Agency | Plan My Gap Year
Something special about Africa touches the soul; it is a continent of 54 immensely diverse countries that is both deeply troubled and profoundly uplifting. On this 12 week volunteering adventure you’ll get the opportunity to visit 3 of those countries; Ghana, Tanzania and South Africa.
Whether you’re a wide-eyed first-timer or a frequent visitor, Africa cannot fail to get under your skin. The canvas upon which the continent’s epic story is written is itself astonishing, and reason enough to visit. From the tropical rain forests of Central Africa to the endless rippling dunes and waterless tracts of the Sahara, from the signature savannah of the east to jagged mountains and green-tinged highlands all across the continent, Africa has few peers when it comes to natural beauty.
Ghana is your first stop and is a friendly, energetic and culturally rich country, full of diverse wildlife, amazing beaches, gorgeous hinterland and not forgetting the affable locals it’s no wonder Ghana is sometimes labelled ‘Africa for beginners’.
During your 4 weeks here you’ll get to experience just how vibrant this country as well as making a hugely positive impact through volunteering. Choose from helping to care for Ghanaian children with special needs; teaching skills that will help children improve their future job prospects; gain first-hand experience and insight into the Ghanaian health care system or brighten up the lives of vulnerable children at an orphanage in Ghana and make a vital and important contribution to their daily lives.
Tanzania has many, many highlights but it’s frequently billed as ‘the’ place to safari. Endowed with powdery idyllic beaches and topped off with the stupendous Mount Kilimanjaro, what’s not to love about this magical country. Throw in the exotic delights of Zanzibar and you can see why it will be unforgettable.
Not only will you get the chance for adventure but also to make a huge difference volunteering at one of our educational or orphanage projects. Teach in a school or orphanage in one of the most extraordinary places in the world; kick start your medical career combining learning with hands-on activities in a hospital or clinic or leave a lasting impression on the lives of some Tanzania’s most disadvantaged children assisting with childcare and education in an orphanage.
Last stop is South Africa. The second largest of South Africa’s nine provinces, the Eastern Cape is situated along South Africa’s eastern coast and is the homeland of the Xhosa-speaking nation and birthplace of Nelson Mandela. The diverse landscape ranges from the dry, desolate Great Karoo to the under-developed, lush Wild Coast and offers an abundance of activities, surf experiences, a `Big 5’ safari, or bungee the highest bridge in the southern hemisphere.
Despite a number of years of relative prosperity, Cape Town still suffers from endemic social problems and extreme poverty still persists today. Our volunteers contribute to programmes designed to bring long-term support to those who need it most. Help provide essential childcare facilities to struggling families in some of Cape Town’s poorest communities or teach English and a range of other subjects to underprivileged children from government schools in the stunning setting of cosmopolitan Cape Town.
Your Itinerary
Please make sure you arrive into Kotoka International Airport in Accra (ACC) on the selected Sunday start date.
- Day 1 (Sunday) Arrival
- Day 2 (Monday) Travel To Kumasi
- Day 3 (Tuesday) Orientation
- Day 4-6 (Wednesday-Friday) Volunteering Begins
- Day 7-8 (Saturday-Sunday) Accra
- Day 9-28 (Monday-Saturday) The Following Weeks
- Day 29 (Sunday) Goodbye Ghana – Hello Tanzania!
- Day 30 (Monday) Orientation
- Day 31-34 (Tuesday-Friday) Volunteering
- Day 35-36 (Saturday & Sunday) Weekend
- Day 37-56 (Monday-Saturday) The Following Weeks
- Day 57 (Sunday) Goodbye Tanzania – Hello South Africa!
- Day 58 (Monday) Orientation
- Day 59-62 (Tuesday-Friday) Volunteering Begins
- Day 63-64 (Saturday-Sunday) It’s The Weekend!
- Day 65-83 (Monday-Friday) The Following Weeks
- Day 84 (Saturday) Your Last Day
Typical day
Almost every day you will be doing something different on this adventure, but here are three examples of what you might be doing in each country.
