PLACEMENTS

Renovation, Construction & Painting Team

Improving local facilities by renovating unsafe structures and creating positive learning environments through painting and creative wall displays.

Location: Abetifi District, Kwahu Mountains, Eastern Region, Ghana
Availability: Year Round
Price: $59 per week*
Duration:
1 – 52 weeks

Highlights

57

Schools we work alongside

4x cheaper

Than other similar organisations

4.8/5

Volunteer rating

Placement Overview

About the placement

Working to improve the local infrastructure and educational facilities.

Usually based at our linked project sites you will be joining us as a member of the Facilities Renovation Team. Focusing on improving the safety, security and overall feel of the local project sites. From painting classrooms and creating board displays to roofing a toilet block and plastering a nursery wall. This work will be more manual labour focused still with a lot of involvement at the local schools and organisations with the children.

Why this placement?

Schools, educational facilties and clinics once constructed are mostly left to deteriorate over the years. A lot of these buildings have damaged roofing sheets, walls and flooring which are often dangerous and pose a safety hazard for the often young children which are based inside them. We aim to work with local tradesmen to develop these facilties and improve the safety and appearance for all those affected.
Due to the sheer enthusiasm of the school children in Ghana, once we get the basics of the walls repaired at a project site we are then hoping to improve the feel and aesthetics especially at our local schools by painting the classrooms and creating captivating educational wall displays and boards.

What is included in this placement?

Support Staff – Accommodation – House Utility Bills – Pre Departure Support

We charge cost price for this project just so we can cover your stay and employ local support staff to increase loyal employment. This placement includes accommodation in a modern style house for the semi rural area of which we are based with great views and surroundings of the local towns and rainforest. All house utilities are included for your time, you will have use of the kitchen, electricity throughout the house and running water which is a luxury among the area of Kwahu. You will have a member of our local support team living in house or close by depending on the volunteer numbers so there is always someone on hand for any questions or support you may need.

How do I get to the placement?

Budget an additional 20 – 60 Ghana cedis per day for transport costs.

We work with a number of schools within the local community and slightly further out. Volunteers will usually take taxis back and forth to their placement site. It is very easy to take shared taxis in town and they are very reasonably priced. Most of our schools will require volunteers to pay transport between 5 cedis and 40 cedis a day, with the average being about 10cedis. The more remote village schools are usually located down tracks and therefore cost a little bit more to reach. Our team will be able to assist volunteers group together for transport and where to find taxis etc. Volunteers are usually able to head off into the town after school easily to shop for food supplies, grab a cold drink or meet up with friends before heading home and the ease of taxis offer a really flexible experience for the volunteers.

What will I be doing?

A hands on role you will be directly involved with building, construction and painting work. No matter your current skill level! Either on a more construction side focusing on plastering, skimming, shifting, lifting etc or the renovation side including painting buildings, creating board displays and improving the basic appearance of the facilities through it’s design and decoration.

Who will I be working with?

You will be based at one of our local project sites such as a school, library or clinic. You may work alongside a local skilled tradesman to learn a few basic skills and there will be the project staff on site such as the Headteacher at the school for example. A member of our team will also spend a portion of their day at the project to assist in anyway and offer any guidance should it be needed. Most volunteers strike up a strong bond with the teachers or nursing staff. It is not uncommon to be invited round their homes for dinner at an early stage as a way of saying thank you.

What do we expect from a volunteer?

Manual labour experience is not compulsory and we will find a placement to suit your interests, skills and abilities. The greatest traits of a volunteer are enthusiasm, empathetic and the ability to adjust to alternative cultures. You will get the most of our your trip by opening your mind to new experiences and beliefs whilst also bringing your own to the table.
We expect volunteers to visit their placements Monday – Friday, exceptions can be made for long weekends of travel etc but we hope for the children and yourselves to get the most of your placement this is kept to a minimum.

What can you expect from us?

We will be on hand any time of any day to support you in your placement and trip as a whole. There will always be someone you can speak to or get a hold of should you want to discuss anything or require any guidance, from organising after school clubs to changing your placement. Our team living in the volunteer house will also be able to offer advice regarding travel plans and the local area so you will soon feel at home.

