Voluntary Aid and Cultural Integration

Voluntary Aid and Cultural Integration’s objective is to promote community development in Ghana while concurrently promoting responsible and meaningful cultural integration. VACI adopts a focused and result-oriented approach to in carrying out its stated goals. To this end, VACI’s work is focused on four (4) administrative districts in the South Eastern part of Ghana. This approach ensures continuity of volunteer effort and developmental support for communities that really need it.

The vision of Voluntary Aid and Cultural Integration is to become a leading partner in promoting socio-economic development in the lives of the vulnerable and also building global cultural integration among all races for a peaceful world.

Based in the Volta Region in the southern part of Ghana, founded in the year 2000, the VACI team works with local participants for the development of their communities. They operate in five communities in two districts (Akatsi and Ketu south and Ketu north Districts) of the Volta region.

One of the organization’s major goals is to promote the engagement of Ghanaian youth in the development of their own country. For example, VACI Counselling Project is a unit that engages volunteers in providing career and educational counselling for youth in the Volta Region. Through projects staffed by motivated volunteers, VACI also hopes to educate Ghanaian society on high-impact issues such as drug abuse, health and sexual education, etc.

Areas of operation:

1. Educational campaigns and educational opportunities
2. HIV/AIDS awareness
3. Fighting Drug Abuse
4. Poverty reduction through building sustainable practices for food security.
5. Serving as an advocate to stop Child Trafficking.

The organization hopes to work towards building schools to accommodate children in deprived areas of Southern Volta. It is part of their vision that such schools become modern schools for the advancement of community based development, and a complement to the government of Ghana’s effort at making education a fundamental subject of grassroots development. VACI also works to sponsor the education of underprivileged children in the Volta region while helping them to acquire employable skills. As a component part of our project on rural education, computer study centres will be established soon by the organization in one of these communities to serve the information technology needs of the children living in these communities. VACI is concerned with parent education as a means of addressing youth illiteracy.

VACI has a number of developmental projects to be established that need assistance from motivated foreign volunteers. These projects are a part of the organization's goals of community-based development in the Volta region and are the building-blocks of a larger societal vision of rural development in Ghana.

Aims

1. To assist deprived communities through capacity building
2. To create awareness and experience sharing between Ghanaians and people from abroad (Intercultural Exchange)
3. To promote the act of volunteerism for all
4. To sponsor the education of underprivileged children in the Volta region while concurrently helping them to acquire employable skills
5. To educate the youth on the concept of “peace for development” to encourage cooperation between and among people of Ghana’s numerous ethnic groups
6. To educate the society and youth about the dangers of the HIV/AIDS and its negative effects on development
7. To fight drug abuse among the youth in the region
8. To promote general health education

Strategies

To initiate and support their projects, VACI Ghana will work jointly with communities based on their requests and needs. VACI evaluates and acts on community requests to the organization. They have completed and will continue to carry out periodic surveys and investigations to determine areas of need in the Volta region. Their aims and goals, reflected in the current proposed projects, are a response to these self-determined community needs. VACI prepares, assigns, and supports participants in engaging with any of these various projects as well as remaining open to new proposals or research topics.

In order to effectively address VACI diverse community development goals, they have developed numerous partnerships with local and international NGOs that share our objectives. In this way, they will build upon the development work of others, compliment the fine work already accomplished in the Volta region. VACI believe that cooperation and mutual support among community development organizations is just as important as among Ghanaians and people of diverse cultures.

Available Positions

Requirements:

• You must be at least 18 years of age upon application.
• You must have a background of relevance to the individual position and have a strong interest in Education & Development.
• Must have interest in making a positive contribution to rural communities and able to live in rural areas;
• Be patient, attentive and fun;
• In order to maintain the sustainability and high performance of this project all volunteers are required to complete a detailed hand-over document for successive volunteers.
• You will need to be flexible and tolerant, show initiative and enthusiasm to face the many hurdles and challenges that you will encounter.
• The roles will be quite hectic with a minimum working day of 8hrs required. All interns will be required to act professionally and dress appropriately (jackets will need to be on stand-by).

Documentation Requirements:

• A completed application form - required for application.
• 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 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.References should not be family members and be emailed by the referee to info [at] ikando.org.
• A copy by email to info [at] ikando.org of your travel (including medical) insurance certificates.
• Information on your travel arrangements (flight number, airline, arrival and departure time and dates). We always recommend volunteers who book online to email us their booking.
• A copy of the photo page of your passport to be emailed to info [at] ikando.org.

All Documentation must be sent to us at least two weeks before arrival.

Important Details

Click here for more information on our pricing.

What’s included in the project fees?
• Accommodation
• $100 donation to local schools – 50% of which will be used to pay school fees for children from poor families and 50% for the schools themselves
• Welcome pack
• In-country introduction to life in Ghana.
• Airport pick-up & drop-off
• 24/7 Emergency support.

What’s not included?
• Flights & Visa
• Vaccinations (please speak to your local GP)
• Insurance (required)

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. Our ten-strong team in Ghana is there to ensure your health and safety at all times and you'll have emergency support 24/7.

Accommodation
The individual will be living near the project site in basic accommodation. The volunteers will have access to a bathroom but should be aware the facilities due to location will be basic. We recommend volunteers bring a good mosquito net (treated) and a good flashlight with spare batteries (as electricity can be very unreliable).

Food
Food is not included in our placements as in our experience volunteers prefer to cater for themselves. A weekly vegetable & fruit shop can cost as little at $10, however shopping at the western-style supermarkets can be quite dear as most goods are imported.

"Quarshi (Ikando Staff) will introduce you to a woman named Felicia who sells mangos and bananas. Her mangos may very well be the sweetest in town. And, you will love shopping in the market." Elise Wray.

Airport Pick up
An Ikando member of staff will be at the airport arrivals to meet you and take you to your placement. Please be aware that arrivals is located outside the airport, just keep an eye out for a sign with your name on it. Please ensure you send us your flight details two weeks before arrival.

Flights
Volunteers must arrange their own flights to Accra Airport (ACC). Please be aware that you should aim to arrive on the day your placement is due to start. If you are unable to do so please just check first with your volunteer coordinator whether the new dates also work for us. The following airlines fly into Accra:

• Alitalia (Lagos, Rome-Fiumicino)
• British Airways (London-Heathrow)
• Delta Air Lines (New York-JFK)
• EgyptAir (Cairo)
• Emirates (Abidjan, Dubai)
• Ethiopian Airlines (Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Lagos, Lome)
• Ghana International Airlines (London-Gatwick, Dusseldorf)
• Kenya Airways (Nairobi, Freetown, Monrovia)
• KLM (Amsterdam)
• Lufthansa (Frankfurt, Lagos)
• South African Airways (Johannesburg)

Volunteer Visa