Teaching with Early Childhood Development In Ghana
Teaching with Early Childhood Development In Ghana
Gain experience in the classroom as a teaching volunteer, assisting students and local schools in the Ghanaian community to meet their educational objectives.
Program Code: GHTM0489POur Impact
Location
Volunteer in Accra
Program Information
Remote-Working Friendly
Reliable WIFI
Part-Time Options
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Overview
Program details, highlights and videos.
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Dates & Prices
Choose your start dates and durations.
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Life On Base
What's a GVI base really like?
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Covid-19 Response
Read up on the response measures we have in place to keep you safe.
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What's It like?
Search for and chat to alumni who've been there and done it.
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Live Updates
Follow us live on Facebook!
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Reviews
See what our alumni have to say.
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Arrivals
Information on your airport arrival and pick up.
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Flights
Search for flights via our partner, Student Universe.
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Meet The Team
Our staff introduce themselves on video.
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Your Impact
Our short, mid and long term objectives.
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Our Ethics
Read about GVI's Ten Ethical Commitments.
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Program Ethics
Our ethical practices and policies.
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Qualifications
The various qualifications and certificates you'll receive.
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Parent Info
Information for parents and guardians.
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Support & Safety
GVI's detailed health, safety and support protocols.
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What's Included?
What's included and excluded on this program.
Overview
From Monday to Friday, you’ll be planning, designing and delivering educational classroom sessions and extra-curricular activities for students from under-resourced local schools. In doing so, you’ll be helping to provide local schools with the capacity they need to ensure all students benefit from both creative and core-curriculum based lessons and you will be involved in activities that promote the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) including Goal 4: Quality Education.From helping to improve the school environment, assisting in the training of local teachers, to organising classes, educational games and activities with the students, there is always plenty of valuable work to be done across GVI’s many local partner schools. So as a participant you’ll work with GVI’s skilled field team to identify areas where you can be particularly effective and where your help is needed the most at that time by the local community.
Weekends are yours to enjoy the many local beaches and restaurants, the tropical surroundings, to take in the sites, or simply relax at base with your fellow volunteers. There are many activities to choose from such as trying your hand at cooking a local dish, learning how to dance or playing traditional instruments. Doing so not only gives you the chance to fully experience the culture of the Cape Coast region but also supports small local businesses.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Plan, design and deliver a range of classroom activities and lessons.
- Gain experience supervising classrooms and mentoring students.
- Work to advance the UN SDGs in education, and improve long term outcomes for the local community.
- Help under-resourced local schools to improve their educational environments and enrich their curriculums.
- Meet and live with participants from across the world while you immerse yourself in a West African community and learn about local cultures.
Program Details
Flexibility
Payment Plans
Cancellation Waiver
Life On Base
The natural beauty of Kokrobite's golden beach makes it a popular destination for visitors to Ghana. Experience West African culture by visiting the rural suburban areas and traditional fishing communities surrounding the capital city of Accra. Known for its coastal landscapes, palm-strewn beaches, and beautiful rivers, you’ll enjoy breathtaking scenery in a communal environment – sharing a once-in-a-lifetime experience with fellow participants from all over the world, as well as the dedicated GVI team on the ground.
The base is walking distance from the schools GVI is partnered with. It’s easy to be independent in your working day, and you’ll get to know Kokrobite very quickly. Within walking distance of the base you can find local street food. Many team members visit here and buy food in their free time.
Base Tour
Highlights
You’ll live in a guest house that was built to accommodate our participants. With a garden full of colourful flowers and tropical plants, the house is a two-minute walk from the beach, and sits within an attractive walled compound located in a quiet part of Kokrobite. You’ll stay in shared gender-specific dorms (between two and six people per dorm), with en-suite or shared bathroom facilities. There’s also a fully functioning kitchen, office, and outdoor dining/meeting area.
