FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Volunteer FAQ
- Camera
- Mobile phone (you can use the phone handset after changing the SIM card)
- Bed sheets
- Insect repellents
- Suncream
- Working gloves (if you are joining conservation or construction project)
- Some books about Ghana
- Map of Ghana
- Toiletries
- First aid kit
- Flash light
- Electricity adapter/converter
- Sunglasses
- Footwear (for work and travel)
- Towel
- Laptop
In your day-to-day work at BPDC, you’ll be helping the local impoverished children, their families, and the whole community. But ultimately, how much contribution and work do you want to provide to BPDC, depends on you. With BPDC you simply select the project of interest (health-screening, food bank, child support, microfinance, etc.) and then get truly hands-on with donating your time, skills, and ideas to BPDC. Those who take the most initiative, make the most out of their stay in Ghana and their experience with BPDC.
Many volunteers choose to undertake additional “side projects” while working on the “main project”. If you see something missing or not working correctly while volunteering, you can make it your mission to fix it while you’re there. It doesn’t need to be huge! Maybe it’s a leaky tap, a broken gate, or a chicken coop that needs to be built. Whatever it is, it will be your legacy after you’ve left! There are so many ways to contribute, something that seems very small to you is likely to be life-changing for the person you are helping. A small act of kindness goes a long way. It is a common courtesy to bring a small gift for the family that will be hosting you if you are allocated to one. You are not required to do so, but a simple, small gift is always well received. We suggest a box of chocolates, a t-shirt with your hometown logo, pictures of your family or postcards from your home country. You might also want to bring gifts for the people you meet during your project. For example, if you are working for an orphanage or a school it is a good idea to bring pencils, pens, and paper, art supplies like markers and paper pads as well as games. Remember that every child will need these items so you may wish to bring a large number of one item.
In the vast number of cases, the locations where our volunteers are placed either have Wi-Fi at the project site, or in the volunteer house/host family accommodation. However, volunteers are required to contribute to Wi-Fi costs, as many volunteers want to use it to upload photos and videos onto social media, which is very costly. Where there is no Internet on-site, project sites are usually close enough to a sizeable city where internet cafés can be found. The opportunity will arise at least once a week to visit one of these. It is important to remember though, that the internet service in developing countries, as with many other aspects of life, will not be as reliable as you may be used to. Even when the internet is available, it could be slow and/or intermittent. This is a factor that every volunteer will encounter at least once, and must become acclimatized to.
For advice on vaccinations, you can refer to the Centre for Disease Control traveler’s health recommendations. The following vaccines might be recommended for travel to West Africa including Ghana. You should consult a doctor to discuss your travel plans and personal health and to determine which vaccines you will need.
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Malaria
- Meningitis
- Rabies
- Typhoid
Required Vaccinations
- Yellow Fever – a certificate of yellow fever vaccination may be required for entry into Ghana, or for onwards travel or return to your home country.
- Camera
- Mobile phone (you can use the phone handset after changing the SIM card)
- Bed sheets
- Insect repellents
- Suncream
- Working gloves (if you are joining conservation or construction project)
- Some books about Ghana
- Map of Ghana
- Toiletries
- First aid kit
- Flash light
- Electricity adapter/converter
- Sunglasses
- Footwear (for work and travel)
- Towel
- Laptop
- Camera
- Mobile phone (you can use the phone handset after changing the SIM card)
- Bed sheets
- Insect repellents
- Suncream
- Working gloves (if you are joining conservation or construction project)
- Some books about Ghana
- Map of Ghana
- Toiletries
- First aid kit
- Flash light
- Electricity adapter/converter
- Sunglasses
- Footwear (for work and travel)
- Towel
- Laptop