Volunteer Physical Education Teacher Program (Africa – Ghana)

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• The program
• The schools
• The accommodations
• The feeding
• Entertainment and sight-seeing
• Volunteers’ safety
• Minimum qualification required
• Rough estimate of total cost involved
• Apply for this program
• Next steps — after you have been accepted
• Other relevant facts about the program
• Sign up for our Newsletter
• Submit a question

The program
You can select any of the levels listed below as your preferred class or classes.   

• Primary class 1 (mean age of 6 years). Read excerpts of the curriculum
• Primary class 2 (mean age of 7 years). Read excerpts of the curriculum
• Primary class 3 (mean age of 8 years). Read excerpts of the curriculum
• Primary class 4 (mean age of 9 years). Read excerpts of the curriculum
• Primary class 5 (mean age of 10 years). Read excerpts of the curriculum
• Primary class 6 (mean age of 11 years). Read excerpts of the curriculum
• Junior High 1 (mean age of 12 years). Read excerpts of the curriculum
• Junior High 2 (mean age of 13 years). Read excerpts of the curriculum
  
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PRIMARY 1 PHYSICAL EDUCATION – Curriculum excerpts
Guide the pupils to perform:
Activities involving shuffle relays, number games, short sprints, scoring runs, “Mr. Wolf, what is the time”, etc.
Activities involving leap frog, hopping, jumping over obstacles and objects like benches, sticks, hoops, etc.
Activities involving throwing short sticks, bean bags, small balls, stuffed balls, etc. by swinging hand from behind and over the shoulder. Balancing activities involving skipping, jumping, hopping, bouncing, etc…. (A more detailed curriculum will be sent to you — after you have applied and confirmed your participation in the program)   Top

PRIMARY 2 PHYSICAL EDUCATION – Curriculum excerpts
Guide the pupils to perform:
Activities involving the pushing or putting (throwing) of round objects, e.g. balls, stones stuffed balls, etc.
Activities involving bouncing, hopping, galloping, skipping, arm swinging, etc.
Activities involving skip galloping, pawing, arm swinging, high knee picking, running on the balls of feet, etc.
Activities involving jumping on the spot, rolling body into different shapes and directions, balancing on one leg, etc… (A more detailed curriculum will be sent to you — after you have applied and confirmed your participation in the program)  Top

PRIMARY 3 PHYSICAL EDUCATION – Curriculum excerpts
Guide pupils to perform:
Activities involving body arching, heading balls using the forehead, etc. from stationary position.
Kicking balls in standing, walking and running position with inside of foot.
Body stretching, hopping and rolling from lying or squatting positions.
Rocking on the back into backward roll… (A more detailed curriculum will be sent to you — after you have applied and confirmed your participation in the program)   Top

PRIMARY 4 PHYSICAL EDUCATION – Curriculum excerpts
Guide the pupils to perform:
Cardiovascular activities like long runs over different terrains, hill running, fast walking, jogging, alternating sprinting and jogging.
Activities involving crouch jumps, jumping over obstacles, leap in different directions, jump from varied heights, hop in place, etc.
Activities involving walking, trotting and running to kick and pass rubber balls, footballs, stuffed balls, tennis balls, etc.
Activities involving kicking, tapping of feet, clapping, vigorous body movements, etc…. (A more detailed curriculum will be sent to you — after you have applied and confirmed your participation in the program)  Top

PRIMARY 5 PHYSICAL EDUCATION – Curriculum excerpts
Guide the pupils to perform:
Activities involving development of reaction time, strength in the legs and arms, speed and co-ordination, position of arms and legs at “on your marks”.
Activities involving sprinting, sprinting through, dipping trunk with chest out.
Volleyball: activities involving development of underarm and overhead skills; movement on court.. (A more detailed curriculum will be sent to you — after you have applied and confirmed your participation in the program)   Top

PRIMARY 6 PHYSICAL EDUCATION – Curriculum excerpts
Guide the pupils to perform:
Activities involving walking, swinging of arms, straight back leg, hip twist, heel-ball-toe action, etc.
Activities involving walking to hand over baton and jogging to hand over baton using the visual change.
Football: Activities involving double-fisting the ball, jumping for height, coordinated movements (timing), strength in legs and arms, etc.
Headstand: Activities involving development of strength in the arms and neck, balancing… (A more detailed curriculum will be sent to you — after you have applied and confirmed your participation in the program)   Top

