Travel Information for Volunteers

Required Documentation:

  • Passport  valid for at least six months
  • Visa  Application Form - Fill out and print in quadruplicate.
    Carefully follow guidelines from the Ghana Embassy website    . We will furnish a letter of invitation for you to include with your application
  • Yellow Card ( you will get this from the travel medicine clinic)
  • Copy of e ticket (keep this for your return, too!)
  • Emergency Medical Insurance (click here to purchase)

Required Medical preparation:

Visit the CDC Website for up to date travel health information. It is best to be informed before you visit a travel medicine clinic to get any required inoculations and medicines.

Please be sure to advise Ellen of any medical conditions you may have.

Before Leaving

  • Check the packing list and make sure you are packing appropriately. Be sure to ask questions if you have any.
  • Give Pagus a copy of your ticket and check that we have your travel insurance information
  • If you are being picked up at the airport, make sure you know the details. And if your plans change, be sure to advise us.
  • Register with the US Embassy in Ghana. You can do this online www.travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/
  • Make copies of important documents including your passport. Take a set with you and leave a set behind (you can leave it with us if you like).
  • Consider what you will be teaching and plan accordingly. Work with someone on Pagus to make sure you are planning appropriately.
  • Consider what supplies you may need and plan to bring whatever you can or ask what can/should be purchased there. We encourage volunteers to raise or appropriate some money to purchase items they will need. Do not count on the school being able to provide anything beyond chalk.

Arrival and Departure

Arrival: There is no need to declare anything and if you are stopped and carrying donations for the school you can simply advise the customs officer if asked. Once outside keep a watch on your bags and insist that they not be handled by those not with Pagus unless you find it helpful. Tips will be expected.

Departure: Be sure to check with your airline, but generally speaking, you should plan on being at the airport three hours in advance so you are fully checked in two hours in advance. Also, be sure to have a printout of your e-ticket.

Depending on your particular situation/need we will arrange a pick up and drop off at the airport for your convenience. Please be sure that these arrangements are made in advance.

Traveling around Ghana

Shared taxis and tro tros make getting around Ghana fairly easy and very inexpensive. Points to point taxis are also relatively inexpensive. It is best to arrange the rate before you enter the taxi and be prepared to walk away and find another since some taxi drivers ask for a lot of money based on the color of your skin.

Communications:

With Ghanaians: Ghanaian’s observe many formalities that you will need to pay attention to. Be attuned and check with our local representative to ask about proper protocol. Always show courtesy and respect to those you meet even on the street and in the marketplace. On the whole people are exceptionally easy going and warm. It is easy to make contact and new friends.

While English is the National language, it is not the first language Ghanaians learn (you will be in a region where Ewe is spoken) and many people do not speak English well or even at all. Try and learn even some few Ewe words and customs and you will be well rewarded. Be aware that even with people who speak English, you are walking into a different culture and some words and even whole ways of communicating are different and it is easy to have misunderstandings.  For instance, Americans are known to be very direct - saying just what they mean. Not necessarily so in Ghana, where people are more apt to say what they think you want to hear and they may expect you will understand what is not said. An obvious example of this is TIME; they may set up a time for an appointment and be 45 minutes late or more and think nothing of it. They may also seem to embrace an idea and agree to put it into action, then later disregard it blatantly.

By phone: It is helpful to have a GSM cell phone that is unlocked so it is able to take a local chip (sim card). We also recommend a phone that allows access to your email. These phones can be purchased for under $50 at the Vodaphone store in Accra.

The chips (we recommend Vodafone for Kpando or MTN for Ho) cost about $1 and can be ‘topped up’ for small amounts. Calls to the US are reasonably priced (last rte check was 10 cents a minute) and calls can be received without charge to you. Feel free to call Ellen at any time during your stay with any questions, concerns or problems that staff on hand cannot easily take care of (610.645.0753 or 610.299.3373).  Keep in mind that it is significantly cheaper to call the US than for calls from the US to Ghana. We can give you an allowance for calls to Pagus USA - just be sure to ask for reimbursement. We are here to make your stay as productive and comfortable as possible.

If you do not have a phone, there is one at the school. This also takes credit so be sure to leave money for the calls you make.

