We are a charity registered in the UK and a not-for-profit registered in Ghana, this means that any money left over from the trips is ploughed back into the projects and communities.
The whole focus of this expedition is to deliver teaching and learning resources donated from the UK to Ghanaian schools. The structure that is in place ensures that the most needy schools benefit first and that our support is continued and sustained. We work closely with the local government on certain initiatives and this is fundamental to the sustainability of the projects we support in the rural communities.
From day one of your involvement with this expedition you will be making a difference. Our low impact approach to overland ensures we leave nothing but positive experiences behind. The trip routes take in remote rural communities as well as sites of historical and cultural interest. All trip supplies are purchased en route, in this way directly supporting local economies. In order to ensure that the good work continues long after the trip returns home, additional funding and project monitoring is supplied through our organisation.
We limit our group size to 14 passengers on this expedition. During the first part of this expedition some of the countries that we travel to are not very well known and maintaining a small group limits our impact and allows us to interact more appropriately with remote communities. In addition to our expedition leader, we work with local guides in most of the countries we pass through and where necessary, we hire individual local guides for all the areas and sights we visit.
Additionally we purchase everything we need en route, buying from local traders and markets in sufficient quantities to ensure we do not exploit, but equally so that we have enough for ourselves! In many cases, the routes we take are varied thus ensuring our visits do not impact negatively on the local communities and the income we bring is distributed fairly. All of the accommodation we use is locally owned, much of the time we will be camping, but in towns and cities we stay in guesthouses or hotels.
Throughout the expedition we will visit various daily and weekly local markets and there is plenty of opportunity to buy produce and goods direct from the local people as well as pottery, cloth, woodwork and other handicrafts from the various communities we visit.
The second aspect of the expedition is the project placement which will be an insight into one of the friendliest countries in the world - Ghana. The placements are located in rural communities that are often overlooked. Their needs are extensive and we aim to ensure that their children have the best opportunities they can.
We work with the local government, village elders, teachers and headteachers to ensure that each placement is achieving as much as it can for everyone involved. All the money that you take with you goes directly to community members who look after you and contributions are made to ongoing and planned community projects that you may or may not have time to get involved in (these might include the building of a new school or the running of a sports team or setting up a women’s health group).
We employ a local Manager to coordinate all arrangements for you whilst on your project. You will stay in a community guesthouse and be provided with an authentic Ghanaian experience whilst providing the host community with valuable cultural exchange. This not only helps to build confidence in a socially interactive way, but also provides the children of the communities with important conversational practice in an informal setting.
All food and amenities are locally bought, supporting businesses and economy in the area and you will find yourself visiting refreshments stands, or “spots” as they are known in Ghana, which supports the small businesses. You will find that the locals welcome you with big smiles and will always be happy to see you. The schools that you will work with benefit in many ways from your efforts. Donations of important items, such as books and equipment are made possible by having our volunteers on these projects and they are greatly appreciated by all as these are all things that can really help to boost the children’s learning.
You will assist in endless ways, not only by providing your time, hard-work and attention, but also by educating the children, in your chosen subject and your home culture. You will learn about and experience a truly important culture too and get to immerse yourself into the colourful world of Ghana. Everything about this experience is focussed on minimising negative impact and maximising positive impact.
Our Trust was set up to help schools and other institutions in West Africa with infrastructure improvements, resource supplies and staff training programmes. In addition to schools, the trust also provides support to the health and conservation sectors. Our programmes are targeted to support areas of weakness in the local education sector, particularly within kindergarten education and vocational training for young adults. Both areas are under resourced and have only recently been recognised by the Ghanaian authorities as part of the formal education system.
The Trust is a small organisation, working at minimal cost to ensure that its help and assistance reaches those who need it most. The work of the Trust is complemented by other organisations, and supported by a growing number of schools & companies in the UK.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
