About The Placement

We can offer placements in a Nursery, Kindergarten or Crèche depending on availability and time of year.

Within these classes and facilities it's usually a more 'hands on' approach, the children can be very young and therefore may need their basic needs satisfying as well as our focus on the first steps of education. Don't be surprised if you're counting numbers one minute and then the next helping to feed the youngest in class.

Why This Placement?

The classes or facilities for younger children in Ghana are often the most crowded. Teachers or Nurses are usually kept extremely busy and outnumbered on a large scale. The lack of supplies and equipment is a constant hurdle where the staff do their best to provide the best educational foundations for these infants to enable them to exceed when proceeding through the classes.
Your fresh approach and enthusiasm will be warmly welcomed by the staff and children alike. Nursery and Kindergarten classes are based in a primary school as the youngest classes, their job is to set the basics of education in place as often this is the only time that children will be learning their alphabet, numbers etc. The Crèche has the same task but is based independently and the children are started at an even younger age which also gives the benefit of parents being able to get back out working to earn an income for their family.

What Is Included In This Placement?

Support Staff - Accommodation - House Utility Bills - Pre Departure Support

We charge cost price for this project just so we can cover your stay and employ local support staff to increase loyal employment. This placement includes accommodation in a modern style house for the semi rural area of which we are based with great views and surroundings of the local towns and rainforest. All house utilities are included for your time, you will have use of the kitchen, electricity throughout the house and running water which is a luxury among the area of Kwahu. You will have a member of our local support team living in house or close by depending on the volunteer numbers so there is always someone on hand for any questions or support you may need.

How Do I Get To The Placement?

Budget an additional 10 - 40 Ghana cedis per day for transport costs.

We work with a number of schools within the local community and slightly further out. Volunteers will usually take taxis back and forth to their placement site. It is very easy to take shared taxis in town and they are very reasonably priced. Most of our schools will require volunteers to pay transport between 5 cedis and 40 cedis a day, with the average being about 10cedis. The more remote village schools are usually located down tracks and therefore cost a little bit more to reach. Our team will be able to assist volunteers group together for transport and where to find taxis etc. Volunteers are usually able to head off into the town after school easily to shop for food supplies, grab a cold drink or meet up with friends before heading home and the ease of taxis offer a really flexible experience for the volunteers.

What Will I Be Doing?

Working with the younger children you will need to be very enthusiastic and flexible. Along with teaching basic numbers, letters etc you will also need to take care of basic child care. Helping to feed, having fun at play times, settling down for nap time, engaging a varied age of children throughout the day and generally ensuring that the children are developing on a day to day basis. Expect a lot of hugs, tears and laughs!

Who Will I Be Working With?

If the number permits we aim to group volunteers together at a particular school or project. You will work closely with a teacher or nurse and report to the Headteacher should you have any issues. A member of our team will also spend a portion of their day at the project to assist in anyway and offer any guidance should it be needed. Most volunteers strike up a strong bond with the teachers and are treat as another member of staff as if you were always there. It is not uncommon to be invited round their homes for dinner at an early stage as a way of saying thank you.

What Do We Expect From The Volunteers?

A teaching qualification or experience is not compulsory for this placement, your level of experience and confidence will gauge what level of students would best suit and will be discussed between the team and yourself on your first day introduction. The greatest traits of a volunteer are enthusiasm, empathetic and the ability to adjust to alternative cultures. You will get the most of our your trip by opening your mind to new experiences and beliefs whilst also bringing your own to the table.
We expect volunteers to visit their placements Monday - Friday, exceptions can be made for long weekends of travel etc but we hope for the children and yourselves to get the most of your placement this is kept to a minimum.

What Can You Expect From Us?

We will be on hand any time of any day to support you in your placement and trip as a whole. There will always be someone you can speak to or get a hold of should you want to discuss anything or require any guidance, from organising after school clubs to changing your placement. Our team living in the volunteer house will also be able to offer advice regarding travel plans and the local area so you will soon feel at home.

What Should I Bring?

Regarding your placement we advise bringing plenty of school materials, arts & crafts items and some ideas from teaching resource websites. These will prove invaluable throughout your placement as there is a lack of materials able to purchase in the local area. Basic pens, pencils and cheap paper are available as well as moderate priced photocopying should you wish to bring activity sheets. Particularly for this placement you will find that items to entertain a group are useful. Bubbles, school parachute and toys are always a win and guaranteed to put a smile on the face!

What Happens During School Holidays?

During school holidays if a volunteers placement falls within these dates then we will organise a holiday school. Usually in a remote village where the children are more than willing to join in, these days usually are more focused to arts and sports from lunchtime onwards.
The school holidays usually fall three times a year; few weeks around easter, few weeks around August and a few weeks during December.