It’s time to start your volunteer placement. Our local team will travel with you to the project on your first day to ensure you receive a comprehensive introduction to the project. This will give you the opportunity to meet your new colleagues, learn about the project and exactly how you will fit in. We will also work with you to develop your weekly schedule and answer any last minute questions you may have. As the week continues your confidence will grow and you will begin to really come into your own.
South Africa
Welcome to South Africa! Volunteers will be picked up at Cape Town airport by a local backpacker bus. The driver will be waiting for you in the arrivals section holding a sign with your name on it. You will then be taken to our Volunteer House in downtown Cape Town. The journey will take around 30 minutes and will allow you to gather your first glimpses of this amazing country. The rest of the day is yours to spend relaxing and getting to know your fellow volunteers.
Free-time activities
Here is an idea of what you could be getting up to:
Ghana
- Kumasi (Kejetia) Central Market - one of the largest markets in West Africa with up to 11,000 stalls and four times as many people working there, this throbbing market is utterly captivating
- Kumasi National Cultural Center - inside the walls you find a museum about the Ashanti history, a national library and a restaurant
- Bomwire Kente Weaving Village - Bomwire Kente Weaving Village is one of the closest places where you can go to buy kente clothing and learn how they produce it
- Boabeng Fimea Monkey Sanctuary - the sanctuary holds about 400 Colobus and Mona monkeys
Tanzania
- Climbing Mt Meru, the sister mountain to Kilimanjaro. This is a great option for those who don’t have the time to climb Kili, as the Mt Meru treks generally take around 4 days and 3 nights. It’s also considerably less expensive than Kili and will include park fees, camping accommodation, meals etc.
- Arusha National Park – Although the smaller of the national parks in the area, it is one of its most beautiful and most topographically varied.
- Shopping at the Maasai Market – A shopper’s paradise; this is the perfect place to find traditional African arts, crafts and paintings. Time to practise your bargaining skills! If you have some extra time before or after your placement you may also want to consider…
- Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, the rooftop of Africa – You can book tours that include all meals, camping accommodation etc.
- Spotting the Big 5 at Ngorongoro Crater or Serengeti National Park – It is recommended to spend at least 3 days on safari as the deeper you go into the parks, the more you will see. You can book trips that include accommodation, meals etc.
- Heading over to paradise, the wonderful island of Zanzibar
- The V&A Waterfront - located in the heart of Cape Town’s working harbour the Waterfront offers visitors an abundance of experiences
- Long Street - famous for its bohemian feel and the street is lined with bars, restaurants and interesting shops
- Table Mountain - the journey to the top takes around 1.5 hours, it is a challenging trek but the views from the summit are truly spectacular
- Robben Island - used as a prison right up until 1996, this Unesco World Heritage site is preserved as a memorial to those such as Nelson Mandela who spent many years incarcerated there
Program Requirements
Included Services
Before your journey
On-site services
Your fee includes both your registration fee and programme fees.
- accommodation,
- Ghana meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner),
- South Africa meals (breakfast and dinner from Monday - Friday)
- Tanzania meals (breakfast and dinner)
- airport pickup (24 hours),
- in-country orientations,
- 24 hour in-country support.
- 24 hour UK based support,
- comprehensive volunteer handbook,
- live pre-departure webinars,
- regular programme inspection.
You should arrive into Kotoka International Airport in Accra (airport code ACC) on the selected Sunday start date.
You will be met at the airport by one of our local staff or an appointed driver who will be holding a named sign. They will take you to your accommodation where you will spend the rest of your day at leisure.
Ghana
Your first night in Ghana will be spent at a hostel near to Kotoka International Airport in Accra. Our partner hostel offers basic but comfortable accommodation. You will share a room with fellow volunteers. Rooms are air conditioned here. A member of the PMGY Ghana team will also stay at the hostel to ensure you have 24/7 support and will travel with you to Kumasi the following day.
During your time with PMGY in Ghana you will live in our Volunteer House located in a friendly neighbourhood, 45 minutes drive from Kumasi city centre. You will find restaurants, convenience stores and ATMs in the centre of town. There is a small shop opposite the Volunteer House. The local community are extremely friendly. As soon as you step out of the house you’ll be greeted by smiling children! Just one of the amazing experiences you’ll have with PMGY in Ghana.
