Ghana History, Culture, and Community Service
This program will not run in the summer of 2013.
Please click here to learn about our other community service programs. Contact our admissions staff
if you are interested in applying to any of our programs.
Experience the passion and vibrancy of West African culture during a month of music, service, and travel in Ghana.
Orientation in Accra
During your four-day orientation at the University of Ghana, Legon, study dance and music; participate in Twi language classes; and attend lectures on Ghanaian history, culture, and economics. See colorful kente cloth in vibrant street markets; take a tro-tro minibus to the beach; and experience the richness of Ghanaian wood carving, drum making, and weaving during a whirlwind introduction to Ghana.
Homestay
Living with a host family for two weeks, you see firsthand why Ghanaian hospitality and generosity are renowned. Help prepare meals of fufu and peanut stew with your host mother, assist in traditional ceremonies, and accompany family members to work or school.
Sample activities: Hike up Umbrella Rock with your host siblings; visit the beautiful Boti waterfalls; go to a local soccer match; meet with Ghanaian craftsmen.
Sample host communities: Akosombo, Takoradi, Koforidua
Community Service
Travel to a rural village in central Ghana for a 10-day service project. Work with local residents on a community development project designed to improve infrastructure or support local social service efforts. At the farewell ceremony, celebrate your experiences, the friendships you have developed, and lessons you have learned about life in rural West Africa.
Sample projects: Dig clean water wells; paint community buildings; repair and refurbish village schools; work at an orphanage.
Travel and Discovery
Journey into Ghana’s past, explore its future, and experience its natural beauty. Visit the coastal slave castles of Cape Coast and Elmina to see how slavery operated and profoundly impacted both West Africa and the Americas. Visit Kumasi, the vibrant traditional capital of the Ashanti Empire. Walk through the canopy high above the Kakum National Park rainforest. Watch a traditional dance performance at the Dagbe Cultural Center in the Volta region.
"We built a two-story classroom in the village orphanage. It is so rewarding knowing that children will learn in this classroom for years to come."
-- Marcel Martinez
North Miami Beach, Florida
