Terms & Conditions

Terms and Conditions for world wide volunteers undertaking a placement with Ikando Ghana.

The following terms and conditions are the contractual agreement between Ikando Ghana (hereafter referred to as Ikando) and you, the volunteer (hereafter referred to as “the volunteer”). It lists the support and service that will be provided before and during any placement organized with Ikando, along with procedure for payment, refunds or cancellations. It is important that you read the whole document and understand what each part means. You will only be able to undertake an Ikando placement once you have read and signed your agreement to these terms and conditions within the declaration on the Volunteer Application Form. If you have any questions on any aspect of these terms and conditions, please contact Ikando Ghana by emailing info@ikando.org.

Contents
1. The Service provided by Ikando Ghana to a volunteer
2. Payment and the application process
3. Making Changes to your Ikando placement
4. Refunds
5. Cancellations
6. Acceptance onto your Placement
7. Disruption to your Placement
8. Unusual Circumstances during your Placement
9. In-country Support
10. Passport & Visas
11. Travel Advice for Ghana
12. Health
13. Accommodation and Meals
14. Flights and other Transport
15. Insurance
16. Money Back Guarantee
17. Problem solving during your Placement
18. Complaint procedure
19. Volunteer Code of conduct
20. Ending the Agreement
21. Accuracy of Marketing Materials
22. The Law and your Protection
23. Our Responsibility for your Placement
24. Use of photos and comments
25. Personal Data
26. Glossary and Terms

1. The Service provided to a volunteer by Ikando Ghana to a volunteer
In exchange for the fee charged by Ikando to the volunteer, Ikando provide:
• Research to find or confirm a non-paid work placement within a host organization, with this placement matched to your skills and criteria
• A defined job description and objectives for the period of your placement with the host organization
• Named Ikando coordinators who will be your points of contact in the country of your placement.
• A full description of the organization providing your placement, with 24 hour contact details for your named coordinator.
• An airport meet and greet service with transfers to your accommodation and placement.
• During placement, support from your Ikando Staff including 24-hour emergency contact information and regular ‘health check’ visits as required by the volunteer
• Basic accommodation for the length of placement and meals for certain placements (see website for which placement include food and which do not).
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2. Payment and the application process
Please note that we cannot progress your application to Ikando without receiving:
• A fully completed and signed volunteer application form
• A personal or professional reference given by an employer, teacher, lawyer or doctor. This reference must include detail of the context in which the referee knows you, verifying your CV and stating that he/she knows of no reason why you should not volunteer. The referee should also provide their contact details in order that Ikando can contact them prior to your departure to confirm the reference given.
• The deposit for your placement. Please note this deposit is non-refundable due to costs incurred by Ikando on your behalf during administration and research for a placement.
• A copy of your travel and health insurance certificates.
• Information on your travel arrangements (flight number, airline, arrival and departure time and dates).
• A copy of the photo page of your passport.

The invoices sent to you will confirm the dates the deposit and remainder are due. The receipts will confirm receipt of your money by Ikando and the confirmation of your placement.

You must pay the balance of the Ikando fee at least 60 days before your arrival date of your placement, or on booking, if you apply within 60 days of the proposed arrival date.

If you wish to make alterations to your placement once it has been confirmed, we will endeavour to make the changes, provided we receive your request in writing, and there is sufficient time to do so (see clause 3). There is a minimum charge of £40/€60 to cover our administration costs. We will notify you by email in advance of any charges; if you wish to proceed with making the alterations, you agree to pay these.

The minimum notice we require in order to make an alteration is generally 30 days before the placement start date. Depending on the placement and alteration requested, it may occasionally be longer. Any rearrangement or substantial alteration of a placement requested 30 days or less before the placement start date (where it can be made) will be treated as a cancellation and cancellation charges will apply (see clause 5).

We reserve the right to postpone your arrival date at your placement if we have not received your completed Volunteer Application Form, CV (resume), travel details, reference, copy of photo page of your passport or certificate of insurance, or if you fail to send to us your full placement payment balance by deadlines made clear to you in your invoice. The final deadline for receipt of any of the above documentation is 30 days before your placement start date or 14 days if your booking is last minute.

We are also entitled to refuse your application or cancel your booking at any time in the event that you (1) fail to complete the application process (including providing requested information) within the applicable timescale or provide false information when applying or (2) fail, in Ikando’s reasonable opinion, to demonstrate necessary attributes either for volunteering generally or for your chosen placement or (3) have a criminal conviction for a serious offence or for one which is incompatible with your chosen placement or (4) any similar circumstances which come to our attention.

