Beacon House is looking for enthusiastic individuals to plan activities, teach, and play with the children.  We particularly need assistance in the following areas: 

• Assist in teaching the children in the schoolroom

• Teach drama

• Teach dance and music

• Sports and game teaching

• Help with IT, fundraising, administration

• Share professional skills with the staff 

Our greatest need at the moment is for a volunteer teacher.  Most of our children come from northern Ghana so their primary language is Frafra.  In order for them to integrate into the public schools system in Accra, they need to learn English.  We are seeking to provide them with a solid background in the 3 R’s – reading, writing and arithmetic. 

Volunteers should be aware that Beacon House is a Christian organization and the children are raised with Christian beliefs.  Religious study is taught in the school, there are prayer sessions before bedtime, grace before mealtimes and the children attend Sunday school at a local Christian Center.  

Beacon House is a home, not an institution.  When thinking about how best to help and fit in as a volunteer, you should consider your stay as visiting someone’s house.  The day-to-day running of the home is done by the staff that has developed routines that work well for the children – providing a warm, secure, and stable environment.

 Information on Ghana 

Ghana is situated in West Africa and shares its borders with Burkina Faso in the north, the Atlantic Ocean in the south, Togo in the east, and Ivory Coast in the west.  It has a population of about 20 million people belonging to as many as 75 different tribal groups.  The country’s official language is English, although there are several local languages.  The climate is tropical with average temperatures between 29-32 degrees Celsius. 

For more information on Ghana and its people, please see:

www.ghana.gov.gh

www.ghanaweb.com 

The Ghanaian currency is the Cedi.  For an update of the rate, please see:

www.xe.com/ucc/full.shtml