Kokrobite · Greater Accra · Ghana
Volunteer in Ghana
Teach, coach, build and document alongside a Ghanaian team running free education, STEM and sports programmes for young people on the coast west of Accra.
- Location
- Kokrobite, Greater Accra, Ghana
- Duration
- From 2 weeks, no maximum
- Age
- 18 and over
- Programme fee
- On request
- Availability
- Year round, January to December
- Language
- English, fluent
Our programme fee depends on how long you stay. See what it covers.
Why volunteer with us
There are a lot of organisations offering placements in Ghana. Here is what is actually different about ours.
A local team, not a booking agency
Crowdwave is run by Ghanaians in Kokrobite. You are hosted by the same people who run the programmes, which is why questions get answered by someone who was at the school that morning.
Small enough that you matter
We are a team of seven working with five partner schools. Volunteers here are not decoration — a workshop you build is a workshop that runs, and several are still running.
Free for the students, always
Every Crowdwave programme is free for the young people who take part. Your fee helps keep it that way, and we will show you exactly where it goes.
Honest about what two weeks can do
We will tell you plainly which parts of the work need a longer stay to be worth anything, and we would rather adjust your dates than sell you a fortnight of photographs.
What you will be doing
We run one programme, and within it the work spans five areas. You will not be assigned to a single one — most volunteers take on two or three, worked out with our team based on what you are good at and what the schools need that term.
STEM & coding
Most schools around Kokrobite teach STEM entirely from a blackboard. You help run the workshops that put real equipment in front of students — including our drone programme, which is what they remember years later.
- Run coding and technology sessions with classes of roughly 10 to 18 year olds
- Support the drone workshops — assembly, flight basics, what the technology is used for
- Adapt material for different age groups and for whatever equipment works that day
- Show teachers how to keep a session running after you leave
Sports & physical education
Ghana is football-obsessed, but organised PE that includes every child is rare. Sport is the easiest door into a school and the fastest way to reach students who are wary of a classroom.
- Plan and run PE sessions for whole classes, improvising around the equipment available
- Support or set up after-school sports clubs
- Help run our inter-school football tournaments
- Work with players who have real potential but no structured pathway
Teaching & mentoring
Classes are large and there is no substitute-teacher system — when a teacher is absent, the class often has no lesson at all. The most valuable thing you bring is attention: six students instead of sixty.
- Assist in lessons, taking small groups and supporting individual students
- Run reading and literacy sessions with students whose English holds back every other subject
- Teach a subject the school does not currently offer, if you have one
- Mentor a handful of students through a term
Leadership & public speaking
Ghanaian classrooms are built around dictation and repetition. Our leadership work runs deliberately against that grain — the point is that the students do the talking.
- Facilitate workshops on communication, teamwork and critical thinking
- Coach students for debates and presentations, and run the sessions where they present
- Help deliver our youth leadership conferences
- Train older students to run sessions for younger ones
Media & communications
Funding follows evidence, and most small NGOs never manage to produce any. If you can shoot and edit, this is one of the highest-leverage things a volunteer can contribute.
- Photograph and film workshops, tournaments and community events
- Produce edited photo sets and short video for social media and funding applications
- Interview students, teachers and team members and write it up
- Bring your own camera and a laptop that can edit — and follow our rules on photographing children
Requirements
Please read these before applying. We would rather you rule yourself out now than discover a problem after booking a flight.
Age
18 and overYou need to be at least 18 on your start date. Under 18s may be considered when accompanied by a parent or guardian — please ask before applying.
Language
English, fluentAll our programmes run in English, which is also the language of instruction in Ghanaian schools. No local language is required, though learning a few words of Ga or Twi is always welcome.
Criminal background check
RequiredEvery volunteer working with children must provide a recent criminal background check from their home country. This is not negotiable — it protects the young people we work with.
Nationality
No restrictionsVolunteers from anywhere in the world are welcome. You are responsible for your own visa; we provide supporting documentation.
Commitment
Monday to FridaySchools and programmes run on weekdays. Weekends are yours to explore Ghana.
Living here and getting here
Getting here
A member of our team meets you at Kotoka International Airport in Accra and travels with you to Kokrobite, so you never have to find your own way on day one.