We are entitled to ask you to verify your age by providing appropriate proof such as a passport, driving license, birth certificate or other such document.

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3. Making Changes to your Ikando placement
If you wish to make any changes to your placement, we will try our best to do this for you. You must ensure that you request changes in writing by post or email.

NB: You are not permitted to exchange your placement for another once it has started, in order to ensure continuity at your project. Subject to availability, you may change the dates of your placement by up to 12 months from the start date of the original placement. If you wish to do so, you must make your request to us in writing (e-mail or letter), giving details of your preferred alternative date. If we can meet your request, we will confirm this in writing (e-mail or letter). Amendment fees will apply to this change and, should you then cancel any part of your placement, cancellation fees will apply with regard to the start date of your original placement.
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4. Refunds
We start to process your application when we receive your Volunteer Application Form and deposit. At this point our In Country Co-ordinator's finalise the details of your placement, incurring research and travel costs. For this reason your deposit is non-refundable.
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5. Cancellations
We will only cancel your placement when we receive instructions in writing (e-mail or letter) from you. Cancellation is effective from the day we receive this notification.

A combination of two or more placements counts as one booking. The cancellation fees set out below, therefore, apply to your complete booking from the first placement start date. If you cancel therefore, you are taken as canceling all placements within that booking.

Cancellation fees
In the event of your cancellation, Ikando retains part of your placement fee, depending on the number of days before the placement start date you cancel. Please note that in cases where you have already changed the start date of your placement, cancellation fees will be applied with regard to the original start date of your placement. Cancellation fees apply if you cancel any part of your placement.
We will try to find a suitable replacement volunteer to carry out your cancelled placement, and the less time left before the placement is due to start, the more expense and difficulty we will have in recruiting this person. Alternatively we may decide to make a financial or other contribution to the relevant organisation to compensate them and ensure their future goodwill.

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6. Acceptance onto your placement
If you are not accepted onto your chosen placement, we will try to arrange an alternative. We will make changes only with your approval. The placement fee we charge for the alternative placement will be as per the Ikando website at the time. Ikando will refund or invoice you for any difference in price.

If you are not happy with the alternative, or we cannot find a suitable equivalent project for you, we will refund your placement fee in full.
Please note that in any of these situations, we will not be able to refund additional expenses such as flights, visa, insurance and vaccination costs.

All applications to placements located on the Buduburam refugee settlement are subject to approval by the UNHCR, the Ghana Refugee Board and the Camp manager. We will seek approval on your behalf once once we receive your deposit or full payment. Should the application be unsuccessful Ikando will seek a suitable equivalent project for you. Should you not be happy with the alternative Ikando will refund your placement fee in full. Please note that in any of these situations, we will not be able to refund additional expenses such as flights, visa, insurance and vaccination costs.
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7. Disruption to your placement
If your placement is disrupted in any way, you should inform your In Country Co-ordinator immediately. He or she will investigate the situation and confirm any necessary action to you. If it proves necessary to change your placement your In Country Co-ordinator will arrange and pay for suitable transport from your old to your new placement and accommodation.
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8. Unusual Circumstances during your placement
Your placement may be disrupted by an unusual event or circumstances that Ikando could not reasonably have foreseen. If the unusual event is serious enough to significantly affect your placement, we will try to arrange a suitable alternative placement as soon as is reasonably possible, at another location. You have the right to accept or decline the alternative.
We do not make any refunds in these situations and you will be responsible for any travel costs involved. We cannot accept liability for the effect of any unusual event or for any loss, damage, expense or claim of any description you suffer as a result.
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9. In-country Support
Ikando will provide you with your In-Country Coordinator's full 24 hour contact details no later than 7 days before your placement start date.

In Country Coordinators are responsible for meeting you at the airport on arrival, and transferring you to your placement and accommodation. They are there as a source of advice, support and as a point of contact in the event of an emergency. They can help you to solve problems at your placement and if you need to return home, give you any assistance. They will be available during business hours under normal circumstances. In an emergency, they are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Please also see clause 17 below.
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10. Passport & Visas
You must ensure that you have a full passport, valid until at least 6 months after your planned return date.

We will provide you with information to assist you in obtaining visas that allow you into the country of your placement.

To obtain a volunteer visa, you must have a letter from Ikando confirming your placement. We have been advised by visa officials at the Ghanaian High Commission in London to apply for a tourist visa. Technically, you are not permitted to work on tourist visas, but because you are not undertaking paid work, it is tolerated. At the time of writing (September 2005) none of our volunteers had encountered any problems with immigration authorities at port of entry on this point. We would however advise our volunteers to obtain the correct visa documentation.

