from 82€

Excellent 4.8rating (180)

Building & Painting Of Rural Schools (Renovation)

location
1 - 24 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+

rating  Excellent 4.8  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Excellent response rate

Volunteer project with the highest quality. This project sets unprecedented standards in quality - an unparalleled level of excellence.

Highlights

  • Experience the rural Ghanaian way of life and it's laid back, friendly atmosphere.
  • Gain a new family, living in shared volunteer housing gives you the perfect chance to make life long friends across the globe.
  • Have a direct impact on either renovating buildings or decorating classrooms to create a pleasant learning environment.
  • Make unforgettabe memories travelling with your fellow volunteers at weekends to places such as Mole Safari Park, Cape Coast Castle & Boti Waterfall.
  • Volunteers will need to fundraise to cover the items you will be using on a daily basis. No matter the budget we will assign you to a relevant project.

Especially suitable

Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Groups
50+

About the program

Improving local facilities by renovating unsafe structures and creating positive learning environments through painting and creative wall displays.

MATERIALS FUNDING - PLEASE NOTE:
As our placements are cost price, for the renovation team we will need you to fundraise/donate to cover the materials and local labourers you will be using and working with. You can bring this money with you and we will show you to the local stores so you can take ...

About the program

MATERIALS FUNDING - PLEASE NOTE:
As our placements are cost price, for the renovation team we will need you to fundraise/donate to cover the materials and local labourers you will be using and working with. You can bring this money with you and we will show you to the local stores so you can take receipts to see full transparency of the items you are buying to personally use on site.

Approximate Budgets:
Painting/Decoration – 400 Ghana cedis per week. (Used to buy pots of paint, brushes and accessories)
Construction/Renovation – ₵1000 Ghana cedis per week. (Used to buy bags of cement, iron rods, sand, water and masons etc)



About The Placement

Working to improve the local infrastructure and educational facilities.

Usually based at our linked project sites you will be joining us as a member of the Facilities Renovation Team. Focusing on improving the safety, security and overall feel of the local project sites. From painting classrooms and creating board displays to roofing a toilet block and plastering a nursery wall. This work will be more manual labour focused still with a lot of involvement at the local schools and organisations with the children.

Why This Placement?

Schools, educational facilties and clinics once constructed are mostly left to deteriorate over the years. A lot of these buildings have damaged roofing sheets, walls and flooring which are often dangerous and pose a safety hazard for the often young children which are based inside them. We aim to work with local tradesmen to develop these facilties and improve the safety and appearance for all those affected.
Due to the sheer enthusiasm of the school children in Ghana, once we get the basics of the walls repaired at a project site we are then hoping to improve the feel and
aesthetics especially at our local schools by painting the classrooms and creating captivating educational wall displays and boards.

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 20 - 60 Ghana cedis per day for transport costs.

We work with a number of project sites within the local community and slightly further out in rural communities. 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 project sites will require volunteers to pay transport between 20 cedis and 60 cedis a day, with the average being about 45 cedis. 

The more remote project sites 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?

A hands on role you will be directly involved with building, construction and painting work. No matter your current skill level! Either on a more construction side focusing on plastering, skimming, shifting, lifting etc or the renovation side including painting buildings, creating board displays and improving the basic appearance of the facilities through it's design and decoration.

Who Will I Be Working With?

You will be based at one of our local project sites such as a school, library or clinic. You may work alongside a local skilled tradesman to learn a few basic skills and there will be the project staff on site such as the Headteacher at the school for example. 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 or nursing staff. 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?

Manual labour experience is not compulsory and we will find a placement to suit your interests, skills and abilities. 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 some donations which you can fundraise beforehand with our help. These donations can go towards building materials such as bags of cement, tubs of paint and paying local skilled tradesmen for assistance.
You may also find that it's useful to bring plenty of school materials, arts & crafts items and some ideas from teaching resource websites for your free time and to share with the local school children and teachers. Basic pens, pencils and cheap paper are available as well as moderate priced photocopying should you wish to bring activity sheets. 

What Happens During School Holidays?

The holidays will not directly affect this placement and the work can continue throughout the year.
The school holidays usually fall three times a year; few weeks around easter, few weeks around August and a few weeks during December.



