As VPWA Volunteers, you will have to adapt to conditions that may be dramatically different than you have ever experienced and modify lifestyle practices that you now take for granted. Even the most basic practices— talking, eating, using the bathroom, and sleeping — may take significantly different forms in the context of Ghana. If you successfully adapt and integrate, you will in return be rewarded with a deep understanding of a new culture, the establishment of new and potentially lifelong relationships, and a profound sense of humanity.

Health and Safety

Ghana is one of the safest countries in Africa. In the Global Peace Index it is ranked above both the United Kingdom and the US. It is the perfect introduction for first time volunteers to Africa. It has a democratic electoral process and a stable economy. VPWA team shall ensure your health and safety at all times and you'll have emergency support 24/7.

Pokuase which is the community within GA West Municipality of Accra that most VPWA Volunteers live and it is a highly safe community with friendly people. All volunteers live in a friendly house with other Ghanaians and to offer you an opportunity to be fully immersed in our society and families.

Geography and Climate

Ghana, located on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa, extends about 450 miles from north to south, and 

250 miles from east to west(roughly the size of Oregon). Geographically, the country can be divided into three zones: the southern narrow coastal strip of savanna; a broad tropical rain forest extending 150-200 miles north; and the northern savanna area. Lake Volta, formed by the construction of the Akosombo Dam, is the largest manmade lake in the world and is an important geographical feature of the country.

The climate of Ghana is tropical with two main seasons, the dry season from November through March, and the rainy season from May through August. It is hot and dry along the southeast coast. It is hot and humid in the southwest, and dry in the north. During the dry season, the Harmattan affects the northern and southern regions with days of continual cool air, haze, and fine dust. 

Rewards and Frustrations

Many western volunteers never have the opportunity to live in a place where families and the life of the community are literally the most important things. Many people never truly understand how much people can do with seemingly so little, and what a difference just a little help can make in someone’s life. With their familiar habits and routines gone, VPWA Volunteers in Ghana learn to develop new routines and relationships, and in doing so, have life changing experiences. What could be more rewarding?

Most Volunteers coming to Ghana find the pace of life much slower, and for some this is difficult to adjust to. It is especially difficult when you are trying to meet deadlines that you believe are important while everyone around you seems to be on a different schedule. Relying on unpredictable transport rather than just picking up and leaving when you want to, not being able to make yourself clear when communicating, and finding that you really are responsible for making this experience what it turns out to be, can be overwhelming. At the end of your stay however, when you realize what you gained and how you adjusted to a new environment, you will see why it was the experience of a lifetime.