Read through our website to learn about our values, our vision and our mission. Pay special attention to information in the Summer Serve & Learn (SSL) section and read through this FAQ section if you are still unsure. Please feel free to submit a question below if you have any other specific questions.

Step 1: Apply: Applications are considered on a rolling basis and applicants are encouraged to apply early as placement preference will be given to early applicants. Step 2: Get Accepted: GHEI staff screens all applications, and you will be notified by email of your acceptance into SSL! Applicants that are not accepted are also notified by email. We encourage you to apply in subsequent years if you are not accepted. SSL is intentionally kept small, and we can accommodate only a select few individuals each year. Step 3: Pay the Deposit and Start Fundraising: Upon acceptance into the SSL Program, you will be required to send in a non-refundable deposit of $750. We ask that you send in the remainder of the program fees that you raise as soon as possible and before the deadline.

We expect our interested applicants to demonstrate the following qualities: - Maturity and respect for other cultures - An understanding that the primary purpose for participating in the SSL program should be to learn about the local community and the work of a grassroots NGO - An ability to work as part of a team - An open mind, and a flexible, adventurous spirit - Potential for long-term involvement with GHEI - Readiness to laugh and to work hard

You will need to arrange the follow logistics: - Purchase plane tickets - Purchase travel insurance - Obtain a passport and a tourist VISA to Ghana - Go to a travel physician and get all required immunizations and malaria prophylaxis. Please visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for the most up-to-date travel information.

Yes!

Training is not required, though we ask that SSL participants to be aged 18 years and older when applying. Participants come from a variety of backgrounds and occupations, and vary in age, nationality, interests, and experience, but are all joined by a common passion for supporting locally-based development work in rural Africa.

The only restriction pertains to the Girls’ Empowerment Camp as it involves discussion of sensitive topics such as family planning, reproductive health, and safe sex with girls from the community. In order to foster an environment where the girls feel safe and at ease to ask questions as well as for cultural appropriateness, we encourage only female applicants to apply for this session. However, all qualified applicants, regardless of gender/gender identity, are encouraged to apply to the other Summer Serve & Learn sessions.

Program participants will be living and working with fellow SSL participants for the duration of their stay, but will also work alongside local staff members to plan and implement daily activities. The local and foreign staff members will coordinate all logistics including travel, meals and project planning, but you will get to meet all members of GHEI and experience the broad collaborative nature of the way we work.

GHEI’s headquarters rests in the village in Humjibre, in Ghana’s Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Muncipality. Humjibre is a rural farming community, with a population of more than 5000 people. Since our establishment, GHEI has expanded to also work in three of Humjibre’s smaller neighboring communities: Kojina, Muoho and Soroano. These communities are all located in the humid, sub-tropical Western Region of Ghana.

Most people in the village will speak some level of English, since English is Ghana’s national language. You do not need to speak any language other than English to effectively participate in this program. Many people in Humjibre are fluent in English, but all will feel more comfortable speaking in one of the local languages, Twi or Sefwi. If the language barrier is ever a problem, there will always be somebody to step in and help. The people here are incredibly friendly! Twi lessons are also offered during SSL session, so you will feel comfortable exchanging greetings and basic conversation in the local language.

For the Community Health Evaluation session and the Girls’ Empowerment session: Day 1: Arrive in Accra, Ghana Day 2: Travel to Humjibre. Unpack and begin settling into village life Day 3: Village tour and GHEI orientation Day 4-12: Plan and implement Serve and Learn project with cultural activities interspersed Day 13: Travel to Kumasi to visit Kejetia Market and the National Cultural Center Day 14: Travel through Cape Coast, stopping at the Cape Coast Castle on to Accra Day 15: Depart from Accra

You will be assisted by your SSL session’s coordinator, who will be on site with volunteers. You will also have the assistance of the team in Ghana, and former SSL participants and coordinators who manage the application process.

Over decades of work, GHEI has had a positive impact on the health and education of people in Humjibre and the surrounding communities, and the work we do each day moves us closer to our overall vision. Each program participant contributes to our overall mission and can make a small but distinct impact on the lives of people in Humjibre. Perhaps the greater impact is on many of our participants, who feel that they have had a life-changing experience. The inspiration to start a partnership with Humjibre and form GHEI came from one person’s relatively brief experience in Ghana. For some people, working in the developing world changes their life and career paths dramatically.