We are not responsible should your placement be cancelled or significantly curtailed due to the immigration authorities not accepting your visa.

If you undertake other work in addition to or instead of your Ikando placement for which you receive payment and are asked to leave the country as a result, you will not be entitled to any refund or alternative placement from Ikando.
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11. Travel Advice for Ghana
If the security situation requires it, Ikando may issue travel advice during your placement. The advice we give will be based on that of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, irrespective of your nationality. Before you travel, it is your responsibility to check all relevant travel advice, which, for the UK, includes that issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office www.fco.gov.uk

It is your responsibility to clarify any travel advice or information that you receive from Ikando so that you can make an informed decision.
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12. Health
In the interest of your health and safety you must:
• Visit your doctor and inform him / her of all countries you will be traveling to well in advance of your departure.
• Obtain relevant health advice from your doctor or a reputable travel clinic and arrange to receive all necessary vaccinations in good time.
• Take with you and use as is necessary and appropriate for any medical condition you may have, a sufficient supply of any necessary medication and / or prescriptions.
• Obtain advice on equipment to take to your particular destination placement, for example, first aid kits, syringes, water sterilisation equipment and mosquito netting.

For further health & travel advice, please see www.masta.org and / or www.fco.gov.uk

We will not be liable for any consequence of your failure to comply with the above. We reserve the right to reject your application or cancel your booking on medical grounds.
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13. Accommodation and Meals
Basic accommodation for the duration of your placement is arranged and verified for you by your Ikando coordinator. It is included in the placement fee you pay to Ikando. The accommodation arrangement described on either www.ikando.org, in any emails we send to you or in any other correspondence from Ikando with you, is subject to change.

The accommodation, food and toilet facilities will be of a local standard that may differ from what you are accustomed to in your home country. You may be required to share a bedroom and/or bathroom.

Ikando cannot be held responsible for any loss (including theft) of or damage to any of your possessions during your placement. We will not be liable for any consequence of your failure to obtain insurance to cover all of your possessions, including monies.

If you choose to be away for a weekend or holiday during your placement, you will not receive any refund for the accommodation and meals that you have paid for. Volunteers are not permitted to change their allocated rooms without prior permission from their in-country volunteer coordinator. Though we shall always attempt to avoid inconvenience, volunteers may be required to change rooms at any point during their stay. Volunteers must change rooms immediately when they have been requested to do so by their in-country volunteer coordinator. We can not guarantee you will be housed in the same room for the duration of your stay.
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14. Flights and other Transport
You are responsible for arranging and paying for flights to and within your chosen country.

Apart from the airport transfers and in-country transfer to and from your placement accommodation and the airport, you are responsible for internal travel costs during your placement.

Ikando cannot meet, reimburse or otherwise be responsible for any flight, travel or other costs or expenses of any nature (including, for example, any charges made by airlines etc for canceling, changing or transferring flights or other arrangements) which are incurred or arise as a result of your placement not proceeding or being cancelled, curtailed, withdrawn or changed due to circumstances outside our control/the control of your In Country Co-ordinator.
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15. Insurance
All volunteers on Ikando placements are required to have full medical and travel insurance. You must provide Ikando with a certificate of insurance before you travel. You are responsible for checking the cover provided (including the terms and conditions) and for ensuring it is adequate and appropriate for your particular needs. If it isn’t in any respect, you are responsible for arranging suitable insurance. Please make sure you take the policy details away with you. You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own suitable insurance to cover any additional time you spend abroad before and after your placement (and between placements where you undertake a combination placement).
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16. “Money Back Guarantee”
Under Ikando’s money back guarantee, you are entitled to a refund of your placement, should you not receive the placement that you booked. This refund will be 100% of your placement fee prior to departure or a pro-rata refund once you are ‘in-country’.

This refund, however, will not be applicable should we find you a suitable alternative placement either before departure or within 5 days of you notifying us once you are ‘in-country’.
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17. Problem solving during your placement
Volunteers may encounter challenges and difficulties during their placement. For this reason, Ikando have created a procedure, to help you at these times. If you require support, you must follow Ikando’s support procedure:

1. Attempt to resolve the issue yourself.

2. Ask your named contact within your host organization for help and together try to arrive at a solution.

3. Immediately contact your In Country Ikando coordinator. Explain what the problem is and the steps you have taken to resolve it.