Typical day

  • 07:30am - 08:00am / Volunteer transport leaves the volunteer house to project sites
  • 08:00am - 10:00am / Arrive at site and begin daily tasks. Eg; Painting of school building or helping with block work and plastering.
  • 10:00am - 11:00am / Break
  • 11:00am - 13:00pm / Resuming of placement site work. Eg; ...

Typical day

  • 07:30am - 08:00am / Volunteer transport leaves the volunteer house to project sites
  • 08:00am - 10:00am / Arrive at site and begin daily tasks. Eg; Painting of school building or helping with block work and plastering.
  • 10:00am - 11:00am / Break
  • 11:00am - 13:00pm / Resuming of placement site work. Eg; Painting of school building or helping with block work and plastering.
  • 13:00pm - 13:30pm /  End of placement and start to travel back to the house to rest and meet up with the other team members
  • In their free time, volunteers are free to go shopping in the local markets, return to the volunteer house or visit the local swimming pools.

    This is just an example day and a flexibility to workload and timings is a crucial skill for a successful volunteer trip. Increasing workload to lengthen your day is possible, you just need to communicate with your in country support team.

Free-time activities

Mid Week Free Time
After school and evenings offer these local opportunities around the local area:

  • Hiking / Trekking
  • Swimming
  • Sightseeing (Waterfalls and breathtaking scenery)
  • After school & Homework Clubs
  • Sports facilities
  • Live Music
  • Plenty of Nightlife
  • Restaurants & Hotels providing western cuisine

Weekend

Free-time activities

Mid Week Free Time
After school and evenings offer these local opportunities around the local area:

  • Hiking / Trekking
  • Swimming
  • Sightseeing (Waterfalls and breathtaking scenery)
  • After school & Homework Clubs
  • Sports facilities
  • Live Music
  • Plenty of Nightlife
  • Restaurants & Hotels providing western cuisine

Weekend Free Time
Most volunteers will travel at weekends, across Ghana we have many amazing experiences which you can discover. Here are just a few ideas:

  • Safari
  • Museums
  • Slave Castles
  • Canopy Walk
  • Waterfalls
  • Malls and Cinemas (Showing latest films)
  • Beautiful Beaches
  • Surfing

We are on hand to offer any advice that you might need.


Requirements

Requirements

Minimum Age: 18 years

In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

Language Skills

You need to speak English (basic level)

Education Requirements

at High School / Secondary School level

Criminal Background Check

required

Required Documents

CV/Résumé

Nationality Restrictions

No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

Other Skills

If you have any skilled labour experience please let us know and we will match the placement to your skills.

Time Commitment

Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 08:00 - 15:00

What's Included

What's Included

Services by Atlas Volunteers

Atlas Volunteer's aim is to provide low cost, meanigful volunteer placements abroad. By keeping our program fees affordable, we hope for helping hands from across the world to be able to come and help as well as experience Ghana no matter their financial situation.

Our program fees cover the core foundation of your program which are:
  • Registration Fee
  • Volunteer House Accommodation
  • Local Support Staff
  • Volunteer House Utility Bills; Tap Water, Cooking Gas and Electricity
  • Organisation running costs, both online and in country.
  • Marketing & Introduction Commissions
  • Social Funds - When possible we use part of our fees for community development such as; sponsoring of the children's sports academy, mobile library, social enterprises, plastics workshop, farm expansions, reforestation site and seedlings, conservation site maintenance and expansion, scholarship school fees, school materials and maintenance.
In addition to your core program fees, there will also be some other items you need to consider to cover your complete trip. We have setup our program in this way as we believe that each of our volunteers' trips should be different and personalised to their stay. Due to this, we decided not to choose a blanket price for transport or food for example where this would perhaps increase the fees unnecessarily for volunteers travelling a shorter distance or that eat certain diets. These optional items to consider are;
  • Airport Transfer from Kotoka International Airport (Optional - Approximately 700 cedis as of January 2024)
  • Daily Transport to Projects (Approximately 20 cedis as of January 2024 from Aduamoah to Abetifi)
  • Food (Volunteers usually advise $2-3 per day but it's possible to spend less or more depending on if cooking at home or eating out)
  • Drinking Water (Approximately 8 cedis for 30 x 500ml filtered water sachets)
  • Internet / Data (Starting from around 30 cedis for 10GB depending on local sim network and setup)
  • Renovation Project fundraising to cover the paint/building supplies you will be using on site.