Yes. SSL participants represent GHEI as well as their home country. If a participant is not respectful of the community, GHEI’s efforts are severely compromised. GHEI has a NO GIFT policy that is absolutely crucial to GHEI’s success. Please consider our reasoning for this policy: If participants give gifts, those who work closely with GHEI will naturally receive more gifts than other people in the village. This can cause conflict among community members and participants. If you give a gift to one person, it is virtually impossible to keep others from knowing. Gifts create an unhealthy expectation from local people. Individuals come to expect material help instead of our skills that help the entire community. Rather than giving gifts, it is GHEI’s mission to build local capacity and support people in growing to be better able to provide for themselves. This does not mean that you cannot help the community with in-kind donations. Please feel free to leave items with GHEI, and we will ensure they benefit the community as a whole. We believe that the greatest gifts you can give are your skills and your commitment to helping the community long-term, and we simply ask that you respect of our no gift policy while in Humjibre. GHEI also has a NO SMOKING/DRUGS policy as these actions may lead the youth in the village to participate in these activities.

Yes. Program participants are responsible for making their own flight reservations and should all arrive in Accra on the stated date listed on the website. If you want to leave with the group and be accompanied to the airport, you should book your departure for the end date listed on the website as well. You will be given more specific instructions after you are accepted into the program. You are also welcome to arrive early or depart after the last day of the session if you intend on traveling before returning home. GHEI, however, is unable to assist with this portion of your travels though.

One of GHEI’s staff members will meet you at the airport in the arrivals area after you clear customs. Typically, Mensah Gyapong will pick up participants for the Program Evaluation sessions while Enock Happy Nkrumah will pick up those in the Girls' Empowerment session. The GHEI staff member will take you to the hotel in Accra where you will stay that evening. You and the group will leave for Humjibre early the next morning.

GHEI requires that you purchase travel and evacuation insurance that covers you during your entire stay in Ghana. Travel agents have information on travel insurance providers or you can but it online. Some providers are Atlas, Medjet, SOS (sosinternational.com) Mondiale Assitance (France), Travel Guard Interational, and The Student Travel Association (sta.com).

SSL participants will be travelling to two of the most amazing points on a traveler's itinerary in Ghana: the haunting Cape Coast Castle, where millions of slaves were held and shipped to the Americas during the slave trade, and to the sprawling Kejetia Market in Kumasi, by many reports the largest open air market in West Africa, and a dizzying amount of beautiful fabrics and so much more. Many enjoy visiting Kakum National Park near Cape Coast and other slave castles along the coast such as in Elmina and Axim. These can be easily seen in two or three days after your stay in Humjibre and accessed by public transport. A bit further away, there are beautiful isolated beaches west of Cape Coast, various eco-tourism sites and the north offers the opportunity to see elephants and other animals at Mole National Park as well as different cultures. The Bradt guide to Ghana is an excellent resource. GHEI coordinator and staff can help you with trip ideas if this is something you are interested in pursuing.

You will need a tourist Visa. For information about the VISA and to obtain an application form, visit the Ghanaian emabssy in Washington DC's website or one from a private VISA company like visacentral.com or travisa.com. There are a number of options for how to go about getting your visa and the sooner you look into it, the more prepared you will be as they have different turnaround times. If you are planning on travelling to any other countries with the intent of returning to Ghana, you should obtain a multiple entry VISA.

You will be living in the GHEI’s compound in Humjibre. The houses are built in the style of a Habitat for Humanity house, and consists of two large bedrooms, a smaller room serving as the hallway/dining room, and an outside patio. The house has electricity and each room is equipped with power sockets and ceiling fans.

There is little running water in Humjibre, however, we have a running water system on the GHEI compound. We have our own well, and a pump that fills a 500 gallon polytank. We do not recommend drinking water from the tank, well, or pump. Drinking water can be bought in small, purified 500ml bags in the village market and will be provided for you.

A separate utility block next to the volunteer house contains the kitchen, which is equipped with a refrigerator and a propane gas stove for cooking. The toilet and shower room is just past the kitchen block and contains three flush toilets and three showers, which is a rare commodity in Humjibre. When you are in a nearby town or travelling in Ghana, most toilet facilities will be a latrine and bucket showers. Please note that shower water is not heated, but you can boil water on the stove for a bucket shower if you'd like to take a hot shower.

Most water sources in Humjibre are NOT safe to drink, although you will notice that many locals drink water without treatment of any kind. Purified water is readily available and will be provided for all volunteers during the entirety of your stay. In order to avoid diarrhoea related illness, we also recommend that participants do not eat fruit without a peel, or vegetables unless they are peeled and cooked.

Most volunteers drink the purified water that is sold all over Ghana and will be provided for you. It is generally not necessary to bring a water purifier with you to Ghana. However, always make sure you have enough water with you at all times and plan ahead to ensure you have enough water for the day.