While GVI provides bedding and mosquito nets to cover your bed, you may want to bring a travel mosquito net for weekend travelling. There is unheated, running water available. There is no air conditioning but ceiling fans are fitted. Drinking water is provided by GVI. We have dogs and cats living at the base, so please inform GVI if you have any allergies.
The GVI team provides transfers from Kotoka International airport in Accra to the base. Participants are able to walk the short distance between the base and the project and partner sites. If the distance is further, we provide daily transport. If you’d like to sightsee, visit markets, and enjoy trips and excursions during your free time, you’re welcome to use local taxis. Most participants take one or two weekend excursions per month – alternating between staying in and around Kokrobite and travelling through wider Ghana. This cost is covered by the participant.
While in Ghana, you may find yourself fully engrossed in the program, with little time for long-distance communications with friends and family. Communication can be a little intermittent, so be sure to let your friends and family at home know that you’ll be in touch when possible. While on base, you’ll have daily access to the internet, but power outages can make contact somewhat unreliable. We recommend that you contact your mobile phone operator and subscribe to an international call and data package that will work in Ghana (it can be very difficult to purchase Ghanaian SIM cards).
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided by GVI at the base. Food on our Ghanaian base is a combination of traditional local and international dishes, utilising locally available ingredients that vary throughout the seasons. The base provides a set continental breakfast, lunch and varied dinner that is mostly vegetarian, and combines local Ghanian flavours with staple international classics. Local food is simple, often spicy, and typically consists of fresh fruit, bread, eggs, root vegetables or starchy sourdoughs, served with rice, stews or soup. International dishes include noodles, pastas, salads, wraps and pizza night! Please make GVI aware of any dietary requirements you may have, including food allergies. We can cater to most requirements, although gluten-free options can be limited. During project days, team members help themselves to breakfast and lunch, and all team members take turns to cook dinner and wash the dishes afterwards.
Near the base you’ll find local street food as well as local and international restaurants which you are welcome to enjoy at your own expense. Most dishes range from £2 GBP– £10 GBP ($3 USD–$13 USD).
Ghana enjoys a year-round tropical climate and most of the time it’s hot and humid. During the so-called “rainy season”, which is from April to November, it can rain heavily once or twice per week. Ghana enjoys warm weather and an average of more than five hours of sunshine a day. Average temperatures along the coast are usually in the range of 26ºC – 32ºC (79ºF – 90ºF), but always feel warmer due to the humidity. There are approximately 12 hours of sunlight each day.
Our GVI staff are first-aid trained, and always on hand to assist with any medical concerns. There are community health clinics in Kokrobite, and the nearest emergency medical facilities are around a 15-minute drive from the GVI base.
COVID-19 Safety
Enhanced cleaning and social-distancing measures in place. Learn more.
Covid-19 Response
Health and Hygiene
For over 20 years, GVI has prioritised the health and safety of our staff, participants, partners and local community members. In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, GVI has created the GVI health and hygiene team to put in place new standards of cleanliness, norms and behaviours that meet or exceed international recommendations to ensure the ongoing safety of GVI’s participants, staff and communities around the world. Internationally recommended practices, such as advice from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the governments Australia, UK and US, continue to be monitored and the standards are likely to change if and when international advice changes.
The work GVI is contributing to across the globe remains important and the following measures allow our participants to continue to join GVI’s programs and continue impacting positively on their world and the communities we work with. The following changes to our existing protocols have been made by the GVI health and hygiene team to strengthen our health and hygiene protocols and ensure that international standard safeguards are in place to protect our participants, staff and host communities.
Essential information you need to travel safely during the COVID-19
pandemic – including destination ratings, flight bookings, and tests.
What's It like?
If you’d like to find out what the experience of joining a GVI project is really like, simply contact us and we’ll put you in touch with one of our many Alumni.
We’ll try to match you to an Alum based on your location, nationality, age, stage of academic career, gender, and program interests. This allows you to gain insights into the experience that is most relevant to you.