- Availability:
- Year round, January to December
What to bring
- Stationery, exercise books and pens — always in short supply
- Training cones, bibs, a whistle or a ball pump if you are drawn to the sports work
- A laptop, and any small electronics you can spare (Raspberry Pi, Micro:bit, cables, adapters)
- Reading books at primary and junior-high level
- Any lesson plans or workshop material you have used before, on a USB drive
- Power adapters — Ghana uses UK-style Type G sockets — and a power bank
What your fee covers
- Shared volunteer accommodation in Kokrobite
- Airport collection from Kotoka International Airport (ACC)
- Welcome orientation and introduction to the local team
- A named Crowdwave contact person for your whole stay
- In-country support throughout your stay
- Preparation and task matching with our programme team
- Certificate of completion on request
What it does not cover
- Flights to and from Accra
- Ghana tourist visa
- Travel insurance
- Vaccinations (a yellow fever certificate is required to enter Ghana)
- Food, snacks and beverages — the accommodation is self-catering
- Daily transport between the accommodation and the project site
- Personal spending and weekend travel
A named contact from day one
From your application onwards you have one person on the Crowdwave team who knows your dates, your work and your questions.
Airport collection
We collect you from Kotoka International Airport (ACC) in Accra and bring you to Kokrobite — about 1 hour away.
Orientation before you start
Before your first day at a school you get an introduction to the team, the programme, the community and how things work locally.
Support on the ground, not from abroad
Our team lives and works in Kokrobite. If something comes up — at the school, with your accommodation, or personally — there is someone nearby, not in another time zone.
Who you would be joining
Crowdwave Ghana is a registered community development organisation based in Kokrobite, Greater Accra. Our team is local, our programmes are free for the students who take part, and our partner schools are named below — you can contact them.
The same programme is listed on Volunteer World, where you can compare it side by side with every other placement in Ghana.
5
Partner Schools
200+
Students Reached
7
Team Members
3
Community Programs
The schools and partners we work with
Safeguarding is not optional
- Every volunteer provides a criminal background check from their home country before starting.
- Volunteers are never alone with a child, and always work alongside a teacher or a member of our team.
- Photographing or filming students follows our media policy, which you agree to during orientation.
- If any of this sounds like more than you expected, this is probably not the right placement for you — and we would rather say so now.
The team you would be working with
Read our full story
Samuel Tetteh Bannor
Executive Director
Abdul Fattah Nii Boye Okine
Accountant and Auditor
John Nii Aryee Okine
Media Director
Adil Addy
Programs & Projects Director
Michael Adjin Tettey
Finance & Administration Officer
Jeffery Evans Akor
Communications Officer
How it works
01
Apply
Send us your application through the form on this site, or through one of the volunteering platforms we are listed on. Attach a CV and tell us which kinds of work interest you and roughly when you would like to come.
02
We get back to you
A member of our team reviews your application and replies personally — usually within a few days. If your dates or the work you have in mind need adjusting, we say so at this point rather than later.
03
A conversation
We arrange a video call. This is genuinely two-way: we want to understand what you are good at, and you should use it to ask us everything that the website does not answer.
What volunteers say
We are a young organisation and we would rather show you nothing than show you testimonials we wrote ourselves. If you would like to speak to someone who has volunteered with us before applying, ask us and we will put you in touch.
Ask to speak to a former volunteerCommon questions
Do I need previous experience or a qualification?
Mostly no. Enthusiasm, patience and the ability to adapt matter more than credentials, and we work out together which parts of the programme fit what you can actually do. Two exceptions: the media work needs your own camera and a laptop that can edit, and the leadership workshops go much better if you have facilitated groups before.
How long can I stay?
Placements run from two weeks upwards, with no maximum. We are honest about this: two weeks is enough to contribute and to see the work, but the volunteers who change something lasting are the ones who stay a month or more. Programmes that depend on consistency — after-school clubs, mentoring, coaching — really need a longer stay.
Do I need a visa for Ghana?
Yes. Almost all nationalities need a tourist visa, which you apply for at your nearest Ghanaian embassy or consulate before travelling. We provide any supporting documentation they ask for, such as a letter of invitation. Start this early — processing times vary a lot by country.
What vaccinations do I need?
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required to enter Ghana and is checked on arrival. Beyond that, malaria prophylaxis is strongly recommended, and your travel clinic will advise on hepatitis, typhoid and routine boosters. Please see a travel health professional well before you fly — we cannot give medical advice.
Is Kokrobite safe?
Ghana is one of the most stable and welcoming countries in West Africa, and Kokrobite is a small coastal town where our team is well known. Normal travel sense applies: be careful with valuables, do not walk alone on unlit beaches at night, and ask our team before going somewhere you do not know. Our staff are local and reachable throughout your stay.
Do you work with children? What about safeguarding?
Yes — nearly all of the work involves young people. Every volunteer provides a criminal background check from their home country, receives a safeguarding briefing during orientation, and agrees to our rules on conduct and on photographing children. Volunteers are never alone with a child. These rules are not flexible.
Ready to come to Kokrobite?
Tell us who you are, which kinds of work interest you and roughly when you would like to come. A member of our team reads every application and replies personally.