Destinations, Ghana (April / 2009)

Care volunteers in Ghana have been giving a much needed facelift to New Life Orphanage in Nungua, just outside of Accra. New Life is home to 23 children as well as a number who attend before and after school care. Despite the fact that the centre was painted less than two years ago, the walls of the courtyard, hallways, and children’s bedrooms were faded, chipped, and dirty. Three Care volunteers enlisted the help of a further three Sports volunteers and the team worked hard to give New Life the attention it deserved. The team spent hours on the first day of work toiling in the midday heat in order to finish the courtyard walls before the children returned from school. The fresh coat of paint, complete with vibrant Ghanaian flag mural, immediately impressed a number of the children. The six volunteers spent every morning for a week working on the project before continuing with the normal day-to-day activities of their projects in the afternoons.

When not renovating and painting at New Life, Care volunteers get involved in activities which help with the day-to-day running of the centre and find as many ways as possible to keep the children busy. Here we take a look at a typical Care volunteer’s day in Ghana:

Weekends are usually spent exploring Accra, relaxing at the beach or visiting nearby regions such as Cape Coast and Volta – a much-needed break after a week of hard work!