JUNIOR HIGH 1 PHYSICAL EDUCATION – Curriculum excerpts
Guide the pupils to perform:
Sprinting: Activities involving increasing stride length, high knee picking, arm swinging, body lean, foot action, etc.
Relay racing (non-visual baton change): The non-visual baton change using the downward sweep
Long Jump (Sail): The long jump over a distance of 3m using the sail technique.
Activities involving sprinting, single take-off, pedaling sitting in the air, landing.
Volleyball: Activities involving hitting under the ball, arm swinging, serving over the net into target areas, etc…. (A more detailed curriculum will be sent to you — after you have applied and confirmed your participation in the program)   Top

JUNIOR HIGH 2 PHYSICAL EDUCATION – Curriculum excerpts
Guide the pupils to perform:
Javelin: Activities involving holding, carrying, running with the javelin, 5-step rhythm, release and recovery.
Race Walking: Race walking activities involving elbow bend and arm swing, heel-ball-toe action, straight back knee, and trunk straight.
Football: Activities involving throwing and trapping ball with the chest and thigh, ball juggling and using the thigh, etc. Activities involving body swerves, use of inside, in-step and outside of foot in moving the ball between skittles/ objects, shooting, passing, etc…. (A more detailed curriculum will be sent to you — after you have applied and confirmed your participation in the program)   Top

The schools
VIGS-GHANA partner schools are located in many villages, towns and cities in the coastal belt. From Agbozume in the east through Prampram, Tema, Accra and all the way to Twifu-Mampong in the west. We also have partner school in the middle parts of Ghana (Kumasi)    Back to top

The accommodations
Most of the accommodation is with host-families. The host family is usually the school owner. 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.  Back to top

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.   Back to top

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.  Back to top

Volunteers’ safety
Your safety is of paramount importance to VIGS GHANA. As such we give you all the relevant safety tips, plus we place you only in places where good medical services are within easy reach. In addition, we’ll give you a smart phone – so you can call or text or email or Whatsapp the in-country supervisors whenever the need arises. Our in-country support staff are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.    Back to top

Minimum qualification required of volunteers for the program: Applicants for this program must have at least completed high school.    Back to top

Rough estimate of total cost involved

• Flight to and from Ghana: US$600-1250 (Round-trip)
• Ghana visa: US$80-170
• Vaccinations: US$150-250
• Travel Insurance: US$70-320
• Miscellaneous personal items: US$300-900
• Personal Spending money whilst in Ghana: US$200 upwards
• VIGS GHANA Program fee: starts from US$450

So, a rough estimate of the total cost for a two-week program duration would be about US$1,870 – 3,560. Check the equivalent in your currency.    Back to top

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:

• Book a flight. See our flight information page. The earlier you book and confirm your flight, the better.
• Go through the suggested checklist of things to do and bring and start getting (or packing) them
• Send us your flight itinerary
• 60-30 days before your departure date, you must start processing for your Ghanaian visa. VIGS-GHANA will provide you with the needed references in Ghana — which are needed to obtain a Ghanaian visa.     Back to top

Other relevant facts about the program

• Minimum volunteering/internship duration: 1 week.
• Maximum duration: 6 months.
• Age range accepted: 18 – 75 years.
• We will send you a document on how to fund-raise for your trip – after you’ve confirmed your participation.
• We will meet you at the Airport in Accra (ACC) on your arrival day.
• We will give you a smart phone with internet and IDD (International Direct Dialing) capability on your arrival day.
• The average work day is 3-8 hours for this program.
• Saturdays and Sundays are free days.
• You can contact VIGS GHANA local staff on cell phones all the time — 24 hours a day — seven days a week.
• We can give you a Testimonial on successful completion of your volunteer or internship work.
• You can pay the program fee through any of the following methods:

1. By Wire Transfer through your bank.
2. Through WorldRemit Money Transfer – using your debit or credit card securely online.
3. Through Western Union Money Transfer – using your debit or credit card securely online.
4. Cash installments (or full payment) upon arrival into Ghana.

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