Introduction / Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the Ghana Health and Education Initiative (GHEI)! GHEI is a grassroots nongovernmental organization located in Humjibre, a rural village of 4,000 people in western Ghana. The village is approximately 2 hours from the nearest city of Kumasi.

The organization was founded by professional students at the University of Maryland in 2001, with project work beginning in 2003. It focuses on maintaining sustainable health and education programs. The organization is managed in Ghana by a Ghanaian team headed by Mr. Clement Donkor, GHEI’s Program Director, with help from two western long-term coordinators.

GHEI offers short-term volunteer programs to enable those interested in international development and social justice the opportunity to experience grassroots work without a several month commitment. The community enjoys the new energy that volunteers provide and GHEI as an organization becomes invigorated. We also hope that by participating, short-term volunteers will develop an interest in GHEI and social justice. We see this as an opportunity for you to explore development work and get a sense of how you can be the force of change in the future, no matter what career path you take.

We believe that GHEI offers volunteers a unique experience to discover how much a small group of people can do to strengthen a community by following the community’s lead. If you become a volunteer with GHEI, you will be challenged each day and your perspective will undoubtedly change. If you are ready for what will likely be the greatest challenge of your life thus far, please join us!

“But the poor person does not exist as an inescapable fact of destiny. His or her existence is not politically neutral, and it is not ethically innocent. The poor are a by-product of the system in which we live and for which we are responsible. They are marginalized by our social and cultural world. They are the oppressed, exploited proletariat, robbed of the fruit of their labor and despoiled of their humanity. Hence the poverty of the poor is not a call to generous relief action, but a demand that we go and build a different social order.”

~ Gustavo Gutierrez, The Power of the Poor in History

Frequently Asked Questions: GENERAL

I am interested in volunteering. How do I know if GHEI is a good fit?

You need to learn about GHEI: our programs, our goals, and our members. The following steps may be useful in deciding whether or not GHEI is right for you:

• Read through these FAQs and the volunteer information document.
• Read comments from past volunteers and contact them with questions.
• Contact us if you have specific questions volunteer@ghei.org.

What is the application process like?

Applications for summer sessions will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning on February 15, 2009. This means that GHEI’s leadership