Apply

Apply to volunteer

We are grateful that you have selected IDEAS Ghana as your volunteer placement organisation in Ghana. If you need to do so, please reach out to us for more information. You can find our contact details at the top of this page. Staff are on WhatsApp, and will reply to you within 24 hours. All questions are welcome.

Volunteer application steps are:

Apply + Confirm

1.      Start by filling out the volunteer application form and emailing it to IDEAS Ghana.

* Volunteer application (click to download): download, type in Word, email to us.

2.     We respond within one week with your application confirmation.

We email IDEAS Ghana’s Volunteer Policy, which includes a Refund Policy, and your Volunteer Agreement.

Sign Agreement

3.     Sign your volunteer agreement and return it to IDEAS Ghana within 2 weeks. You do not need to make a holding deposit. Your agreement will ask that you make your volunteer fees payment in full by 60 Days BEFORE your scheduled arrivals date and this will be stated in the agreement.

Prepare and Plan

4.     On receival of your signed volunteer agreement, we send your:

·     * Volunteer Project which outlines all parts of your volunteer project, including major goals and tasks, how each part supports the organisation’s mission and vision and how your project tasks fit into IDEAS Ghana’s current programs.

·    * IDEAS Ghana Volunteer Planning Toolkit so you can get started preparing for the trip of a lifetime.

Your volunteer toolkit includes:

* Budgeting to volunteer guide so you can plan to suit your needs.

* Volunteer travel planning timeline and checklists so you can hit each planning milestone with confidence.

* What to expect when you volunteer, a month by month view, from arrival in Accra, your first week in Ghana, and onwards, through months 1, 2, 3, and 4, depending on your duration.

* A typical volunteer day for you to imagine daily life. (Bonus: You can read that right now here, and we will also send it as a PDF, with a few bonuses, with your Volunteer Planning Toolkit.)

* Fundraising Toolkit (BONUS sneak peek: you can download this now!) for those who will fundraise for their placement. 

* Culture, history, language, and customs in Ghana guide and our recommended guide books for travel in Ghana.

* Ideas Ghana volunteer project letter as a support letter to validate your volunteering project and to give to businesses, media, chambers of commerce, Rotary Clubs, and other professional places where you may give talks to fundraise or use a more professional fundraising approach.

* A curated list of all the free UN Online courses you can do to learn from across UN Women (20+ courses on gender), SDG Academy, UNEP, UN Climate Change Elearn, IUCN Academy, UNITAR, WFP, InforMEA learning, ILO Training Centre, IFAD, IOM, SDG Finance Academy, and much more. 

Fees Payment

5.     Noted in your volunteer agreement, we ask that you transfer payment of your fees by 60 days before your departure. You are welcome to pay earlier, too. We will remind you 2 weeks before this date if we have not received payment by then.

When we receive your payment, your application process is complete.

One week before arrival

One week prior to your arrival, we contact you to let you know who will pick you up, all contact details. In the meantime, you can also contact IDEAS Ghana at any time in between applying and arriving with any questions you might have.

A volunteer who knew nothing about Ghana, Africa, or development work, who asked many questions before leaving home, ended up living and working in Ghana for 6 years after this, which was unexpected, and took her life in a completely different direction.

As you can see, it doesn’t matter if you have no experience in Ghana or development work. It is about your outlook and attitude. Being open to new experiences, curiosity about new cultures, willingness to try different activities, care and consideration for others, and a generally positive attitude are the most important requirements for successful volunteer experiences in Ghana.

We welcome all questions and we will help you all the way. There are no bad or wrong questions and the less anxious you feel as you prepare, the happier your experience.

Visas

Everyone visiting Ghana is required to obtain a visa. There are exceptions for those from ECOWAS countries and some other African countries. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the time you arrive. Most visas are 60-90 days, depending on the country from where you are applying. You can extend your visa when you are in-country at a local immigration office with a support letter from IDEAS Ghana.

Most visas are obtained in an online application process after which you send your passport to the Ghana High Commission in the capital city of your country where they issue you with a visa in your passport and return your passport to you. Details about this are included in your Volunteering Travel Planning Timeline document above.

Head over to these pages to learn:

* About Ideas Ghana volunteer program

* A typical day in the life of a volunteer

* Volunteer fees

* See programs in action

* Ghana travel clips: Bolgatanga and beautiful documentaries about travel in Ghana.