Medicine & Healthcare – High School Specials

OGVO offers a unique 2 – 4 week internship for graduating high school sophomores and juniors who wish to pursue a career in medicine. Are you interested in becoming a doctor or healthcare practitioner? Join us in Ghana and start building up your skills even before entering university!

OGVO’s Medicine in Ghana program is a project geared toward those who have a passion for learning about the field of medicine and want to experience the vibrant West-African country of Ghana. You will get a taste of the medical world so you can ensure you are making the right choice before you embark on your studies and it will benefit any application to study medicine at university.
The project combines outreach work in local communities, camps, and schools with 1 day per week spent observing at a local hospital or clinic. Work in the hospital or clinic will be shadowing and observing doctors in various departments. During the outreach work and public health clinics you will be involved in more hands-on work, like dressing wounds, carrying out health checks, giving malaria tests, and making presentations on common health issues.

The project is based in and around Kumasi – Ashanti region, but also available in other regions across Ghana. While volunteering in Ghana you will live with one of our host families. You will be able to immerse yourself in the real day-to-day lives of Ghanaians.
At the weekend we’ll take you to visit either one of Ghana’s stunning palm fringed beaches or the Kakum Rainforest Reserve near Cape Coast where you can hike through the jungle and experience the canopy walkway high in the trees. You will also have the opportunity to visit Cape Coast’s old slave fort.

This project is also available as a 4-week program on select dates. If you join the Medicine in Ghana project for 4 weeks you will be able to spend more time experiencing life in Ghana and learning how medicine is practiced in this stable, developing West African country. Those joining us on the 4-week program will also get extra visits and activities arranged during the other weekends.

Safety & Supervision for High School Volunteers

Our staff that work on our High School Specials are well-prepped and experienced with caring for younger volunteers who are in need of a support system, a safe environment, and a structured regimen (with some flexibility for excursions). We created a comprehensive timetable for volunteers.

Our Professional Staff will take care of volunteer daily as volunteers work side-by-side to accomplish project goals. Volunteers visit historical sites and enjoy cultural activities during weekends and evenings.

Volunteers who join this program will not be left alone and will be kept safe. Volunteers go back to host families in groups of two or more volunteers with each family. Volunteers may even stay in a dorm that is managed by our staff for certain projects. Volunteers will room with fellow volunteers of the same sex and approximate age.

This engaging program will provide volunteers with an amazing opportunity while still receiving support. Volunteers can further explore their independence by joining some of our other programs in the evenings and weekends.

Accommodation: OGVO provides a decent, clean and safe accommodation for all our volunteers. Students will stay with our welcoming host family in housing consisting of comfortable rooms in a safe, conveniently located neighborhood, clean and fenced. Lodging arrangements consist of modern toilet facility and running water. Students will share a room together in gender-segregated group lodging.

Meals: Volunteers will be served three healthy meals daily – breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Volunteers will enjoy delicious meals like rice and chicken, vegetable stew and yams and traditional Ghanaian cuisine such as fufu and soup, banku and okra stew. Vegetables and fruits will also be served. Our host family is willing to meet the needs of our volunteers and every dietary requirement.

Group Teen Experience

Volunteers for this program come from across the globe. We have fixed start dates for arrival in Kotoka International Airport in Accra and the same transportation to the site of the project. Depending on each project, the program duration is 2-4 weeks.

Volunteers who have joined the High School Special Program and built a stable service foundation can choose to extend this experience by working an extra week or more at one of our other project sites with longer-term volunteers. Volunteers that extend will be able to have more independence and freedom. Our staff is always available to assist.

Volunteers will enjoy the diversity and international experience of each group. In any one group of fifteen, there are teenagers from five to ten different nations. Team work and project building serves as a great bonding mechanism for volunteers to make life-long friends and experience cultures from countries and regions past the location of the project.

Volunteers will stay with a local family to be immersed in the Ghanaian culture and lifestyle. Make a difference as you learn Ghana and explore the area.

English is spoken in Ghana and it is a friendly country with lovely warm weather no matter the time of year. The urban areas are modern and larger with new amenities, but rural areas lack many amenities. Local cuisine features a lot of fresh fruit, beans, rice, fish, goat, and chicken.

At OGVO we take pride in our reputation for careful, meticulous planning and attention to detail. It is inevitable that some things described here will not happen exactly as presented. To get the most out of the OGVO experience, participants need to be flexible in responding to unforeseen situations, and creative in taking advantage of unexpected opportunities. We expect OGVO participants to share responsibility for the success of their experience. Rules that provide a safe and structured environment, set curfews, and prohibit the use of alcohol, drugs, and   tobaccos are in place and enforced. We expect you to behave in a mature and productive way at all times.

Highlights

• High School Specials volunteer work and travel

• Learn from local healthcare professionals in Ghana

• Take part in medical site visits and listen to guest speakers
• Shop at an African Market
• Make friends from diverse countries
• Live with a Ghanaian Host Family
• Enjoy perks that come with the program, including cultural activities and weekend excursions
• Experience a degree of freedom and independence as you broaden your horizons

Program Schedule

Duration: 2 – 4 weeks
Dates: 1st and 3rd Monday of every Month
Arrive at: Kotoka International Airport (ACC)                                                                             
Program Location: Kumasi – Ashanti Region (the second largest city in Ghana), also available in other regions across Ghana
Working Days: Monday – Friday (5 days a week)
Working hours:  7 – 9 hours in a day (35 – 45 hours in a week)
Program deposit: Deposit of US $200 required to secure placement
Accommodation Type: Host family, single or shared rooms
Travel and Tourism Tours: Travel/Sightseeing on weekends included in Cost
Program Fee: See the table below

Program Fee’s & Duration – High School Volunteer Abroad Program

What is included in program fee?

– Airport pick-up service & transfer to project site

– All accommodation

– All meals (three meals a day)

– Comprehensive pre-departure information

– 24hr emergency support

– Orientation, staff support and backup

– Introduction to host family and program

– Daily transport to and from your project

– Placement, supervision in program and visa support letter

– Recommendation letter/certification of completion

– Cultural activities, weekend excursions and entrance fees

– Application review and processing

– All information before and during your time with us in Ghana

– Airport drop-off after project completion

What is NOT Included?

– Visa costs, Airfare

– Travel and Medical Insurance

– Vaccinations, Internet access

– Buying gifts/souvenirs for friends and family members back home

– Phone calls, Damage to or loss of properties

– Water/Drinks and Personal spending money