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Volunteer Health-Care Assistant Program (Africa - Ghana)

 



The program
The volunteer-intern would assist in some or all of the following areas (in accordance with their level of relevant training): Physicians consulting room, recording patients vital signs, maternal and childcare services, treating uncomplicated illnesses, observing surgeries, pharmacy department, physiotherapy department, drafting programs to educate the public on health issues, medical outreach programs by community midwives,etc. The place of work is a community hospital, health post or teaching hospital.

Program location: Northern Region
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The accommodations
You will be staying with host-families. All host families live within 30 minutes of the hospital. There are always other people in the house as well; and they would be willing to provide you some assistance. You would be placed in the same location with another volunteer - except you specifically state that you prefer to be placed alone. Volunteers coming as a pair or couple will not be placed with other volunteers in the same bedroom. The volunteer(s) have their separate room - with a lock and key. There are two beds in the volunteers' room; each with a mattress and in most cases a table and chair. It is advisable to bring along a mosquito net and a spare bed sheet. Many homes have a shower and flush toilet. In others you would have to manage with a bucket of water and a pit toilet - more likely in smaller towns and villages. Laundry is usually done with a couple of buckets.
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Typical bedroom for international volunteers in Africa. VIGS-Ghana placements
View more VIGS-GHANA volunteers' accommodations


The feeding
You will be served three meals daily. Breakfast is usually tea/ coffee/ oats or corn porridge and bread with jam/ butter/ egg omelet. Lunch could be plantain or rice or yam with vegetable stew or similar. Dinner could be rice, yam, pasta or plantain with vegetable sauce or stew or soup. For dessert you'd be served an orange or pineapple.
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Entertainment and sight-seeing
Weekends are free days. You may choose to travel out of town to see the many interesting sights and sounds in other parts of Ghana or hang out with your fellow volunteer(s) and/or locals in the neighbourhood. VIGS-GHANA frequently puts together sight-seeing trips: as a volunteer on one of our programs, you'll first be given the option to sign-on to our tours. The remaining slots will be offered to the general public
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Entrance to the Cape Coast castle in Africa, shortly after Obama's visit to Ghana


Minimum qualification required of volunteers for the program
Applicants for this program must have at least completed high school.
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Rough estimate of total cost involved

  • Flight to and from Ghana: US$800-1250 (Round-trip)
  • Ghana visa: US$50-150
  • Vaccinations: US$100-250
  • Miscellaneous personal items: US$300-900
  • Personal Spending money whilst in Ghana: US$200 upwards
  • VIGS-GHANA Program fee: starts from US$858

So, a rough estimate of the total cost for a two-week program duration (the minimum duration) would be about US$2,400 - 3,300. Check the equivalent in your currency.
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Next steps — after you have been accepted and given your Placement information
After you have been admitted to participate in the program, you would now have to execute the following:



Other relevant facts on the program

  • We will send you a document on how to fund-raise for your trip - after you confirm your intended participation.
  • We will meet and greet you at the Airport in Accra (ACC) on your arrival day
  • We can loan you a local mobile phone with IDD on your arrival into Ghana
  • The average work day is 3-8 hours for this program
  • Saturdays and Sundays are leisure days
  • We will give you a Certificate of Participation on successful completion of your volunteer work
  • You can contact VIGS-GHANA local staff on cell phones all the time — 24 hours a day — seven days a week
  • You can pay the program fee through any one of the following means:
    1. By Wire Transfer through your bankers.
    2. You can also pay it securely online through our highly-reputed payment processor using any of the following credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, JCB, PayPal.
    3. Through Western Union Money Transfer - using your debit or credit card securely online or by phone.
    4. Cash installments (or full payment) upon arrival into Ghana

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Apply for volunteer health-care assistant position
Reserve a place on this program now (valid for one year)

Volunteering program
*Your Name (first name, last name)
*Gender
*Age
*Nationality
*Country of Residence
*Primary Email (please cross-check)
Alternate Email
*Cell or Home Phone
Other Phone
Home Address
*Highest Educational Qualification
*Please give details of post high school education
*Please give details of work experience
*Preferred washroom type
*Prefer to be paired with another volunteer?
International travel experience
*Do you have a medical condition?
If yes, please state
Any diet restrictions / food allergies? e.g.: vegetarian
*Intended start month
*Intended start year
*Intended duration
*Emergency contact (Name)
*Emergency contact (Phone)
Emergency contact (Email)
How did you hear about us?
Any other remarks
*Required fields  


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