Tanzania
You will stay at our Volunteer House in Arusha. This is a cosy house located just 5 minutes walk from central Arusha in a quiet neighbourhood.
Rooms are shared, up to 6 people per room. Each volunteer is provided with a mosquito net. The shared bathrooms have warm showers and western toilets. The house has a living area with a TV and comfy sofas to relax in during the evening. There is also a communal kitchen where you can prepare meals and store food in the refrigerator. Please note that power cuts are fairly commonplace in Tanzania although they tend not to last more than a couple of hours.
The house does not have Wi-Fi but there are internet cafes nearby where you can get online for around £1 per hour. Alternatively you can purchase a USB internet dongle for £15 and this will allow you to connect to the internet at all times via your laptop. A weekly laundry service available for £3 per person, or you can choose to hand wash your clothes. We have a cook who will prepare your meals and a cleaner who will maintain the house. There is also a night guard employed for extra security.
During your time with PMGY in South Africa you will live in our Volunteer House located in Sea Point, a great, lively spot in Cape Town. The beach is only a short walk away, and there are plenty of bars, restaurants and local amenities in the surrounding area. Long Street, Cape Town’s premier nightlife destination is only 10 minutes away by public transport. You’ll be living with other PMGY volunteers from around the world, so you’ll make plenty of friends along the way.
The accommodation is basic but comfortable with Wi-Fi (there will be a small charge). Each room has bunk beds with up to 8 people per room in mixed-sex rooms. Bathrooms are shared, have a shower and western style toilet. During the winter period (June to August) it can get quite cold, so please bring warm clothes and a sleeping bag – although you are provided with a bed sheet and blanket so it’s up to personal preference.
Ghana
Volunteers will be provided with breakfast, lunch and dinner every day during their time with PMGY. Breakfast and dinner are served at the Volunteer House, whereas for lunch we provide you with a packed lunch or the project may provide you with lunch.
Please note most meals will incorporate lots of carbs and not so much dairy or meat compared to the UK so please be open minded around this! It may take you a few days for your body to accustom to the local food as well.
Pork, lamb and beef are difficult to source in Ghana and usually quite expensive. The main meat is chicken, fish and goat. There is also a real lack of fresh dairy products, so you should be prepared to live without milk and cheese etc. Most milk is tinned.
There are a number of western restaurants around a 45 minute drive out from the accommodation should you fancy picking up some home comforts. There are also some Chinese and Indian restaurants in Kumasi. Our local team will tell you all about the options available to you during your in-country orientation.
Tanzania
Volunteers receive breakfast and dinner at the Volunteer House, which are freshly prepared on-site by our cook. Meals are a mixture of Tanzanian and western cuisine. You should budget around £2 per day for lunch if you plan to eat local meals or £4 to £5 for western food.
Generally, we have a two-week rotating menu, which offers a varied choice of meals. For breakfast, you will receive cereal, or fruit salad, or boiled eggs, or a Spanish omelet, or pancakes.
For your evening meal you may have pasta, lentils and chapatti, burgers (beef and veggie), or banana and potato stew.
There are western supermarkets in Arusha where you can purchase food and store it at the house if you’d like to prepare your own lunch/meals.
South Africa
You will be provided with breakfast and dinner from Monday to Friday. You will need to purchase your own lunch during the working week (Mon-Fri) and all meals at the weekend. Please note that although the Volunteer House has a kitchen, this is quite small and makes cooking meals difficult if the house is very busy, so it may be easier to eat out. You should budget around £40 per week for meals not included.
For breakfast we provide yoghurt, fruit, cheese, bread, jams, tea and coffee, peanut butter, eggs etc. Volunteers just help themselves – all cutlery and crockery etc is provided. Dinner is provided at a local restaurant where volunteers all eat together, the restaurant is a short walk from the Volunteer House. Typical meals include spaghetti bolognese, curry, burgers and chips, fish, salads, pasta and vegetables.
If you fancy eating out there are plenty of cafes, restaurants and local amenities in the surrounding area. Long Street, Cape Town’s premier nightlife destination is only 10 minutes away by public transport.
Program Fees
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