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African Adventures has teamed up with Essex Scouts to offer its young people a unique opportunity to volunteer in Ghana – and you’re invited to join!

African Adventures is a unique volunteer travel company, dedicated to improving lives in the UK and Africa through volunteering. We work with 11 schools in the Volta region of Ghana that help improve the lives of the 5,500 children who attend.

Essex Scouts’ 14-night trip takes place on 26th July 2025. You’ll make a real difference by volunteering at one of our partner schools, where you can help teach in lessons, coach sports, or build new classrooms. Away from volunteering, you’ll have the opportunity to discover everything that Ghana has to offer on our Volta Adventure Weekend and Cape Coast Weekend.

Are you ready for an adventure of a lifetime?

Why Get Involved?

Our volunteers bring our work to life by helping our partner schools achieve incredible goals, such as building a new primary school, constructing toilet blocks, creating an IT suite or helping build a new classroom block to reduce overcrowding in lessons.

Not only will you make a real difference to children’s live in Africa, but you will return home with your horizons broadened and memories to last a lifetime.

94%
said their trip exceeded their expectations
98%
gained a better understanding of the world
97%
gained the confidence to try new things

You can choose between two volunteer roles

graduation-cap

Teaching & Multi-Sports

Classrooms at our partner schools are often overcrowded and under-resourced. By choosing a Teaching Assistant role, you’ll help teachers to deliver sport lessons (where appropriate) and help support small groups of students with their work. There are lots of resources on the My African Adventure portal to help you prepare for this role.

construction-tools

Building & Renovation

Volunteers who are hands-on and like to see a project through from start to finish should choose the Building & Renovation role. A large part of African Adventures’ work includes the construction/renovation of classrooms, kitchens, toilets, walls, offices and assembly halls at schools. The work carried out, which is always led by a local builder, is often physical and can be hard work, but is suited to all those ready to participate.

cape-coast

Adventure Activities

Away from volunteering, you’ll have the opportunity to discover everything that Ghana has to offer on our Volta Adventure Weekend. Visit a protected monkey sanctuary, stay overnight in a beach resort, and visit the spectacular Wli Falls – the tallest waterfall in Ghana.

Enticing both history lovers and adventurers alike, you will also embark on our Cape Coast Weekend, where you will go on a tour of Cape Coast Castle and relax at a beautiful lodge for your overnight stay. The next day, you will visit Kakum National Park, where you will hike through the forest floor and at canopy level, finishing with lunch over a crocodile pond.

About Ghana

Ghana

The Location

The trip will take place in the rural Volta region of Ghana, which is located on the south eastern coast of the country. The region is dominated by Lake Volta to the west and Togo to the east. The main industries in the area are fishing and agriculture, and many children work alongside their families to bring in an income instead of attending school. As a result, it is common for children not to start school until the age of six or seven. Ghana represents modern-day West Africa. However, although the country has enjoyed economic success in recent years, this is not the case in rural areas, where levels of poverty remain high. We are working with our partner schools to encourage more children to start school earlier and stay in education longer.

Where You'll Stay

The group will stay at a volunteer house, comprising two stone buildings, built on a private plot of land off the main road that runs through two small towns: Anloga and Keta. There are 14 rooms which contain two bunk-beds each. All accommodation is located on the ground floor, and all rooms (except three) are en-suite. Mosquito nets are provided. The hotel benefits from a security wall, a catering area, electricity, and outside areas for relaxing or playing sports. The surrounding area comprises a small community that are used to volunteers and the programme that African Adventures runs. They have accommodated volunteers for the past 14 years and the community is peaceful with low levels of crime.

Trip information

Duration 14 nights
Departure Date Saturday 26th July 2025 (subject to flights)
Flying From London Heathrow
Sign-Up Deadline 6th February 2024

Trip Costs

Total:
£2,545
Deposit
First instalment
Second Instalment
Third Instalment

Trip package

What's included?

  • Return flights from London
  • Comprehensive pre-departure support
  • Airport transfers and in-country transport
  • Dedicated Trip Host in Africa
  • Planned development work
  • Drumming Lesson, beach visit & local tours
  • Farewell Celebration
  • Personalised African Adventures t-shirt
  • Guesthouse accommodation
  • Three meals per day
  • Cultural events and activities
  • 24-hour support
  • ATOL protected
  • Volta Adventure Weekend
  • Cape Coast Weekend

What's not included?