4. They will advise you of a suitable solution and help resolve any situation.

5. If you are still unhappy, contact the Ikando Accra, Ghana office, outlining the facts in writing.

If you have followed these steps and remain unhappy with the situation, please refer to our complaints procedure in the next clause (18).
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18. Complaint Procedure
If you wish to make a complaint, you should write detailing the precise nature of your complaint(s) within 90 days of the event that gave rise to your complaint, to: Ikando Ghana, PMB 297, Accra-North, Ghana.

We will acknowledge, in writing, that we have received your complaint within 5 working days. Sometimes, we may call you to discuss your complaint in more detail. A full reply may take up to 28 working days, if we need to contact overseas partners.
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19. Volunteer Code of conduct
All volunteers are expected to adhere to the Ikando volunteer code of conduct and Ikando's Terms and Conditions. Volunteers must respect others’ cultures and beliefs, behave in a responsible manner, which is in keeping with the environment in which they are staying, they must treat the accommodation in a responsible manner, and work in a diligent and responsible manner whilst in placement. Volunteers must inform their host organisation or the Ikando Ghana office should they be unable to attend their volunteer work place. Where a volunteer fails to turn up to work for more than a week and having not informed either their host organisation or the local Ikando Office of their absence they will be breaking the Ikando volunteer code of conduct. Volunteers are not permitted to undertake paid work during their volunteer placement. Ikando has a strict no drugs policy, and discourages volunteers strongly from taking part in activities that are illegal. If the volunteer breaks our code of conduct, Ikando will provide a written warning to the volunteer, and should behaviour continue maybe forced to cancel the placement, ending the terms of the agreement between Ikando and the volunteer. In this instance, Ikando will work with the volunteer to facilitate a return home. From the ending of the agreement Ikando will have no responsibility for the volunteer nor will cover any costs associated with the ending of the agreement.
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20. Ending the Agreement
We will end our agreement with you, in writing:
• If we discover that you have deliberately lied or not disclosed important requested information about yourself during the application process, which may call into question your suitability for volunteering
• If you are found to be involved in the misuse of substances which are illegal in the country of your placement, or you are charged or convicted of a criminal offence while you are on your placement
• If you break any part of the volunteer code of conduct.
• If you do not adhere to Ikando's Terms and Conditions.
• If you are undertaking a free placement directly for Ikando and we are unhappy with your performance. This could include failing to carry out the work ascribed to you and being absent for long periods of time without permission.

In certain circumstances, we may find it more appropriate to issue a written warning to you. We will make the reasons for the warning clear, and give you a reasonable amount of time to alter your behaviour. If you do not comply with this request, we will end our agreement with you.

You may end your agreement with us, in writing:
• If Ikando has failed to provide you with the appropriate placement and, after following the steps in clause 17, no suitable replacement project has been offered to you.
• For personal reasons, i.e. family illness. In these circumstances, you may be able to claim for part of your placement fee.

If you terminate your agreement with us for personal reasons once you have started your placement but prior to its completion, you are responsible for the consequences of that decision. We and your In Country Co-ordinator will not be responsible for you once you have left your placement; we will not be responsible for any costs, expenses, loss or other sum(s) of any description you incur or suffer as a result; and will not give you any refund of any payments you have made.
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21. Accuracy of Marketing Materials
We believe that all statements made in our brochure, website and other marketing materials are factual and correct at the time they are made. Every reasonable effort has been made to describe the placement and to provide the amenities described. We cannot be held responsible for any changes that become known or happen after the brochure was produced (up-to-date information can be found on the website). Nor can we accept liability for happenings outside our reasonable control. We undertake to advise you of any material changes known to us prior to your departure providing there is sufficient time to do so and we can contact you.
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22. The Law and your Protection
These conditions will be governed by the laws of Ghana. We both agree that the Courts of Ghana will deal with any claim you wish to bring against Ikando directly.

When agreeing to these terms and conditions, both parties recognise that you are not an employee of Ikando Ghana.

Nothing in these conditions is intended to exclude or limit our liability to you if death or personal injury is caused by our negligence or that of our employees (providing they were at the time acting within the course of their employment). This also applies to fraudulent mis-statements.
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23. Our Responsibility for your Placement
We will use all reasonable skill and care in arranging your placement in accordance with our Agreement (including these terms and conditions). The organisations that provide project-work are totally independent of Ikando and, while we or our In Country coordinators will have vetted or visited the project, we have no direct control over the organisation(s). Unless we have failed to use reasonable skill and care as above, we will not be liable for what projects do or do not do or for any loss, damage, expense or other claim of any description which you suffer in connection with your placement.