Accommodation

Volunteers live together in shared accommodation in the Abetifi district of Ghana along with our support team in house. The house is based in a quiet town where you are within walking distance to local shops, street vendors and taxi routes - all whilst being able to enjoy the beautiful surrounding views of the rainforest and mountains.

Bedrooms -
Bedrooms are shared usually between 2 - 4 people. Most bedrooms are supplied with a bunk bed. All doors and windows in the house are covered by mosquito netting or covered completely however you are more than welcome to bring a mosquito net for your bed although usually not necessary.

Bathrooms -
There are basic bathrooms in the accommodation with individual WCs and shower rooms. Most of the time (but not always!) we have the benefit of running water which is a local luxury so showers and toilets will work as normal. We ask to consider others when using the water as it's a valuable commodity in Ghana.

Kitchen -
We have a basic kitchen available in the volunteer house for you to use throughout the day. The basics of Fridge/Freezer, Gas stove, Kettle and Microwaves are supplied.
It is a self catered placement however plenty of food stuffs can be bought from the market such as bread, rice, pasta and many fresh ingredients.
We also have connections with local people in the town who will be able to prepare your meals or teach you how to cook local dishes.

Living Room -
There is a large living room with sofas, TV and a dining set for use by the volunteers. Evenings are often spent in here and volunteers are welcome to bring DVDs or memory drives with movies to watch although local television channels are provided.

Outdoor -
The house circles around a large outside compound where volunteers usually spend their afternoons and evenings eating outside, catching up with the other volunteers and group activities such as games nights.

Store Room -
We have a small store room where we keep left over teaching materials and resources for new volunteers to use. You are invited to leave any items you may not use here for the next person to continue the flow. Master copies of activity sheets or lesson plans are a key item we hope to see keep growing in the store.

Internet Access

Limited access at the project site

What's NOT included?

What's NOT included?

Airport Pickup at Kotoka International Airport

An airport pickup isn't included within the program fees either.

Food & Beverages

Food, snacks or beverages are at extra costs.

Flight Tickets

The nearest airport is Kotoka International Airport (ACC) in Accra. We assist you to find cheap flights to Ghana. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

Travel Insurance

Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Ghana provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

Vaccines

If you are intending to volunteer in Ghana you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Ghana. VACCINE CHECKER

Details on arrival

This placement is available throughout the year. You are welcome to arrive with us any day of the week or flight arrival time and we will adjust your airport collection accordingly.

How Do I Get From The Airport to Volunteer House On Arrival?

We can arrange for one of our partnered drivers to collect you from the airport and bring you directly to the volunteer house although fuel, airport parking and toll fees must be covered by yourself - payable in Ghana cedis or US dollars on the day (You can use local ATM machines on the way to withdraw Ghana cedi currency.)

Cost: As of September 2023 this is around 650 cedis.

We will arrange this as standard procedure unless you choose to OPT OUT as we would feel much more comfortable with you arriving into a new country that the team are on hand to greet and reliable vehicles made available for you and your luggage.
Upon arrival our regulat collections driver Asare will meet you outside the arrivals hall at Kotoka Intl. Airport.
They will be holding a sign with your name on so they should be easy to spot!

Availability
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Program fees

1 week (min. stay) 82€
12 weeks 989€
24 weeks (max. stay) 1,862€
Average fees 80€/week

Program fees

80€ per week 1 - 24 weeks Age 18 - 50+

Payment methods

Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

NO CREDIT CARD FEES


Duration

1 - 24 weeks

Deposit

The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.


Final Payment

Your final payment will be agreed with Atlas Volunteers during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.


Meet your organization

Atlas Volunteers

Excellent 4.8 rating (180 reviews)

Non-profit - founded in 2017

Verified by Volunteer World

  Excellent response rate

Coordinated by

Sam

Spoken languages: English

About the project

Atlas Volunteers is an NGO providing low cost, meaningful volunteer placements in rural Ghana, Thailand & Cambodia.

