Overview
Watch a brief video about our program in GhanaCome experience the heart and soul of West Africa! On this teen study abroad summer program, you’ll journey to a village in southern Ghana where you will immerse yourself in the vibrant, traditional culture through percussion drumming, weaving, dance, and tribal languages. During the community service program you will volunteer schools and day care centers working to improve the lives of the children of this African village. We’ll also meet local leaders working on issues related the plight of women and children. Ghana is a particularly important place, as it is where many African-Americans can trace their roots.
Highlights include
- Visit the haunting slave forts in Cape Coast
- Meet traditional healers and spiritual leaders
- Befriend local children while volunteering at a village school
- Explore hidden waterfalls and traditional villages in the Volta Region
Community Service
Volunteering abroad in Ghana will allow you to become part of rural village life and help improve the life of the local children. You’ll quickly adopt an open and laid-back attitude that will allow you to form strong connections with the people of the community.
This teen volunteer program will allow you to perform community service in economically underprivileged rural communities doing non-formal educational activities such as teaching local children English and basic mathematics, making arts and crafts, and playing sports. We will volunteer in schools and daycare centers.
Learning
Ghana is a country rich in culture and history, and you will experience first-hand some county’s fascinating anthropological roots.
You will meet grassroots leaders who are working on the front lines to address issues relating to children’s rights, education, and women’s issues . You’ll learn about the tribal system of traditional chiefs that runs in parallel to the freely elected governmental body.
In addition, you will learn African drumming and dance as well as some tribal languages. You’ll also participate in hands-on workshops with local artisans to create arts and crafts.
Excursions
Explore Ghana’s diverse landscape–from its low bush lands and grassy plains in the north to its rich tropical rainforests in the central belt to its and the plains that surround its sandy coastline.
While we are staying in the community of Keta, on the southern coast of Ghana, we’ll also visit the slave forts along the Cape Coast and have time to relax on the beautiful beaches of western Ghana.
On the 21-day abroad program, we will journey to the heart of the Volta Region, a state known for its strong sense of traditional culture, its isolated villages lost in time and beautiful landscape.
Lodging
The GLA Home Base is traditional African compound with separate rooms facing a courtyard, surrounded by a wall. Rooms are simple, but safe and clean. Students and staff stay together in gender-segregated rooms. Each room has two bunk beds, allowing three to four students to share a bedroom. There are shared bathrooms with western-style toilets, sinks and a private shower. This is a great way to experience rural African living.
