each other. You will probably make great friendships that endure long after returning home. We know many volunteers who met in Ghana and visited in other countries together, as well as back home.
Below left: enjoying Lake Bosumtwi, Middle: Canoeing back from Nzulezo Stilt village, Right: Making friends at Green Turtle. Ghana is a popular backpacker and volunteering destination and its really easy to make friends at the main beaches with other international volunteers in Ghana.
Awards: We were happily surprised when G-lish Foundation won a SEED Initiative Award in 2010, not least because we
understand that SEED received over 600 applications and awarded just 30 winners globally, including G-lish Foundation. In SEEDs words: The SEED Initiative identifies and supports promising small scale social and environmental entrepreneurs around the globe, entrepreneurs that, while working towards a greener economy, also tackle poverty, marginalisation and social exclusion. G-lish benefited enormously from the award. We received in person training from a specialist SEED trainer who helped clarify our strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. We have been exposed to a wonderful network of past and present winners and supporters around the world, as well as other partnership opportunities. The award helped us scale up production to 50 baskets / month which requires a cash flow of over $1000 in payments which we could not have achieved without SEED support. We employed staff to help with scaling up production and now work with over 47 producers, hundreds of school children and two Community Based Organisations as well as partners in Ghana and supporters abroad. Weve planted 500 trees and consumed just over 107,000 plastic drinking water bags since we began producing in late 2009.
SEED is sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Other SEED partners are the United Nations Development Programme; International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the governments of Germany, India, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom and the USA.
But! We still have a long way to go. We would love you to join G-lish in Ghana, to be part of this history, to join the revolution of change-makerspeople doing something for others.
Special Needs Educators Conflict resolution volunteers Film/Photography volunteers Visual Artists Designers and illustrators Writer Volunteers Market Access Volunteers Business Support Volunteers Small Business Development Volunteers New Business Volunteers Financial and Accounting Volunteers Fair Trade Volunteers International Development Interns Eco-tourism volunteers and interns Horticulturist / tree-planting volunteers and interns Climate change and conservation volunteers Health volunteers Education and Green Clubs Volunteers Social media interns and volunteers IT volunteers
In keeping with our holistic approach to alleviating poverty, we work in a range of fields and seek volunteers who wish to apply their talents in these volunteer abroad projects and gain valuable work experience in the process. We welcome volunteers of all nationalities and backgrounds. Dont worry if English is not your first language; weve worked with volunteers from China, Germany, Spain, Japan, the Netherlands, as well as English speaking nationsthe USA, UK, Australia and Canada. We value the variety of talents the many motivated people who volunteer with us contribute. And we know that you may wish to work in several project areas. For example, you might concentrate on small business training, but you might also undertake proposal writing or design if you have those skills. Alternatively, a health educator might have facilitation or writing experience and want to help out in those areas. Whatever you prefer, we want to help you make the most of your talents, passion and skills. We have designed your volunteer application so that you can state your project preferences.
Whats the difference between an intern and a volunteer abroad? Interns are usually in high school or college and undertake an internship to gain work experience and receive study credit. Volunteers are generally post-schooling, are working or are retired and have more in-depth experience in one or more fields. If you wish to intern, however, we can develop your project accordingly.
Typical scenes from travel and life as a volunteer in Ghana, Africa. Bottom left: Green Turtle Lodge in the Western Region. Center: Waiting to catch a trotro in Kumasi Bottom right: Sunset in Axim Beach Resort in the Western Region.
Below left: families enjoying Green Turtle eco-lodge at Christmas, Middle: walking the dirt in down town Kumasi, Right: Sunset at Axim beach resort in the Western Region (near Nzulezo Stilt Village.) Dont forget to bring sunscreen!
Please consider your application carefully. Instructions for completion are included in your volunteer abroad application form. Download your application form to Volunteer in Africa with G-lish Foundation. We will inform you whether your application is successful within two weeks from the date your application was submitted, during which time we will contact you to discuss potential volunteer positions with you. You do not need to send any payments with your application.
Thank you for taking the time to read about volunteering in Africa with G-lish Foundation! Contact: Phone Godwin: +23324609317: Sometimes the network is down so if you dont get through straight away, please try in a few hours. Ghana is on GMT: same as London, 5 hours ahead of New York, 10 hours behind Sydney. Email: volunteers@g-lishfoundation.org, godwin@g-lish.org please also cc: young_consultants@bigpond.com (our assistants in Australia). Jobs: If you are interested in working in developing countries, volunteering in Africa is a great way to start. We expect to recruit managerial positions in future. You can sign up to our newsletter (a pop up window appears when you visit our site) to receive notifications of job opportunities with G-lish. Well most likely recruit from among our volunteers since we have personal experience with the success of this method of identifying individuals who possess the unique qualities required to manage development projects in rural Africa. Thank you for reading our volunteer brochure. We look forward to discussing volunteer projects in Ghana with you!
Reasons to volunteer in Ghana: Work in Ghana, Africa is highly sought after among those interested in humanitarian and development work. Becoming an international volunteer in Ghana is one of the best ways to taste life and work in Africa before committing to a career. If you're interested in working in Africa, we recommend volunteering in the field in which you wish to work abroad to find out whether it is really for you. Volunteer jobs and volunteer opportunities are many, but there is a big difference between the types of volunteer programs that many organisations offer. A volunteer job can involve anything from writing to photography to health or environmental work abroad. If you want to work abroad, you could do worse than testing the waters as an international volunteer. Finding jobs abroad is easier than ever, thanks to the hundreds of job search sites. If you're interested in working abroad, especially in development work, start at G-lish Foundation, volunteering in Ghana. Our volunteer programs are designed to give you a great chance to immerse yourself in rural and urban life in Ghana, to maximise your ability to make a difference in your chosen project area, and to support G-lish's efforts to grow as an organization. Our volunteering programs allow you to design a volunteer program that suits your skills and interests. We have several intern-ships abroad opportunities, particularly in art, design, fair trade, eco-tourism, finance, environment, teaching and forestry. Most small businesses in developing countries do not think about their market, but rather about what they can offer, whether there is a market for their product or service, or even if that market is already saturated. Helping these business owners make the most of what they have, or expand their businesses into new areas by analyzing the market, is a great opportunity for those with marketing experience or for marketing students volunteering in Ghana. As social entrepreneurs in Africa, we encourage our volunteers to assist small businesses increase their capacity while volunteering with us in Ghana. Many developing nations have rich artistic or crafts heritages and now leverage this to create products to sell locally or by export. As part of this effort, volunteer designers and volunteer artists are needed to help craft promotional materials or even to develop new products. It may be that a brochure is needed to showcase the products, or packaging design is needed or even a new street sign. Perhaps illustrations of potential products are also required. Excellent illustration, whether by hand or on computer, will always be welcomed in artistically oriented organizations. Whether a student, a hobbyist, or a professional artist or designer, there is a home for all skill levels and abilities somewhere in the developing world.
Download your volunteer abroad application form from either link below
You do not need to make any payment when send your application
Download from our Site: Volunteer in Africa with G-lish Application Form Download from Google Docs: Volunteer in Africa with G-lish Application Form
Thank you for taking the time to learn about volunteering in Ghana, Africa, with G-lish Foundation. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us on volunteers@g-lishfoundation.org, godwin@g-lish.org, or