Why This Project Matters
Healthcare in Ghana comes with its own structures, resources and routines. Equipment and clinical processes can be quite different from what you know at home, giving you the chance to experience healthcare from a completely different perspective and understand how local medical teams work within the system available to them.
The project is also part of wayers’ long-term commitment in Ghana. In 2025, wayers donated €5,000 towards the renovation and modernisation of the children’s ward and supported improvements to its infrastructure, hygiene and equipment, helping create additional capacity for young patients.
Your Project
You become part of the everyday routine at a local medical facility and work alongside Ghanaian doctors and nursing staff. Depending on your previous knowledge, you will begin by observing treatments and procedures, assist the medical team or take on individual tasks under their guidance.
Your placement can take you through different areas of the facility. Depending on current needs, these can include outpatient admissions, the lab or the maternity ward. You receive a schedule on site showing where you will be working. To take part in the project, you must have prior experience in the form of a completed vocational training programme or an internship of at least four weeks in an inpatient setting.
Typical tasks can include supporting patient admissions, taking vital signs such as pulse and temperature, weighing patients, drawing blood or assisting with malaria testing. What you can do always depends on your qualifications, your level of experience and what is needed at the project at the time, so individual tasks and departments cannot be guaranteed. However, you can always let the team know which areas you are particularly interested in and they'll do their best togive you an insight into that area.
Good to know: the programme can be used as a nursing placement or Famulatur. Recognition always depends on the individual requirements of your university, training institution or responsible authority, so make sure to have these checked in advance.
Who You Will Be Working With
You work alongside the local doctors and nursing staff, learning directly from the people who know the facility, its patients and its routines best. They remain responsible for medical care and decide which tasks you can safely take on based on your knowledge and experience.
Outside the project, the local wayers team supports you throughout your stay. Ebenezer is our main coordinator. He was born in Accra, lived in Germany for eight years and has professional experience as a nurse, giving him a strong understanding of both the Ghanaian and European perspective.
You also share your everyday life with other wayers participants at the wayers Home, so after the project day there is always someone around to swap stories, make plans or simply hang out by the pool.
What We Expect From You
This project is particularly suited to medical students and participants who already have medical knowledge through their studies or professional training. Your background shapes how actively you can become involved and which responsibilities the local team can give you.
It is important that you stay curious, show initiative and are ready to learn from the local team. Medical routines and standards are different from what you are used to, so an open and adaptable attitude matters.
Always work within the responsibilities given to you by the medical staff. Ask when you are unsure, respect the patients you meet and be prepared for plans or tasks to change depending on what the facility needs that day.
What You Can Expect From Us
Before you leave, we prepare you for your time in Ghana with personal support from our programme coordinators, an online preparation seminar and access to the wayers Lounge with practical information for your trip. You also have the opportunity to connect with other wayers participants before departure.
On arrival, our local team picks you up at the airport and takes you to the wayers Home. You will have an introduction including information about Ghana, local culture, your project and everyday life on site, followed by a city tour through Accra. At the project, you have local contacts you can turn to throughout your placement.
During your entire stay, our teams in Ghana and Germany are there for you, including a 24-hour emergency line. After your return, you receive a certificate of participation.
Life at the wayers Home
You live at the wayers Home in Accra together with other volunteers. There you have shared rooms, a pool, terrace, garden and common room where everyone comes together after their different projects. Free Wi-Fi is available, and solar panels have been installed at the house since 2024.
From Monday to Friday, breakfast and dinner are included. Breakfast has a Ghanaian touch, while the local cook prepares traditional meals in the evenings. For lunch and at weekends, you can use the shared kitchen or explore the food around Accra.
Surroundings
Accra brings together busy markets, local food, music, history and life along Ghana’s coast. Kokrobite Beach is around 20 minutes from the wayers Home, while weekends give you time to explore further.
Travel with Confidence
As a German tour operator with more than 20 years of experience, wayers supports you before, during and after your journey. From preparation and travel planning to your personal welcome in Ghana, local contacts and our 24-hour emergency support. You have a team behind you while you discover a new healthcare system, a new culture and a completely different side of West Africa.