Depending on your location you might be able to speak to an Alum over the phone or online, or meet up with them face-to-face at a coffee shop nearby. We also run a series of small events around the world where you can speak to GVI Alumni, Ambassadors and staff members.
Live Updates
Arrivals
When it comes to support, we ensure that each participant is provided with unparalleled, 360 degree support, from your initial contact with the GVI Family, all the way through your program, and even after, as you become part of the GVI Alumni Team.
As part of this promise, we will ensure, whenever possible, that one of our dedicated staff will be available to meet you at the airport. In most locations, we also set up a Whatsapp group to help with managing airport arrivals. We will arrange with you prior to your departure that, should you arrive in the agreed upon pick up window, a member of our staff will be there to welcome you, easily identifiable in a GVI t-shirt or holding a GVI sign and wearing a friendly smile. This means there will be someone there to greet you as you land, and from there you will be transported to your GVI base to start your adventure and meet the rest of your team.
COVID-19 Safety
Please note that the above images were taken pre COVID-19. All airport pick-ups and program operations now run with enhanced cleaning and social-distancing measures in place. Learn more.
Flights
Please note that if you use this service delivered by Student Universe and / or if you buy your ticket through this portal you are agreeing to the Student Universe Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. Your agreement regarding flights will be between you and Student Universe or as per their terms and conditions.
As GVI is providing this portal as a service we are not responsible for the accuracy of this site.
We are also not responsible for any loss, damage (including loss of profits or consequential damages), injury, illness, harm or death in relation to your flight and travel arrangements.
Essential information you need to travel safely during the COVID-19
pandemic – including destination ratings, flight bookings, and tests.
Meet the team - Senior Field Management
Matt Craig
Program Manager
This is Matt, the Program Manager for GVI’s base in Accra, Ghana. Matt has a vast array of experience in Ghana, having lived there for over 11 years. He considers his beachside village to be his new home, as he is originally from the UK.
Matt completed his Masters Degree in International Development, back in 2008. He has since put it to good work, working with a variety of NGO’s before finding GVI. He loves Ghana, its music, dance, beaches as well as the cats and dogs at the base!
Meet the team - In-Country Staff
Ash
Volunteer Coordinator
Naa
Base Manager
Thom
Volunteer Coordinator
Zen
Project Manager
Your Impact
All of our programs have short, mid and long-term objectives that fit with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or UN SDGs. This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualise their contribution to the UN SDGs.
Prior to your arrival on base, you will be educated about the history of the UN SDGs. Then, once on base you’ll learn about the specific goals of your location, the long-, mid- and short-term objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these goals on a global level.
Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to act as active global citizens after your program, helping to fulfil our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.
GVI’s base in Ghana was set up as a result of an invitation to support education, gender equality, and community development programs in the region.
Participants will assist local partners by teaching English to primary and secondary school children or working with gender equality organisations that promote women’s social and economic advancement through educational workshops. Public health also plays a huge role in educating the local community about how simple lifestyle changes can benefit their well-being in the long run.
Our Partners In Accra
Project Objectives
GVI Ghana’s Long-term Objectives:
1. To enrich and improve the extracurricular education and learning environment of early years students at community schools in Ghana.
2. To empower local women to achieve economic independence, flexibility of career paths, and an improved standard of living.
3. To empower women and girls from the local community to achieve an improved standard of health & well being and to become more confident in gender equality issues.
Our Ethics
Below is a list of core ethics and best practices we believe are essential to the operation of high quality, ethical volunteer and sustainable development programs. We believe that all responsible volunteer and sustainable development operations should focus upon these principles. If you are considering volunteering, these are some of the key considerations you should question, to ensure that your time and money contributes towards positive change.
We want to constantly develop our own understanding of ethical best practice. In so doing, we aim to provide an exemplary industry standard for other education institutions, international development organisations, and social enterprises. Our Badge of Ethics stands for the drive to always do good, better. Find out more, click on the Badge below.
