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Volunteer with Children in Ghana

Gain childcare experience and help children develop their skills in Ghana

Destination

Ghana

Age

16+ y/o

Minimum Stay

2 weeks

Start Date

Anytime

Accommodation

Homestay

What’s Included

24/7 Support

Round-the-clock support on the ground and 24/7 back up from our global teams.

Accommodation & Amenities

Clean, safe, and welcoming accommodation. A home away from home with comfortable amenities.

Activities, Training & Equipment

All programme activities and equipment, including training and workshops from experienced professionals.

Certification

Certified record of service hours, workshops, and activities for your CV.

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Starting at £1,675 for 2 weeks

Flexible 0% Interest payments

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Trip Overview

Support early childhood development

Assist teachers and carers in kindergartens, daycare centres, or special needs schools, fostering a positive learning environment for young children.

Contribute to sustainable education

Promote early literacy, numeracy, and hygiene practices, while ensuring children with disabilities have access to an inclusive education.

Learn from local professionals

Work alongside experienced teachers and caregivers, picking up their skills and expertise while sharing your own ideas to diversify learning.

Fall in love with Ghana

Immerse yourself in Ghanaian culture, experience the warmth of local hospitality, and explore the stunning scenery of Akuapem Hills and Accra.

Challenge and surprise yourself

Push well out of your comfort zone and experience something totally different, growing as a person in a safe and supportive environment.

What you need to know

Overview

This project is ideal for anyone who wants to help where it’s really needed and improve the lives of young children. You’ll gain practical experience of working in childcare, which could help your future career. It’s also the perfect project to help you develop important life skills such as teamwork, leadership, and planning.

If you have loads of energy, take a playful approach to life, and enjoy the antics of little ones, childcare volunteering in Ghana is definitely for you. No experience in childcare? No problem! As a volunteer working with children in Ghana, you’ll support the local teachers and caregivers and have Projects Abroad staff members close at hand to help guide you along.

Our Childcare Project in Ghana runs throughout the year, and you can join at any time. The longer you stay, the bigger the impact you’ll have on the children you work with.

A Day in the Life

A typical day will run from about 8 am to 5 pm, coinciding with kindergarten and daycare centre hours. You will be working closely with teachers and caregivers to keep energetic young children fully engaged and entertained.

Every day at work will be different. On certain days you might help run an arts and crafts programme, while others may include outdoor sports activities or basic English lessons.

During the hours you aren’t working, you’ll have ample free time to explore with your fellow volunteers.

Since you will be living with a local host family, breakfast and dinner offer great opportunities to get to know them better and fully immerse yourself in their way of life.

Aims & Impact

The aim of this project is to improve early childhood development in Ghanaian communities by helping give young children a well-rounded educational experience. Projects Abroad has elected not to work with children in orphanages in Ghana but rather to focus on promoting education through community-based programmes that allow children to remain within their families.

With primary school classrooms, kindergartens, and daycare centres often being overcrowded, local teachers and caregivers struggle to divide their attention equally. Because of this, certain children may have trouble learning certain skills, depending on their interests, strengths, and weaknesses.

As laid out in our Childcare Management Plan for Ghana, we’ve identified five sustainable goals we hope to achieve with our volunteer childcare project in Ghana:

Promote early childhood development
Increase literacy
Improve hygiene levels
Increase numeracy
Improve the quality of life for those living with disabilities by joining us as a Childcare volunteer in Ghana.

Help us achieve these long-term goals by joining us as a Childcare volunteer in Ghana.

Activities

You’ll work in a kindergarten, daycare centre, or special needs centre. However, you won’t be on your own! Your main role is to support local teachers and caregivers with early childhood development work. Here are some of the tasks you can expect to do during your placement:

Projects Abroad volunteers volunteers to read a book to the children in Ghana

Run educational activities like helping children learn to read

Projects Abroad volunteers sit down for a team photo before continuing their volunteer work with children in Ghana

Share ideas with other volunteers to create new, fun activities

Projects Abroad volunteers get a handwashing activity ready during their childcare volunteer work in Ghana

Run hygiene awareness campaigns to help keep the children healthy

Track the development of children and placements using special tools and techniques

Your work with children in Ghana will be divided into four main categories:

Help teachers pay attention to children equally

Classes are often full beyond capacity, so teachers and caregivers don’t always manage to attend to each child throughout the day. You will play a huge role in being an extra pair of hands and eyes to help pay attention to children who need it most on any given day.

