There are many things a volunteer can do to make their time a very successful one in the orphanage project. You'll care for the children in a variety of different ways. You'll tidy their beds, help them change clothes if they're very young, make sure they brush every morning before breakfast and eat properly, drop them to school, help them finish their work and teach them English and other subjects in the evenings. You can also help in the kitchen, clean the orphanage and participate in other activities that your orphanages does to entertain children when they're not attending schools.

There is no of specific qualification required for orphanage project in Ghana . However, volunteers interested in working with orphans must have love for the kids and willingness to share their time and compassion with patience and high flexibility.

Rustic Volunteer Travel arranges volunteer meals, accommodations and strong field supervision for the duration of projects and optional travel packages. In Ghana, most volunteers stay in our homebase, a permanent home established for our international volunteers. Our homebase in Ghana is located in a pretty community, in a very safe and clean neighborhood. There are internet cafés, restaurants, local bus stations, a police station and supermarkets near our homebase. The homebase provides is a comfortable place to relax after a long day. There are several bedrooms (which may be shared with a same-gender volunteer) and community areas. There is a shared kitchen, television and shared bathrooms, which have running water and “western-style” toilets. Orphanage volunteers may stay at their project as many orphanages have special rooms set aside for international and these accommodations are normally shared with a same-gender volunteer.

Depending on the influx of volunteers, accommodations could be with a host family. Host family accommodations are simple and clean homes in safe neighborhoods. Volunteers usually have a private bedroom, but occasionally rooms will be shared with a same-gender volunteer. Our host families are well screened and are respected members of their communities who live in affluent neighborhoods. Most of our host families have experience with hosting international volunteers. Host family stays are a great chance for cultural immersion and exchange.

Volunteers receive three local meals per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner). We can provide vegetarian meal options, but needs must be detailed in a volunteer's application. Snacks and beverages outside of mealtimes are not provided; however, there are local restaurants and grocery stores near the residences in which we place volunteers.

Rustic offers unparalleled field support to volunteers to ensure a safe and rewarding experience. There are many layers of support for you. The most important support comes from our country coordinator/field staff. The secondary support comes from the host project staff and members of host families and/or a homebase staff. Volunteers will have access to our country coordinator's mobile number and they are available 24/7. Throughout the volunteer project, our local staff stays in contact with volunteers either with face-to-face visits or via email/telephone. Our field staff will visit regularly (every 2-4 weeks) to make sure things are going well and as planned. However, if placement is far from our local offices, staff members will stay in touch via email/ phone. Volunteers are also welcome to stop in the offices at any time.

Specific details regarding accommodations, food and contact details for our local coordinator will be provided in personalized volunteer placement documentation prior to arrival.

Working in orphanages or day care centers are available options in various towns including Accra (home to the National Museum of Ghana, the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Christianborg or Osu Castle -- the residence of the president of Ghana), Kumasi (include the large Kumasi Central Market, Tafo kumasi, Fort Kumasi (built by the British in 1896 to replace an Asante fort and now a museum) and the Kumasi Hat Museum) and Hohoe (Wli Waterfalls), with shops, banks & internet cafes nearby. Ghana's vibrant cities are renowned for its friendly atmosphere where visitors are always welcomed. It's full of contrasts: from traditional culture and history to modern infrastructure and most of the amenities you would expect from a city. Volunteers can organize several combinations of potential excursions during and after the project to visit places of interest. There is a tourist infrastructure already in place the volunteer can use during weekends. For example: waterfalls, monkey sanctuary, markets, purple princess designs, mountain biking, drumming school, community based eco-tourism project, Volta river, Pottery village, hotels, Kenta weaving studio and many more.