Our 10 Ethical Commitments
Locally Driven, Collaborative Projects
We aim to design all our projects in collaboration with local organizations and communities and ensure that they are locally driven.
Clear Objectives & Sustainable Outcomes
We aim to clearly define short-, mid-, and long-term objectives with sustainable outcomes for all our projects.
Impact Reporting
We aim to track, record, and publish the impact of each of our projects.
Working Against Dependency
We aim to build in-country capacity by assisting local organizations in becoming self-sustaining.
Responsible Exit Strategies
For each local organization we work with, we aim to have a plan in place for withdrawing support responsibly.
Clear Roles & Specialized Training
We aim to ensure that every participant is assigned a clear role and that they are fully trained and supported to carry out their work by specialized staff.
Respect for all
In all our actions we aim to respect the skills and efforts of all and seek to protect the rights, culture and dignity of everyone who engages with GVI.
Local Ownership
We work to ensure that credit for the results of any project, along with any data collected, research conducted, or Intellectual Property developed, remains the property of local organizations.
Transitioning from the Orphanage Model
We do not condone and aim to withdraw support of orphanages and residential care centers.
Child and Vulnerable adult policies
We will live by our Child Protection and Vulnerable Adult policies.
Continual Development
As an organization, GVI is committed to striving toward best practice, and to educating both our potential participants, our partners, and the world at large about them. Both the volunteering and sustainable development sectors are increasingly, and rightly, under scrutiny. Many recent local and global articles highlight poor practices and questionable ethics. GVI is widely recognized for striving to apply global best practice in the volunteering, education and sustainable development sectors throughout our operations by reputable organizations such as ChildSafe.
However, global best practice is always evolving and we dedicate both time and resources to engage with internationally respected experts and learn from the latest research to ensure our programs both fulfil their potential to create maximum positive impact, and minimise their potential to create unintentional negative impact. Along with and as part of the sustainable development and volunteering community, we are constantly learning and applying this learning to practice. We do not always get everything right, but we seek feedback from our community members, partners, participants and our staff, and react accordingly. We know are already doing a great job, and feedback we have received confirms this, but we aim to do even better and are continuously refining our operations to improve upon our already excellent reputation.
Program Ethics
NO ORPHANAGE PROGRAMS
We don’t support or allow participants to work in institutional residential care facilities, also known as orphanages. We partner with ReThink Orphanages and Freedom United.
CHILD AND VULNERABLE ADULT PROTECTION POLICY
Our Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection Policy requires all our staff and participants to complete a criminal background check and to learn why you shouldn’t reveal a child’s identifying factors in photographs. We support the ChildSafe Movement.
NO MEDICAL VOLUNTEERING
We don’t offer any programs where our participants engage in medical treatment. This is because our participants aren’t typically qualified to do this work and would therefore not be able to do this work in their home country. Our participants only assist with public health programs.
NO DISABILITY SUPPORT PROGRAMS
We don’t offer any programs where our participants work directly with people with disabilities. This is because our participants aren’t typically qualified to do this work and would therefore not be able to do this work in their home country.
Qualifications
GVI Online Community Development course (optional)
In this course, you’ll explore the most common pitfalls of community development initiatives so that you can avoid them. You’ll also learn how to carry out community development work effectively and ethically and how local context impacts program development. After successfully completing the course, which you have the option of doing prior to your in-country program, you’ll receive a certificate from the University of Richmond.
This online course, valued at $395, is included in all volunteering programs. Full course details can be found here.
Parent Info
‘If only every student could do this. It changes your life in all the right ways,’ says Chris Heritage, parent of Luke Heritage, one of our teen volunteers who has participated on two GVI programs, one in Costa Rica and another in South Africa.
We are a parent-run organisation that is incredibly serious about health and safety, and increasing the impact, as well as the long-term career benefits of our programs. Our programs help young people develop the skills to select a career path that is personally fulfilling, and live a life aligned to the well-being of our planet and the global community.
