Health and Nutrition
Education
Business Development
Information Technology
Environmental education
Construction management

Where: Okurase, Ghana in the West Akyem Municipal of the Eastern Region of Ghana

Setting: Village 70 kms from the urban capital city of Accra.  

Mission: Through education and skills training, Project OKURASE addresses the HIV/AIDS crisis in Ghana by empowering women and at-risk or orphaned children.

The four goals of Project OKURASE are to develop:

1. A family-based model of caring for orphans and vulnerable children. 
2. A model for job and skills training for youth, young adults, and women in the arts and building industry.
3. A model for family and village-based formal education with special emphasis on female children.
4. A model for a community of green design or sustainable architecture.
   

Orgainization Website: www.projectokurase.org

What kinds of projects could Project Okurase offer a short term volunteer (2-12 weeks)?

Teaching children in the village – English and other academics

Business education for the artists and those pursuing small businesses

Health education including HIV

Education on the environment

Education on marketing for the artists and small business owners who make products to sell outside the village – how to set up a website

Assisting people in the village pursue microfinance

Assistance with bricklaying and building

Play and sing with children

Sports

Computer skills training

Medical clinics

Dental clinics

Vision clinics

After school programs in existing schools

What is the ideal length of time for an Isla short term volunteer or intern assigned to Project Okurase?
We can accommodate any time frame. A minimum of 2 weeks is preferred. However, if a family with parent (s) and children want to volunteer, we can accommodate 1 week.

How many volunteers can you accept at one time?  Currently two -four volunteers

What kinds of projects could Project Okurase offer an intern (9-52 weeks)?

Teaching children

Helping set up systems for clean water and waste management

A children’s camp

Medical clinics (assisting sight for Africa or other medical providers)

Assistance on job training programs

Help with record keeping and feeding our orphans and vulnerable children (OVC)

Help organizing and putting on an annual festival

Working with our partners in the Children’s Hospital in Accra

Working with our partners at the Street Children’s Academy in Accra

Working with our partners at local orphanages

Health education – clean water, malaria prevention, HIV/AIDS

Computer Instruction

What kinds of tasks would the intern perform?

Direct teaching or assisting teachers – teaching adults and children

Assisting physicians or nurses in medical clinics or providing care if have that skill set

Nutrition - keeping records of food we receive and give out to OVC

Helping prepare and serve meals for OVC

Data collection for research projects

Assisting physicians at the children’s hospital

Teaching at the Street Children’s Academy

Recreational and sports activities with children

Making bricks with villagers

Laying bricks

Construction

Playing with children

What education/skills would you like to interns have for the projects listed above?

Medical credentials

Teaching credentials

English as Second Language (ESL)

Construction management

Bricklaying

Painting

Good organizational skills

Good people skills

Capacity and some experience interacting and working with children

Computer skills

Working Conditions:
In the village, volunteers should be prepared to have periods of no electricity and not expect running water. However, clean water is available and a generator provides electricity at some times of day or night.

It is very important for volunteers to be open to the culture and to realize that the people they work with in the village will have different ways of life and will not view things from a Western perspective. Listening is the greatest skill to have.