Safety and security for all our volunteers and interns is our primary concern. We have put in place many safety measures and security procedures to make sure that you have all the necessary support you need to have a peaceful and enjoyable stay in Ghana with absolutely zero problems.
Understanding Safety in Ghana
Ghana is one of the few countries which is safe and politically stable to volunteer. All our local staff are well trained and informed about the importance of safety and security of our volunteers, so they always see to it that you are familiar with the local area and know where you are going to be staying in detail. The local staff are available to ensure your safety and protection 24/7.
Pre-departure info
After submission of your application form, our team of staff will review and process your application and once you get accepted into one or more of our projects, you will receive all the needed information and support from both our local staff and our international volunteer advisors and mentors. These two parties will be at your assistance to give you information about VISA applications, packing list, cultural advise, work ethics and so on. All our international volunteer advisors will be available to give you advice about all the things you need to know and also answer all questions you may have for them even when you are in Ghana and still want their help.
Project placement info
All our accepted applicants will be provided placement details before they go to Ghana and the details will include the addresses and phone numbers of your work place and supervisors and the host family as well.
Volunteer-staff relations
Our team of highly skilled and experienced staff are there to help you stay in Ghana. They are available during the day at the main office in Cape Coast and you can reach them by phone 24/7. Our staff also pays regular visits to volunteers, host families and project placements to ensure smooth operations and friendly living and working environment. We maintain a routine monitoring checks of all the volunteer accommodations and project placements.
Accommodation and project placement checks
All the accommodations that we provide are clean, hygienic and comfortable. We do regular checks to make sure that the host families are always up to the standards or aims that we require of being a host to our volunteers. We also ensure that at least every host family have one member of the family who can express himself/herself in the English language by being able to understand and speak it fluently to break the language barrier.
We can also do regular checks by visiting the work placement of the volunteers before, during and after the volunteers stay. We work very closely with all the partners and parties involved to make sure they fully understand the mission and purpose of volunteering with West African Health and Education Foundation in order to make volunteers have a good time in Ghana. At the end of every volunteer stay, we do a review and a feedback procedure to help improve on the areas that we fall short.
Airport pick-up & introduction
Every volunteer or intern or any group of volunteers who comes to Ghana will be assigned a supervisor who will be at the airport to pick you up on arrival and you off before departure. All our volunteer supervisors carry some form of identification for verification. The volunteer supervisor will normally be the same person responsible for you introduction. This is where they will give you a welcome pack details of the local area and where to find important places like the banks, hospital and other relevant places like our offices.
You will also get a tour of the area and how to access the local transportation system you will be using regularly for work and other things. You will also be given a talk about the tradition and the customs of the people and about what to expect on a daily basis which might surprise you every time. The main reason of these kind of meetings and talks is to make you feel welcome and be able to fit into your new environment easily and faster than usual.
After your application gets accepted
Emergency and staff contact details; All the email addresses and phone numbers of all our local staff will be provided so you can contact them at anytime about anything concerning your trip and they will be at your assistance.
Host family project profile; All volunteers who get accepted onto any of our projects will receive an email at least a month before departure containing contact details, locations, names, photos and background information of your host family and project placement and it’s supervisor.
Flight and insurance details; You will be requested to a fully detailed information about your medical and travel insurance cover to our management team for a review to make sure that you are signed up to the right insurance plan for your trip and also a fully detailed flight itinerary so there will be no inconveniences when we come to pick you up when you arrive in Ghana.
Please remember this, we do NOT book flight for our interested volunteers or participants, but we support in flight searches if you consult us for help. Our expert staff will suggest some flight itineraries for you to choose from to meet your satisfaction and travel plans.
West African Health & Education Foundation 