What should I bring?

Regarding your placement we advise bringing some donations which you can fundraise beforehand with our help. These donations can go towards building materials such as bags of cement, pots of paints, brushes and paying local skilled tradesmen for assistance.
You may also find that it’s useful to bring plenty of school materials, arts & crafts items and some ideas from teaching resource websites for your free time and to share with the local school children and teachers. Basic pens, pencils and cheap paper are available as well as moderate priced photocopying should you wish to bring activity sheets.

MATERIALS FUNDING – PLEASE NOTE:
As our placements are cost price, for the renovation team we will need you to fundraise/donate to cover the materials and local labourers you will be using and working with. You can bring this money with you and we will show you to the local stores so you can take receipts to see full transparency of the items you are buying to use.

Approximate Budgets:
Painting/Decoration – 400 Ghana cedis per week. (Used to buy pots of paint, brushes and accessories)
Construction/Renovation – ₵1000 Ghana cedis per week. (Used to buy bags of cement, iron rods, sand, water and masons etc)

 

What happens during school holidays?

The holidays will not directly affect this placement and the work can continue throughout the year.
The school holidays usually fall three times a year; few weeks around easter, few weeks around August and a few weeks during December.

Typical working day

  • 07:30am – 08:00am / Volunteer transport leaves the volunteer house to project sites
  • 08:00am – 10:00am / Arrive at site and begin daily tasks. Eg; Painting of school building or helping with block work and plastering.
  • 10:00am – 11:00am / Break
  • 11:00am – 13:00pm / Resuming of placement site work. Eg; Painting of school building or helping with block work and plastering.
  • 13:00pm – 13:30pm /  End of placement and start to travel back to the house to rest and meet up with the other team members
In their free time, volunteers are free to go shopping in the local markets, return to the volunteer house or visit the local swimming pools.
 
This is just an example day and a flexibility to workload and timings is a crucial skill for a successful volunteer trip. Increasing workload to lengthen your day is possible, you just need to communicate with your in country support team.

Requirements

What’s Included

Dates & Fees

Program fees

You can find the current cost of our weekly fees along with a detailed breakdown of what’s included by clicking here.

We offer the lowest priced international volunteering fees in Ghana and run as a not for profit with no registration fees or hidden charges.

Duration Cost (US Dollars)
4 Weeks $260
8 Weeks $520
12 Weeks $780
16 Weeks $1,000

Duration

1 week minimum – This is to ensure you have enough time to settle into the country and new way of life. Shorter durations may be considered if you have a set amount fundraised so that we can produce a work plan for you before arrival.
There is no maximum duration and we would suggest staying as long as possible to achieve the biggest social impact possible.

Availability

We have volunteers and placements throughout the year, therefore you are welcome to arrive in any month. We are also flexible with being able to arrange airport collections so you are able to arrive on any airline into Kotoka International Airport at any time on any day of the week.

“I spent 3 months in Ghana with Atlas, it was amazing. All the area is very safe and the support from the organization is perfect, “

~ Antoine Burillon / Renovation Volunteer

 I volunteered as a Renovation Volunteer with Atlas Volunteers for 6 weeks from January/February 2019. I discovered Atlas via Volunteer World and was attracted by its various programs and the benefits they bring to the local community in a semi-rural area of Ghana. They are a relatively new charity but are building strong foundations in the areas they work in. They view their social impact as paramount. Overall the experience was fantastic; from achieving and seeing the works progress, chilling with fellow volunteers, traveling up and down the country during time off and just generally experiencing what Ghana has to offer. It was a truly wonderful experience. Atlas and the Ghanaian communities are exceptional hosts. To my fellow volunteers, to the communities I worked in and to the volunteer coordinators and the rest of Atlas – thank you. This was an experience I will never forget.

– James Thurston / Renovation Volunteer

Photos

Apply Now

Submit your details below and a member of the team will be in touch to get you started with the application process.