Meet your organization

Who We Are?

We're a team of volunteers that wanted to startup a volunteer organisation truly by volunteers for volunteers. The initial founders of the team met whilst volunteering in Ghana from 2010 onwards. After becoming the largest volunteer organisation in Ghana in 2023 where we focus on development within our rural areas, we answered the call in 2024 to help our partners on the ground elsewhere in the world whilst still maintaining the same Atlas standards of creating meaningful & affordable volunteering programs for people from all over the world to come lend a hand so that we can leave the world in a better place whilst getting to experience new people, countries and cultures from a meaningful travel experience.

What We Do?

Our volunteer team and support coordinators work directly with our local community partners to help make an impact and leave the world a better place than we found it. Our team work across

  • Education - including school support, tutoring sessions, reading clubs and vacation classes.
  • Sports - Football academy, physical education lessons and school sports days.
  • Renovation - Constructing and maintenance of unsafe school buildings as well as decorating and improvements.
  • Eco Projects - including reforestation, plastics upcycling and community cleanups.
  • Community - farm assistant and health insurance drives.
  • Conservation - Sea Turtle & Elephant conservation programs.

Where We Work?

Our main flagship program is based at the Abetifi district in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It holds the highest habitable town in Ghana upon a mountainous area so we have the benefit of a cooler overall temperature especially on the evenings and mornings. The volunteer house is in one of the towns close to Abetifi called Aduamoah. Abetifi is our closest larger town just a few minutes drive where there are banks, shops, market etc. The volunteer programs you will be visiting will be spread from the towns to just twenty minutes down the road on the road to Lake Volta (the largest man made lake in the world) where we work with remote villages to strengthen their facilities and improve their way of life. Life is fairly laid back in the area and time is soon spent chatting with people in passing and visiting friends. The Kwahu area has an extremely low crime rate and volunteers are given the chance and encouraged to explore the local towns alone or in groups with our team.

We also run our sea turtle conservation project at Cape Three Points between September - March each year during the nesting season. Cape Three Points is a complete contract to Abetifi where it's a tiny rural village but benefits from the most amazing beach and forest views. In 2024 we have also launched programs in Thailand and Cambodia with really exciting programs that are genuinely making a difference to conservation, education and community development efforts on the ground.

Our History

Our Mission


Who Are We Looking For?

We are looking for flexible, caring volunteers who have the drive to not only help but to familiarise themselves with the local culture and characters. The ability to work outside of your usual comfort zone will not make your trip easiest but help towards our social impact goals.

180 reviews · rating4.8

I had an incredible time in Ghana with Atlas, so good in fact that this was my second trip having returned within 3 weeks after leaving - that says it all really. But to expand, the projects Atlas are undertaking are so meaningful and it is clear to see the impact they are having so it is really ...
I whole heartedly recommend volunteering with Atlas. Their projects are so meaningful and rewarding to be a part of. The coordinators are so approachable and supporting with any queries of concerns so it makes the whole experience smoother and more enjoyable. The projects and the house are placed in ...
Ghana is a very beautiful country with beautiful nature and people. The first moment you enter the country is getting used to how people drive on the road, the roads themselves, the different eating habits (spicy) and so much more. But we also learned so much, about the fact that we can count ...
Very nice place to do voluntary work and learn new people from different countries. It is safe to stay there and the locals are kind. Also in your spare time you have a lot of activities to do. In the surroundings you have nice nature and ...
I stayed for 2 weeks in Atlas house. I really enjoyed the time to this country as it was my first time in the country. My accommodation was quite easy as the people there are very friendly and it didn't take too much time to adapt. I hope to visit again this ...
Geoffroy Pétain-Hannois rating5

2022 at Building & Painting Of Rural Schools (Renovation)

For me, i have had a very good time in this association. The people are very Friendly. I can only recommend everyone to choose Atlas for a moment of volunteering in Ghana. People are accessible. The manager is very nice. He responds quickly to emails and is ...

Location

Africa > Western Africa > Ghana > Abetifi

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