Why Volunteer Abroad?

Being a volunteer requires you to contribute your time and money to help those less fortunate while engaging in a great intercultural experience. It sounds like a cliché, but we constantly hear phrases like “volunteering with TANF was a life-changing experience” – and that it is! Get involved in a grassroots charity where you can truly get hands-on, make a significant impact, live together with and learn from the local community, and get a rewarding feeling that a donation only can’t bring to you.

Do I Have To Be An Expert In A Field To Volunteer?

No, you don’t. Anybody is welcome at TANF. Some projects require higher education and some positions do require specific skills and previous experiences!

Why Should I Pay To Volunteer?

Good question! A lot of people are surprised when they realize they have to pay to volunteer. However, the cost of volunteering includes accommodation, food, transport and support staff in Ghana, to make your stay here a pleasurable one. When you consider the costs you might incur at a hotel or eating at restaurants, the costs are minimal. Plus, as TANF Volunteers offer non-profit program fees you know that every cent of your volunteer program fee is contributing to sponsoring the local underprivileged children or other TANF projects.

What Does The Program Fee Cover?

Pre-departure handbook (details on everything you need to know about your arrival in Ghana), rent for accommodation throughout your stay, utility bills (electricity, water, and gas),  orientation to familiarize yourself with the community you serve), continual assistance from members of TANF staff and 24/7 emergency support.

Are There More Expenses Once I Arrive?

Although the program fee includes all the major expenses during your stay in Ghana, we recommend a personal budget of $50-70 per week for additional expenses as buying water, snacks, souvenirs, additional meals, events, transport, and additional weekend travel.

Where will I be staying?

We have a volunteer house with a shared accommodation in Oboadaka, a small, but lively community in the Akuapem South Municipality. The accommodation is a 10-minute walk away from the Oboadaka waterfalls and has great views of the green surroundings. In addition, the community is made up of lots of friendly people.

whats the bedroom like ?

Our bedrooms are shared rooms accommodating up to 4 people, equipped with bunk beds each room accommodates volunteers of the same gender. We also have two rooms for two, with a double bed, ideally accommodating a couple. You have the options to come along with a mosquito net or better still purchase one here at a cheap price. We have basic bathroom with running water for shower and toilets usage as well.

How Do Volunteers Support TANF?

In your day-to-day work at TANF 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 TANF, depends on you. With TANF you simply select the project of interest (healthcare, school teachings, soccer for change, Painting and building etc.) and then get truly hands-on with donating your time, skills, and ideas to TANF. Those who take the most initiative, make the most out of their stay in Ghana and their experience with TANF.

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. 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.

Will i be able to cook in the house ?

We also have a shared kitchen with basic needs for volunteers to use when cooking (e.g. a fridge and stove). Mondays and Thursday are our market days – the market has a variety of fresh food directly from the farm. Volunteers can visit the market themselves or with the help of any team members to get some food items for their cooking on weekly basis.

Will I Have Access To The Internet?

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 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 acclimatised to. The lack of ability to communicate with friends and family as often as you may like can often sound daunting at first, but you may also come to find that this non-reliance on technology can be a refreshing change!

What Can I Do When I’m Not Volunteering?

There will be plenty of time to relax in the evenings and on weekends. We find that volunteers often spend their free time together, and tend to visit local attractions, plan excursions or weekend trips to nearby areas, or simply relax at home after a busy week of volunteering. Our local team can often help to organize weekend excursions and will have some great suggestions. These will incur additional costs, but by making these arrangements once you are in-country the costs will likely be much lower than booking in advance.

Can I Volunteer/Intern Any Time Of The Year?

Yes, you can volunteer at any time of the year. However, teaching placements are normally based on the school calendar in Ghana. Please contact us for more information!

Why the P.O.Box location is different from the TANF's address?

Wondering why our P.O.Box is different from the current TANF address? This is because in Ghana it is very expensive to register a P.O.Box at your own house/address. Therefore, to reduce costs, TANF uses a P.O.Box registered a Cantonment Accra Center, where our P.O.Box is accessible to the TANF members with a key. If you are wondering where you can find us, the map on our website is showing you the right place!

Still have a questions ?

Please Contact us for more informations