If you have had no work for over one month (and this excludes time for holidays both at the placement and your own personal travel), and you have not been offered any alternative work, then we will refund you at our standard monthly administration fee, to a maximum of £120 per month. If your placement is 28 days or under and you have had no work for one week (excluding time for holidays and personal travel), we will refund you at our standard weekly rate of £30 up to a maximum of £120. This refund, where payable, is the maximum extent of our liability in this situation. Whether or not you are entitled to such a refund, you may not claim any other sums (including, by way of example, any refund/reimbursement of any other payments made to ourselves or to your coordinator and/or flight and other traveling expenses) as a result of not having work during the whole or any part of your placement. Work is offered and arranged as part of a placement in good faith but cannot be guaranteed due to circumstances outside the control of ourselves and your In Country coordinator.

Except in the case of death or personal injury caused by the negligence of Ikando or any of its employees, the maximum amount Ikando will have to pay you in the event of our being found liable to you on any basis is three times the administration fee paid to and retained by Ikando in respect of the placement in question. Please remember that any payment will take account of the proportion of your placement, which is reasonably affected by any problem for which Ikando is responsible.
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24. Use of photos and comments
By signing these terms and conditions you agree that we may use any photo(s)/image(s) we or someone on our behalf take of you or any comments (written or verbal) you make during or in connection with your placement for our promotional/marketing purposes (such as including them in our brochure / website) without obtaining your further specific permission or making any payment to you. Such use may include mentioning your name, age and town / city / area of residence.

We reserve the right to delete information from handover documents.
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25. Personal Data
For the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998, we, Ikando Ghana are a data controller. We may need to transfer the Personal Data you give us (such as your name and contact details), including Sensitive Personal Data (such as medical information and details of any convictions) to your In Country Co-ordinator and the host organisation for your placement where you will be working or volunteering in order to arrange the placement and protect your interests. An example of protecting your interests would be transferring medical information about you to assist in the provision of medical treatment should you become ill or suffer an accident during your placement.

The country we may need to transfer your personal data to may not afford the same level of protection to your personal data as Ghana.
We also need to hold and store such Personal Data and Sensitive Personal Data in the Ghana for the same reasons. By completing the Volunteer Application Form, you are giving your explicit consent to such transfers and holding/storing of your Personal Data and Sensitive Personal Data.

We would also like to store and use your personal details for future marketing purposes (for example, sending you a brochure). All details you give us in connection with your booking (including those relating to any disability or medical condition or your religious beliefs) will be kept but we will use only names and contact details for marketing purposes (unless you have asked us not to).

If you believe that any of your personal details that we are processing are inaccurate or incorrect, please contact us immediately.

As our privacy statement may change due to developments in the law, we would encourage you to reread our privacy statement from time to time so that you are aware of any changes in how we gather and use personal information.
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26. Glossary & Terms
Volunteer Application Form – a form you complete with detailed personal & medical information, and submit to Ikando.
Balance payment – the placement fee minus the deposit.
Application Form – contains basic personal information, which Ikando requires from you on applying.
Business hours – the hours your In Country Co-ordinator is available to help you with routine queries. These are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Certificate of insurance – a document that proves you have full travel and medical insurance.
Code of conduct – a set of rules and guidelines that Ikando volunteers agree to abide by.
Combination – 2 or more placements of 4 weeks length or more
Deposit – the initial non-refundable payment you make to Ikando when reserving a place more than three months before the placement start date.
Desk Officer – your point of contact at Ikando Ghana.
Host organisation – the organisation providing your work place during your Ikando placement
Food - includes food and drinking water.
Last minute – a booking made between 6 and 2 weeks prior to the placement start date.
Ikando - also ‘we’, ‘us’ & ‘our’ - Ikando Ghana, Keta Close, Nima, Accra, Ghana.
Ikando placement – a non-paid work placement
In Country Co-ordinator – the person responsible for arranging your placement in-country and supporting or arranging support for you in-country.
In writing – includes e-mail providing you use the e-mail address(es) specified by us for our communications.
Placement – general term for the type of volunteer work, e.g. ‘teaching’, ‘conservation’ etc. and any accommodation arranged by Ikando.
Placement fee – the total cost of your placement, which could include two or more placements as part of a combination.
Project – the specific organisation or establishment where you do your volunteer work.
Project host – your named contact at your project.
Reference – a professional or personal testimonial from either a university, school or employer.
Remainder – the placement fee minus the deposit.
Unusual Event - examples of an unusual event are (but not limited to) civil disruptions like riots or industrial action, natural disasters, epidemic outbreaks and adverse weather conditions.
Work and Travel Advisor – the person responsible for helping you choose the right placement before you book.
Volunteer – also ‘you’ - the person who applies for their placement to Ikando. They must be 18 years of age or over.

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