Ken and Linda Jeffrey, whose son Sam volunteered with GVI in Thailand, talk about how the experience affected Sam. He also went on to volunteer with GVI again in South Africa. ‘I know it sounds like a cliche but in a sense, he did go away as a boy and he came back as a young man. Both of us could recommend GVI without any hesitation to any other parent thinking about exploring an opportunity for their children to explore the world and to see different parts of it.’
Parent Info Pack
Download the Parent Pack and learn more about:
Our staff: All our projects are run by staff, selected, vetted, trained, and managed by our central office.
Health and safety: Our safety practices include a child and vulnerable adult protection policy and high participant ratios.
Staying in touch: See what’s happening on base, by following a hub’s dedicated Facebook page.
Free parent consultations: We would love to talk to you about exciting opportunities available for your child.
Support & Safety
We won’t sugarcoat it — traveling abroad is usually a complex process that carries an element of risk. But this is exactly why we’re passionate about providing extensive support throughout the process as well as the highest safety standards during the in-country phase. We believe that volunteering abroad should not only be impactful, but an enjoyable experience that carries as little risk as possible. This is exactly how we’ve been able to maintain our reputation as the most highly respected volunteering organisations in the sector over the past two decades.
COVID-19 Safety
Enhanced cleaning and social-distancing measures are in place throughout each GVI program. Learn more.
Support
Once a participant books, they will be assigned a personal support coordinator who will oversee their pre-departure journey. The support coordinator helps to bridge the gap between program enrolment and arrival at one of our field bases. Your personal support coordinator will ensure that you are provided with all the necessary information required to apply for visas, background checks, and any other documentation.
Safety
Upon arrival at the airport, participants will be greeted by a GVI staff member. All GVI staff are our own and all our programs around the world are run by our staff. All GVI field staff are background checked, Emergency First Response and safety trained. The minimum staff to participant ratio on GVI’s programs is one to six, although on several bases we have a ratio of one to three. When finishing the experience, participants will provide feedback on all aspects of their program.
Essential information you need to travel safely during the COVID-19
pandemic – including destination ratings, flight bookings, and tests.
Health & Safety Case Studies
HOW GVI UPHOLDS HEALTH AND SAFETY
It takes courage to book a GVI program, get on a flight, and head off to somewhere new. Volunteering offers a level of cultural immersion that typical backpacking or holidays just can’t achieve. This is why thousands of people around the world participate in paid GVI programs.
GVI’S COMMITMENT TO SAFETY AND SECURITY
As the saying goes: ‘Expect the best, plan for the worst’. Cliched or not, we take it to heart. This tenet is at the core of how GVI operates when it comes to promoting the health and safety of our participants, staff, and local community members at all of our 20+ bases around the world.
HOW GVI REMAINS PREPARED FOR NATURAL DISASTERS
The weather isn’t just a topic for polite small-talk here at GVI. We have emergency action plans in place for all scenarios. So when the weather, or other natural forces, takes a nasty turn, we are prepared to respond to stormy situations.
HOW GVI MANAGES PARTICIPANTS EXPECTATIONS
Once GVI has matched a participant to a program that suits their passions and goals, our team aims to set the right expectations for them. In the event that false expectations around a program are created, the GVI team takes immediate action to ensure that the situation rectified.
What's Included
24-hour emergency desk
24-hour in-country support
Airport pick-up (unless otherwise stated)
All project equipment
Food (except on long-term internship placements)
Safe and basic accommodation (usually shared)
Group introductory call
Welcome presentation
Endorsed GVI Specialisation Course
Endorsed Leadership Course
Sustainable project work
Leadership responsibilities
Remote Internship Supervisor
Preferential recruitment on GVI positions
Job portal access
Endorsed Careers Course
Career coaching sessions
PDF reference - upon request
