As a childcare volunteer in Ghana, you will make a vital contribution to the daily lives of the Kumasi children. PMGY’s Ghana volunteer programs provide international volunteers with a platform to brighten up the lives of young children. You will work alongside local staff as you provide care and attention to disadvantaged children. Above all, you will be assisting with the general childcare and daily project operations when you volunteer with children in Ghana.

BACKGROUND TO THE CHILDCARE PROGRAM

Like so many developing nations, Ghana has a large number of families who cannot afford adequate childcare. This project aims to provide quality early childhood education with the assistance of international volunteers. Since the daycare facilities are often under-resourced and in need of additional helping hands.

With limited staff resources, it is the individual attention that the local children are most in need of as they quickly develop at this young age. Providing children with essential life skills will help them on their way to successful futures. Such futures will be filled with positive opportunities having learned English and many other useful skills from an early age. As a volunteer, you will become a small piece of the puzzle that helps these projects and child development in the long term.

Volunteer opportunities in Ghana provided by PMGY will provide you with a platform to make a positive impact. When working at our childcare volunteer abroad projects in Ghana, it is important to maintain energy, enthusiasm and creativity. For the reason that many of these children will be seeking the care and attention that you as a childcare volunteer in Ghana can bring. To volunteer with children in Ghana, you will need to donate your time and skills effectively. This is to ensure you can maximise your impact on the local people.

CHILDCARE VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT EXAMPLES

Pinnacle Nursery and Kindergarten - Located in central Kumasi, Pinnacle Nursery and Kindergarten supports early years education for around 100 children. The children age from 1 to 10 years whereby the goal of the project is to provide tuition-free quality basic education for children.

At the project, there are opportunities for volunteers to support at either the creche, nursery, kindergarten or primary school. All of which are located on the same site. As a volunteer in Ghana, you are encouraged to get involved with as many day-to-day activities as you can. For the reason that supporting a project hosting 100 children daily is no easy feat. This includes daily care and interaction with the children and spending time in the playground area. Additionally, participants help to teach younger children how to read and write.

There is also the opportunity to assist in other activities for the preschool-aged children at Pinnacle Nursery and Kindergarten. For example, drawing and colouring activities, singing songs, dance assemblies and supporting with any chores. The local staff are also very grateful for the additional support that can be offered and the extra care that can be provided for the children. Maintaining a positive and proactive attitude will help you build good relationships with both the children and the local staff.

Mother and Guardian Choice Preparatory School - Located in the Tafo region of Kumasi, this project supports children’s journey into mainstream education. The children typically age from 2 to 5 years with around 50 children attending the prep school each day. At the project, participants help with basic teaching activities, singing songs with the children at assemblies and playing games. Additionally, help the local staff with hygiene tasks and feeding time.

This volunteer work in Ghana is perfect for someone with a big heart. Even more to someone who has a desire to do something meaningful with their time abroad. Working at the Mother and Guardian Choice Preparatory School will require heaps of patience and a real sense of self-direction. Your level of impact is based on your willingness and pro-activeness to get involved and make the most of your time. This project offers a great opportunity to increase your experience of working with children.

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER WORKING WITH CHILDREN IN GHANA

Return Airport Transfer - Your return airport transfer is not included in your Program Fee. Our local team can help arrange onward transfers to the airport or an alternative destination from the volunteer accommodation. Making specific arrangements once in Ghana provides more flexibility as plans can often change and participants may be on similar flight plans. The costs depend on your method of transport and your final destination. Participants will usually get the coach back to Accra airport or arrange a short domestic flight from Kumasi to Accra airport instead.

Project Flexibility - As for all our volunteer in Ghana programs, it is possible to combine multiple projects. First of all, please apply for the main program start date you’d like to partake in. Secondly, outline in your online application the details of the other projects you’d like to do. Our local team will finalise the details of your placements during your in-country orientation.

Cultural Differences - It is very important that volunteers join this program with an open mind and understanding of cultural differences. Children’s rights and the methods of discipline used often greatly differ from what is the norm in the West.

Although mistreatment of children is never condoned volunteers should be aware that physical discipline does happen in Ghana. This can be quite shocking, but it is important to remember that physical discipline is commonplace throughout Ghana.

Therefore, volunteers should be open-minded on arrival and come with limited expectations. You are there to help and make a difference in the local communities. However, this must be done in a framework where there are rules to follow and cultures to abide by.

Our local team will brief you on these issues during your in-country orientation. As a result, you will be fully prepared for your placement. If you see something that you believe is not right, then please approach our local team. As a result of doing this, the team can then aim to resolve or give clarity on the issue.

Resources - On the childcare project in Ghana, resources can be very limited. Volunteers are recommended to bring materials to the project each day to maximise their productivity and day to day involvement. It is therefore important for volunteers to prepare well in advance to get the most out of their childcare volunteering experience in Ghana.

Placement Settings - PMGY does not provide volunteer opportunities in orphanages in any of our locations. Research and studies have shown that visiting and volunteering in orphanages has the potential to generate an industry that separates children from their families. In turn, putting children at increased risk of neglect and abuse. Therefore, we do not support these institutions with our volunteer network.

Instead, we focus on offering alternative childcare volunteer opportunities whereby children come to and from the placement setting each day. In other words, our local teams collaborate with childcare projects which do not offer any form of residential care. These are safe, responsible, and vetted projects, where participants continue to provide valued assistance supporting local staff.

Weekends - Your project work in Ghana runs from Monday-Friday and weekends are free. You are welcome to relax and hang out at the volunteer accommodation but most participants will use this time to travel and explore the country. As a result, you can check out our Ghana Weekend Travel Guide for top tips on how to spend your weekend. We also run two separate weekend trips which you can sign-up to before you depart for Ghana. We offer the Cape Coast & Busua Surf Trip along with the Mole National Park Trip with opportunities running every month.