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SUMMER HOLIDAYS IN GHANA
The phenomenon of tourism will persist for the centuries. In Ghana focus of the government is placed on
promotion of quality tourism. Hence, there have been conscious efforts aimed at achieving sustainable
tourism development. My observation of the trends of tourist arrivals in Ghana has revealed that volunteers
and interns form a significant proportion of the total number. Also included are business class tourists,
professional groups, and eco-tourists. For the purpose of this article, I will concentrate on visitors who
participate in internship and volunteer programs in Ghana.

Volunteer programs: To many foreign visitors to Ghana, volunteer programs are the best means of
achieving a fulfilling travel experience in Africa. Typically, volunteer programs are run by non-
governmental organizations (NGOs) that require volunteer services in the implementation of their projects.
Besides, there are volunteers whose interest lie outside the operations of the host organization/NGO. In this
case, the NGO facilitates the placement of the volunteer in the area of his/her interest. Thus, most of these
organizations are involved in the implementation of their own project as well the placement of foreign
volunteers in their network of partner organizations/NGOs. The volunteer or internship placements cover
areas such as child care/orphanage, special education, NGOs in development and social intervention
programs, public health, etc.

Home-stays: This forms the main type of accommodation for volunteers and interns in Ghana. The home-
stay program is designed to achieve the cultural immersion component of the volunteer/internship program.
The volunteer/intern lives with a host family hence the name home-stay accommodation. This also ensures
that the meals served to the volunteer/intern is hygienic and well cooked. The volunteer have the
opportunity to taste the local Ghanaian food cooked by the host family.

Cultural immersion: This is an important feature of the volunteer/internship program. While the
volunteer/intern lives with the host family and community, he/she learns more about the rich Ghanaian
culture. The culture of the average Ghanaian is manifested in weekly funerals, marriage ceremonies,
attending church and festivals of the various ethnic groups in Ghana. There are over 40 ethnic groups with
over 60 languages in Ghana. However, English remains the official language in Ghana. The most widely
spoken language in Ghana is Twi spoken by people from the majority Akan ethnic group. Some of the
widely spoken languages are; Ewe, Ga, Dagbani, Hausa, Guan, etc. Accordng to the 2000 population
census of Ghana; Akan 45.3%, Mole-Dagbon 15.2%, Ewe 11.7%, Ga-Dangme 7.3%, Guan 4%, Gurma
3.6%, Grusi 2.6%, Mande-Busanga 1%, other tribes 1.4%, other 7.8% (2000 census). This figure has not
changed much to this day. Religion and culture are closely knitted in Ghana. All these groups have their
annual festivals at various periods of the year.

Volunteer placement: Placement sites are usually within the volunteer's host community or a short distance
from his/her residence. Usually, the period of volunteering covers a minimum of 1 week to as long as 6
months.

Fees: As most of the NGOs running these volunteer programs are non-profit, they only charge fees enough
to cover their operational costs. The fees may cover the following;airport pickup,one night of hostel
accommodation at Accra before departure to the host family, host family meals for the volunteer, utilities
e.g. electricity and water at the host family, residence.It is important to note that the fees vary from one
organization to the other as well as the period of participation of the program. In choosing a volunteer
program, it is advisable to opt for an NGO based in Ghana. It is less expensive in terms of fees. Besides,
you are sure of dealing with an NGO that knows the terrain of Ghana in terms of culture and quality of the
program. One of such organizations is Youth Travel & Development Exchanges (YUDES).

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Summer holidays in Ghana

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Summer holidays in Ghana