Summer Serve and Learn participants will have two meals a day (lunch and dinner) cooked for them. Meals usually consist of Ghanaian sauces and vegetables with rice, starches (yam, plantain, etc.), pastas and beans. The meals can be adapted to be vegetarian (participants with dietary requirements should notify GHEI of their needs before arriving). The diet is low in fresh fruits and vegetables, so please plan accordingly and bring any supplemental foods you require such as protein/fiber bars or dried fruit. We also recommend bringing fiber supplements/bars as your body may not be acclimated to the diet right away. Breakfast is not provided by GHEI. In the past, volunteers requested that it not be included as they found they preferred to set their own schedule with regard to breakfast and enjoyed going into town to purchase bread and other items. The cost for breakfast is extremely low, and $15 USD is more than adequate for breakfast purchased locally for the duration of the stay. Some breakfast items that are available in Humjibre are porridge, eggs, bread, and instant coffee sachets. Some volunteers also opt to bring cereal/protein bars and snack items.

While in Humjibre, we strongly encourage volunteers to respect local tradition and dress conservatively. Females should wear skirts, dresses, shorts or pants that end at or below the knee. Tank tops are acceptable as long as bra straps are covered. Participants wear flip-flops most of the time, but we highly recommend bringing close toed shoes, like sneakers or Keens, that can get dirty for hiking and working at farm. The climate in Ghana is extremely humid, so clothing will often mildew. Please be aware of this and bring clothing that can get dirty and/or dries quickly. Volunteers will need to bring a few nice and conservative outfits (collared shirts for males, and bottoms past the knee, and shoulders covered for females) for church and meetings with the elders. Prior to coming, the coordinator will send you more information on what to pack.

There are no washers and dryers available, but you are welcome to handwash your laundry any time during your stay. You can bring detergent with you or buy individual packets at any local shop. There are clothes lines next to the volunteer house that you can use to dry your clothing. Local staff can help show you how to best wash your clothing using buckets, it may be different than what you are used to, but it works well and is often a fun experience.

Overall, Ghana is regularly cited as one of the most safe and friendly countries for foreigners in Africa, but we always recommend that you visit the State Department's website for more information about safety and the current political situation in Ghana. Please keep in mind that you will be living in a rural village where people are very friendly. GHEI has been in existence in Humjibre since 2001 and none of our past partcipants have experienced hostility or violence during their stays.

When you are out in the community working on your program, you will always be with someone from GHEI. After some time in Humjibre, you might feel more comfortable and go out on your own or with your fellow volunteers. As always, use common sense when alone or with others. We cannot guarantee safety, especially outside of the village, but if you use common sense while traveling you should have no problems. Also, the people of Humjibre will step in very quickly if you are being troubled as no one is a stranger here. Ghana is a safe, stable country, with a culture of deep respect.

Upon first arriving in Accra, you will have the opportunity to use an internet café to write emails. Afterwards, the coordinator will have a cell phone that can be used in case of an emergency. Additionally, there is internet access in Humjibre, and you are always welcome to use it to send emails. However, it is not strong enough to place a call on Skype, so if you need to communicate with your family or friends at home, we recommend contacting them via phone.

You will not need one while you are working with GHEI. However, many cell carriers work in Ghana, with or without a fee.

On arrival, we suggest that you change $100-$200 cash at the airport as it is convenient and has comparable rates to ATMs. It is also possible to visit an ATM or have your money changed at a forex bureau before travelling to the village. It is recommended that you have a VISA ATM card as Mastercard is often NOT accepted. It is also a good idea to carry about $200 USD in cash in cash of an emergency. Some volunteers prefer traveler’s checks to cash or ATMs, but those can only be exchanged in Kumasi or Accra. Keep in mind, you will spend very little money in Humjibre, but it is a good idea to have some money for breakfast, snacks or souvenirs.

Yes. There will be some unscheduled time. There are many things to do in the village, such as hiking, running, going to farm, and helping out with GHEI projects, such as painting the classrooms. The amount of free time depends on the specific session and day, as the schedule varies considerably. Reading is a great option, as well as chatting with other volunteers and locals. Taking walks in Humjibre is a great way to learn more about the culture as well as practice your Twi. Each group will have Twi language classes with one of the local teachers 1-2 times during your stay. Finally, for those who enjoy a drink now and then, there are many “spots” located around the village. However, because you are a guest in the village and representing GHEI, we ask that you drink responsibly.

There are a few stores in Humjibre and Bekwai (4 miles from Humjibre) where you can purchase laundry detergent and a few other basic items. If you are brand-loyal, then you will want to bring enough supplies for your entire trip. Essentials like shampoo, soap, feminine hygiene products, razors, insect repellent, anti-itch ointments, and medications can be bought in Accra but we recommend including those in your packing list.

The cost for participation in any session is $2,550 with a nonrefundable $750 deposit. SSL participants can fundraise to help cover their costs of attendance. All donations are tax deductible as the Ghana Health and Education Initiative is a registered 501c(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 26-2358536).