  • Visa (if applicable)
  • Travel vaccinations and anti-malarial tablets
  • Spending money
  • Drinks

Fundraising Support

Nearly half of our volunteers raise more than half of their trip costs through fundraising, which is an important part of the African Adventures experience.

Fundraising can be great fun, and many of our volunteers tell us that this part of the experience is a great way to learn new skills, and get to know the other volunteers in their group.

Once you’ve signed up, you can set up your own sponsorship page on My African Adventure, which you can share with friends and family, or use to collect payments for fundraising events, that will help raise your trip costs.

You can join our free six-weekly fundraising workshop webinars, where you’ll hear from volunteers who have been there and done it before, and fundraising ideas you can try from the African Adventures team.

Plus, there’s comprehensive Fundraising Support section for you to use on My African Adventure, where you can download money planners, event posters, bucket wraps and much more.

FAQS

Lots!

Most people who travel with us are visiting sub-Saharan for the first time, so you’ll get access to lots of help and advice to get ready for your trip, including what to pack, when to apply for your visa, what your destination country is going to be like and much more. And once you’ve arrived, you’ll be looked after by our friendly team of expert Trip Hosts.

If you have any questions about your trip, just give our friendly team a call, and we’ll be happy to help.

No, but the most rewarding experiences rarely are! You are likely to be stepping out of your comfort zone, meeting new people, travelling to a new country, in a different environment and with a different culture.

This will be an exciting challenge for you but you will have plenty of support whilst you are away. Our trained Trip Leaders and Trip Hosts will be there to look after you and your fellow volunteers.

If you’ve not been to this part of the world before, you’ll need some vaccinations before you go.

Please visit your local GP or travel nurse for advice regarding which vaccinations you need. You can also visit www.travelhealthpro.org.uk or www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk for helpful information relating to each of our volunteering destinations.

Most vaccinations needed are available on the NHS. However, you will need to pay for the Yellow Fever vaccination and antimalarial tablets. More information is available on the My African Adventure portal.

In a word, yes! Of course, there are risks with any form of travel, whether you’re going to Los Angeles, Lima or London but hundreds of thousands of Britons travel to Africa every year and the majority of visits are trouble free.

At African Adventures, we have organised trips for over 7,000 volunteers and hold a wealth of experience. From pre-departure support and in-country orientations to knowing nearby hospitals and medical centres, we know how to deliver a safe and exciting experience. We are accredited by reputable travel bodies (see Trusted and Experienced) and we follow Foreign & Commonwealth (FCO) advice at all times; www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.

Volunteers stay in single-sex, shared accommodation for the duration of the programme. In Ghana, the group will stay in a private guesthouse.

All accommodations have showers, flushing toilets and lockable rooms.

Further information (including pictures) is available on My African Adventure, our online portal accessible once you have signed up.

About 50% of our volunteers raise at least half their trip costs through fundraising alone. With good planning, the right commitment and enthusiasm, you can too.

Once you sign up, you get access to a wide range of fundraising support. You can set up your own sponsorship page on your My African Adventure account to help raise money for your trip (if you’re making all your payments directly to African Adventures), you can join free six-weekly online fundraising workshops, and there are lots of downloadable posters/bucket wraps to use too. You also get a fundraising t-shirt from African Adventures a few weeks after booking.

However, if it proves to be too difficult to raise the money you need, and you decide to cancel, you can do so at any time. Please be aware that the deposit is non-refundable and there are cancellation fees from the date of your first instalment.

No, African Adventures is a for-profit social enterprise.

Lots of our volunteers fundraise to cover their trip costs, which is an important part of the African Adventures experience. The money that volunteers raise pays for their travel costs, so things like flights, accommodation, tours, and the staff who deliver our trips. A portion of every volunteer’s trip cost is also given to the partner school hosting the group, as a donation to fund the work being carried out.

We do, however, have a charity arm called African Adventures Foundation. African Adventures Ltd funds the running cost of our charity, which means 100% of donations given to the charity are spent at our partner schools in Africa. You can read more about our official charity by visiting www.africanadventures.co.uk/foundation.

Contact Gill Robinson, our Partnerships Manager at gill@stg-africanadventures-staging.kinsta.cloud or call 023 8184 3502.