Rural Education
Presently we are seeking volunteers to teach English in primary schools, introduce computer skills to students to Senior Secondary school (SSS) students, teach Life and vocational skills in Junior Secondary Schools, (JSS) Develop and Build library facilities in schools in communities where students have no access to text books etc.

Opportunities are also available in career counseling to help students realize their potential and work towards a successful career.

Rural Development
Volunteers work on specific projects in communities where a special need has been identified. This could include income generating activities or assisting a community, seeking funding to build a clinic, a school or a library or a community seeking a nurse or a medical doctor for a local clinic. When set goals are achieved and the direct impact of work on inhabitants is realized, these projects are especially rewarding for both volunteers and the communities.

Accommodations are usually provided with Ghanaian families. In home stay situations the volunteers have their own space and privacy. These projects are usually at least 6 months in duration. Longer stays are also desirable. To ensure consistence, IYEP and partners will endeavor to assign a replacement for a volunteer before the end of the duty tour. Communities available are Greater Accra, Eastern, central, Western, Volta and Ashanti regions of Ghana.

Health
Ghana has two medical schools tuning out 200 medical doctors every year.  The Ghanaian government owns 80% of all health delivery institutions and related facilities in the country with 10 regional hospitals located in all the regional capitals. District hospitals, polyclinics, health centers and dressing centers can also be found. The main diseases are malaria, HIV, TB, Diarrhea, road accidents, Typhoid fever, maternal deaths, Guinea worm, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

80% of Ghanaians depend on traditional medicine. Many factors contribute to this situation including the Ghanaian government's disturbing "Cash and Carry" policy that requires patients to pay for services in advance of receiving medical attention. There is substantial evidence that patients have died due to their inability to purchase medical services.

The Ghanaian health care system is also a victim of brain drain with trained medical professionals such as nurses and doctors immigrating to the western world where economic conditions permit better rewards and facilities for their work.

Lack of education, inadequate facilities and lack of trained personnel also play a role in the poor health conditions of rural people. Most rural dwellers attribute illness to disturbances in social relations. Individuals turn to occultism for healing -allowing their conditions to reach unbearable proportions before seeking hospital care. A lot of education has been provided but there is still a long way to go before the germ theory will be accepted.

Most of the placements the health sector are based in rural areas where medical facilities are not extensive. Health posts are located in some rural areas serving clusters of villages. Placements are available in the following areas: Greater Accra, Eastern, central, Western, Volta and Ashanti regions of Ghana.

Social Services - Orphanages
Orphanage work in Ghana gives volunteers the opportunity to work with abandoned children, those who have lost their parents due to AIDS related diseases, children plucked from the streets of Ghana and others who live in extreme poverty. The orphanage work project is highly challenging, as you will be changing the lives of children who rarely have opportunities to interact with other people. Working with orphaned children demands lots of patience, as harsh living conditions have often alienated these children from society.

The job responsibilities of orphanage volunteers in Ghana will depend on the needs of the particular orphanage as well as the skills and interests of the volunteer. Most of the orphanages aim to provide education opportunities to orphans. Therefore, in most of the cases, volunteers will teach basic English or help in developing creative programs such as art, music, dance, sports, etc. Additional help with day trips, sanitation, cooking, and administration might be also requested.

Whether you have a background in childcare or simply enjoy sharing love with kids, a smile or kind hug can offer something meaningful in the life of a child deprived of love and care.  For many volunteers this has been a life changing experience for them and for the children they have cared for.

There are 8 orphanages in Ghana each under different managements. What they have in common is their desire to offer shelter, food and clothing to these disadvantaged children.

Currently we provide volunteer placements in the following areas.
* Developing facilities in orphanages by providing drinking water, electricity, residential homes, classrooms, play areas and other facilities.
* Building the capacity of caregivers through training and skills development.
* Developing programs in sponsoring and fostering vocational skills training.
* Providing vocational and technical training or higher education for orphans and abandoned children over 16
* Providing program support, particularly IT, financial and agricultural advice for income generating activities.
* Seeking international aid and assistance, such as food, clothing, developmental toys and medicine.
* Treating and preventing malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and leprosy in the community thus helping to reduce the number of children orphaned or abandoned in future.

Volunteers are provided with accommodations at the various sites. There are areas of work that require special skills such administration, nursing etc. However other assignments do not require any formal skill or training.

Film and Television
The Academy of Screen Arts is a non-profit film and television institute founded in 2002 by the IYEP. It serves as a primary training ground for elevating film and television programs in West Africa to a level capable of competing internationally. The Academy of Screen Arts is looking for recent graduates or film/acting professionals to research, develop and teach a chosen course(s) within various disciplines in film making or screen performance.
* Scripting and Planning, Directing, Acting on Camera, Production, Film Analysis, Set Design, Animation, Film History

Applicants should apply 4 months before the start of the program and provide a resume and two professional references. Participants must be able to stay for at least 1 semester (16 weeks). The program fee covers an allowance for living expenses provided by the Academy and transportation to and from work.

The Academy's mission statement: “To establish a screen arts training school of the highest quality, which will expose West African cinematic locations to the outside world and develop a Ghanaian communications industry capable of competing internationally."

Workplace and Business Support - Small Scale Enterprises
Established in 1971, Akuaba's focus is on Educational and Kitchen furniture targeting kindergartens, primary, secondary schools and hostel furnishing and workers. The company uses primary products such as tropical hardwood and other imported materials for their finishing.

The emerging competition in the market place exposed the inadequacies of effective marketing programs, information flow through current technology and the need for skilled manpower. Akuaba's current product lines including beautiful real estate products are not generating the needed cash flow. This coupled with external factors including access to credit and the attendant high cost of capital, unstable exchange rate of the dollar to the cedi and inadequate information on export market. The company intends to revamp the entire system and requires volunteers skilled in the above areas to complement the local staff.

Community Service Projects for Groups
This program is designed for groups (10 minimum). Volunteers live in the host community and work together to build school blocks, libraries or clinics.

Programs are 5 weeks beginning with a 5-day orientation in Accra and travel to interesting tourist sites at the end of the program. Accommodation is home stay situation in the rural community and hotels during the orientation period in Accra.