For family and friends calling you, they should be sure to check the call rates from their carrier or purchase a calling card to Ghana. There are many sites online and even in gas stations that sell these.

Money in Ghana

We recommend you take $50 and $100 bills (new issue) and leave credit cards behind (except for the one you used to purchase your ticket. You will nee that at the airport.).

You can find ATMs and use a debit card in some cities and towns or traveler’s checks in $20 denominations if you really don’t like to carry cash. Western Union is also a common way to have money wired to you. Be sure to carry your cash in a money belt (not something that hangs on your neck). Ghana is a poor country and thefts and pick-pocketing are not uncommon. Follow this precaution everywhere you go - even on school grounds.

The local currency is called Cedi and money can be exchanged most easily in Accra, Ho or in Hohoe. Rates vary and in the last 5 years have ranged from 1 cedi = 98¢ to 1 cedi = 1.48 As of 2010 they have held at about 1.43. Items you can expect to spend money on once in Ghana include local transportation, dining out, food items, hotels or other accommodations outside of what was stipulated up front, laundry, tips, gifts, handcrafts, etc.

Food and water: It is recommended that you only eat cooked vegetables and peeled fruit. You can easily buy plantain chips, fruit, crackers, biscuits, water, etc. Items like groundnut (peanut) butter and cashews can more easily be found at petrol stations on major roads or in larger towns like Ho.

Milk is usually condensed from a can and coffee is available as instant only. Breakfast is generally toast, eggs, or porridge; other meals are centered on a carbohydrate like rice, yam, corn or cassava and are dripping in palm nut oil. Protein choices are secondary and are usually goat, chicken or fish (tilapia). Beans are also popular. Many volunteers carry protein and other food bars with them.

Water sachets (called Pure Water) are easy to come by and very cheap. Be sure that the ones you purchase are factory sealed.
Some volunteers are able to enjoy street food and even sometimes tolerate raw vegetables. Even if you have a strong stomach, we caution you to have a supply of medication should you have any distress.


Dress: Ghanaians pay a lot of attention to their appearance and dress. Women usually wear skirts and dresses and most clothing is pressed crisply. As a volunteer it is not expected that you meet those standards and it is fine to dress comfortably in shorts and sleeveless tops as long as they are not overly revealing and are respectful of those around you. Women are encouraged to skirts that are knee length or longer. or lightweight pants. 

Shopping: It is acceptable and even advisable to bargain for handicrafts and some other items or services. Prices quoted are often double and sometimes can be 3-4 times over what an item is worth. Our local representatives can give guidance on this.

Photography: Most children and many adults love to have their photos taken and enjoy seeing the images on the camera. But in any new situation it is advisable not to take photos unless you check to make sure it is ok to do so. Some people get very upset otherwise.

Smoking and Drinking: Very few people in Ghana smoke and smoking is not looked upon favorably. If you are a smoker, please be sure to let us know before your trip. Drinking should only be done in moderation. You are in a small town and your students and fellow students will be very aware of your behaviour. Be a good role model always.

Health concerns: Be sure to keep yourself healthy by eating right - a strong immune system and an intestinal tract supplemented with probiotics makes for a much easier stay. Start probiotic and other immune boosting supplements before you leave. See our packing list for recommendations on what medical and first aid supplies to carry with you. If you get sick, be sure to let us know right away so we can do our best to assist you.

Health Insurance: We require that you have good travel health insurance coverage including emergency evacuation. We recommend you use squremouth.com to search and purchase your plan since they will automatically send us all your information for our files (please use the link from our website). Though there is a hospital in Kpando, should you need to go to a hospital you will want to go to Ho or Accra or get to a developed country depending on the degree of severity.  There is a local clinic in Kpando (Maude's) that  as been very helpful.

Tipping: Whenever someone helps you out it is OK to give them a tip - such as for doing laundry, carrying things, etc. Tips are not expected in restaurants but are of course happily accepted.

Going with the flow: This is perhaps the most useful advice we can give. You will soon see that in Ghana things don't often go as planned; equipment breaks down, power goes off, water stops flowing,accidents cause delays, etc. You may not always know why a plan has changed, just that what you thought was going to happen, didn’t. Try and get as much clarity as you can, do your best to keep things on track, and finally accept when things do not go as expected.

 

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