Give teachers and students a break from the regular class routine by offering to lead a fun, creative lesson. This could include arts and crafts, reading, or even introducing them to a new game. After classes end and before their parents collect them, you can help children with their homework or arrange sports activities outside.

Work with other volunteers

One of the best things about joining one of our volunteer programmes is the fact that you get to meet other volunteers from all over the world. Make the most of this opportunity by sharing ideas for activities, lessons, and games you can play with the children. You can also share these ideas with placement staff who can add them to their existing class routine to add a bit of variety.

Present hygiene awareness workshops

Some of the children you will work with may never have learnt about the importance of basic hygiene. You can help improve this by teaching them how to brush their teeth properly and to wash their hands regularly throughout the day. Make this fun with songs, games, and little class challenges.

Assess children and identify specific placement needs

One of the ways in which we keep track of the children’s development and the specific needs of placements is through specially designed checklists. We will train you on how to use these checklists. You will assess the status of each child on a daily basis in areas related to:

Numeracy
Literacy
Fine motor skills
Emotional abilities
Social skills
Hygiene

Map & Location

Formerly called The Gold Coast, Ghana became an independent nation in 1957, and the first African country colonised by Europeans to achieve independence under majority rule. Still famed for gold and cocoa production, it’s a treasure trove of cultural and natural experiences.

Explore lush rainforests, cascading waterfalls, and golden beaches or get stuck in to the lively music and dance scene. With a rich mix of languages and traditions, its people are known for their warmth and hospitality.

Accra

Accra, the capital of Ghana, is a lively city on the Atlantic coast with a population of over two million. This sprawling metropolis blends modern skyscrapers with historic landmarks, artisan markets, and beautiful beaches. It has a tropical savannah climate with hot temperatures all year.

Accra is culturally rich, with traditional drumming and dance performances alongside an energetic nightlife and thriving arts scene. More than half of the population is under 24, so it’s never short of excitement!

Akuapem Hills

About 90 minutes north of the capital, Accra, lie the quiet and tropical Akuapem Hills. Known for their lush greenery, cocoa farms, and charming villages with traditional architecture, the hills are a perfect escape from city living.

You’ll never feel more welcomed than in the heart of the Ghanaian countryside and you’ll have access to all the essential amenities. Plus, Accra is well within reach for a day trip if needed!

Food & Accommodation

Immediately feel at home with a supportive and welcoming local host family. We’ve vetted each family to guarantee you get everything you need for a wonderful stay. This includes a comfortable bed, three daily meals, fresh drinking water, and daily transport to and from your placement, arranged by our team.

Your host family’s home will be clean, safe, and secure, and they will welcome you as one of their own from the moment you arrive. Absorb the local culture, enjoy their incredible home-cooked food, and build a lifelong connection during the course of your stay.

You’ll stay with other Projects Abroad participants on your travels. If you share a room, we will match you with someone of the same gender and age. Whether you go it alone or with friends, you’ll have the time of your life.

Free Time and Leisure

Volunteering in Ghana is an ideal way to explore this colourful West African country. There’s a huge variety of different activities to do while you’re there, giving you plenty of exciting ways to spend your free time.

Music is a central part of Ghanaian culture. In the bigger towns, especially Accra, you will hear some great live bands and have some memorable nights out. Evenings spent at buzzing restaurants will also give you a taste of some of the delicious local cuisine.

For a look into Ghana’s history, you can tour the slave forts of Cape Coast and visit museums. Nature lovers will relish trekking through the rainforests of Kakum National Park or Mole National Park.

We run a wide range of projects in Ghana so there’s sure to be other volunteers there during your trip. This means you can explore the country solo or connect with other volunteers and travel as a group.

Your Arrival Made Easy

When you arrive at your respective airport, a member of Projects Abroad staff will be there to meet you. You can find more detailed information on arrival airports, orientation, and visas on our Ghana Arrival Procedures page.