OCEP Ghana :: Frequently asked questions

Frequently Asked Questions

I am 19 years old, can I also participate? At OCEP, we accept volunteers from the age of 20 years and above at the start of their volunteer assignment. We regret that we cannot make any exceptions to this rule.

You say I have to apply 3 months before departure, but I’d like to leave earlier than that. Can you arrange an earlier departure? Yes, we can try this, though we cannot guarantee we will succeed. Also, do take into account that some items in your own preparation take time, such as immunisations and visa.

I'd like to do volunteer work, but for less than two months. Is that possible? No. Since it will take time for you to get used to your new situation as a volunteer, you will only get going after probably a month. We believe it would not be a good idea if you would leave at that moment. Besides, the staff at your project need to make an effort to make you familiar. Therefore, two months is is the absolute minimum duration of a placement. We recommend you to stay for three months or longer.

I am interested in volunteering with OCEP. Could you please send me some more information? This website contains all the information that is currently available about our program and projects; we don't have leaflets or other types of information package. By keeping all information in one place we can maintain it more easily and keep it up to date. If you would like to learn more about what the experience is like, we recommend that you take a good look at the experiences section and the blogs of our (ex-) volunteers mentioned there.

Will I be able to do sightseeing during my time in Ghana? Yes, you can. During your placement, weekdays are usually workdays. On weekends, you are free to visit friends or places of interest. On top of that, we really recommend you to stay in Ghana for some time after your volunteer placement so you can make larger journeys.

Is there a possibility to learn African dance and drum while in Ghana? Yes, this is possible and several of our volunteers have done this. The music and dance sessions are organized outside of OCEP but we do encourage you to try it out! In the experiences section you will find Lisa's story about it. If you want to find out more, you are welcome to contact her at lisa@freiburg.nl.

I saw a particular project on the website. It states there is a maximum number of volunteers. Can you guarantee me there will be a place at this project for me? We expect a certain flexibility regarding project placements from our volunteers. Do mention your favourite on the application form and we will take it into account. Because of continuously changing circumstances, however, we can never guarantee that you will be allocated to a certain project.

Can you guarantee that I will be placed in a host family? While you'll see that the project descriptions elsewhere on the website give you an idea of the type of accommodation, we cannot guarantee that you will be given a certain type of accommodation. If you have a strong preference for e.g. staying in a host family or independently with other volunteers, please indicate this in your application form and we will try to place you at a site that offers you this accommodation.

I am from … (the UK, Australia, Japan, Czech Republic, or any other country). Can I participate in the OCEP programme?
Obviously you can and in the past volunteers have come from all over the world. The only thing that matters is that you satisfy our admission criteria which we will determine based on what you fill in on the application form and tell us in the subsequent interview.

I don’t see any phone numbers on the website. Why don’t you mention them? OCEP is a non-profit organisation and we don’t receive any pay for our working hours. We’re all working besides what we do for OCEP. Receiving phone calls is quite time-consuming since you never know when to expect them. For that reason, we have chosen only to reply to e-mails, which is much easier to schedule.

I saw the rates of commercial exchange organisations, and they are much higher. How can OCEP be so cheap? OCEP is a foundation with no intention to make a profit. European OCEP members work for free, while OCEP members in Ghana receive a modest contribution for the work they do. Moreover, we spend very little on marketing: no flashy website for us, no shiny brochures and no advertising.

I would like to do my internship/traineeship/... by volunteering with OCEP in Ghana, is this possible? No, we regret that in principle this is not possible. The reason is that we cannot guarantee supervision in Ghana that satisfies the demands of your institution. Obviously, if your traineeship doesn't require anything whatsoever from our side, you can go as a regular volunteer and it is up to you to get this acknowledged by your institution.