Grassroots Volunteer Opportunities

We feel “Charity” is not the solution to Africa’s problems, instead we support a socio-economic rebalancing, helping people free themselves from the oppressive economic state they are in. Our volunteer opportunities aim at working on a Grass Roots level with the individuals in our community, helping alleviate their struggle for health care, education and a reasonable standard of living.

We aim to strengthen our community from within, through a combination of financial support, voluntary work and other resources. Like our Facebook page Roots Yard Ghana for updates.

Individual Volunteer Opportunities

Fulfilling volunteer projects for individuals who like an adventure and are keen to work closely with the local community

Program 1: Teaching Assistant

We are working with a local primary and JSS School with nursery/ Kindergarten classes attached. The volunteers in this program will be working alongside the Ghanaian teachers, helping to support and encourage a more child-centered, creative educational approach lesson structure.

Program 2: School Building Project

We are helping the school build the classroom block for their nursery/ Kindergarten pupils. With the walls up, we have been able to complete the roof. However, there is so much more to do; the windows, the floor, plastering the walls, guttering and rain-harvest tanks, chalk-boards, desks & chairs etc. With the funds that you bring to the project the volunteers in the program will be working directly with the carpenters, plumbers, masons etc., getting involved with the manual labour & seeing exactly where your donation money is going.

Program 3: Sports Projects

Depending on your individual skills/ interests, you can offer your assistance to any part of the Sports related projects. Football enthusiasts can help the Youth Football Team, organising Soccer practive and Fitness Training.

We have also built a skate park

Roots Rebel SK8 Park

Any skateboarders will be welcome to come and share their skills and enthusiam with our growing skate community. We are always in need of old skateboards or spare parts, skate shoes or clothing!

As a sports volunteer your donation money will go towards supplying the teams with training kits & 'match strips', boots, balls, skateboards, pads etc. and you will be getting involved in our organising local sports matches/ skate competitions.

Program 4: Medical

We can organise placements in the local Clinic or Hospital for any volunteer who are either qualified or student Doctors, Nurses or Midwives. Your Donation money will be going towards supplies for the Clinic or Hospital where you will be working.

Program 5: Reforestation and Forest Preservation

We aim at addressing the devastating environmental effect of de-forestation in our community by re-planting of hard wood trees, ensuring the continued supply of Timber for future generations as well as improving the Environment for wildlife in the area. It is important to have a bio-diversified ecosystem so we plant flowering trees for the bees and humming birds, fruit trees for the flying fox and butterflies. Ideally, we need volunteers with relevant knowledge, who can focus on Education and awareness campaigns, in Schools & in the general community, on the importance of Re-Forestation. But anyone with a passion for the environment and Re-Forestation and Tree planting can volunteer for this project, as we need help developing a Tree Nursery, and around the Rainy Season (June-July) we need help clearing land & planting the Tree Seedlings. Your donation to this project goes towards paying the local labour involved in the clearing of the land and aftercare of the Trees we plant, in addition to growing our own tree seedlings we also buy Hard-wood species from the Forestry Commission in Accra and some other Tree Nurseries around Ghana.

Combination Programs

School ends by 3pm and the Sports projects won’t start until 4pm, so it is possible to combine the Teaching & Sports Programs, or even work on the Building Project in the morning then do Sports in the afternoon. And any of the projects can be combined with the Re-Forestation Project. Your volunteer Program is totally flexible & you can tailor it to suit you personally.

Prices

The Grass Roots Volunteer Project is completely transparent, the price we charge is for dorm accommodation, which includes breakfast & dinner. We quote this price in one month packages, but can book you in for up to six months. In addition to the food & accommodation charge, there is a mandatory donation to the project you are working on. Unlike other volunteer projects, you get to see exactly where your funds are going, you even get to help choose where they are spent and get involved by paying the labourers, buying materials and doing some of the work yourself.

Dormitory Bed (one month)

Accommodation & Food(breakfast & dinner) -- 400$

Project Donation -- 400$

So, for a 1 month stay the cost will be $400 (Accommodation) + $400(Project Donation) = $800

In addition to these, we can also arrange a pick up and transportation from the airport to Roots Yard.

The 'Friends of Peki' Mural

We have an open-ended Mural on the Wall of one of the School Buildings, all our volunteers get to add their Hand Prints as leaves on various branches of the Tree, there are other branches to be filled with leaves, and space for many more branches to be added, representing our commitment to these projects and our community in the years to come. Other Projects to get involved in. We try to involve our volunteers in helping the community in any way they can depending on their particular skills. Feel free to suggest new ideas or other ways you think you can have a positive impact. We have a number of projects that need people, knowledge, enthusiasm and funds.

Green Energy Project

Roots Yard has over the last couple of years, been looking into alternative energy. At the moment, we have two solar panels, charging a 200AH deep-cycle gel battery and a recycled car battery, a charge controller and an inverter (to convert the current to 240V for regular household appliances). We also designed and built a prototype wind turbine, all components for this have been locally sourced and re-cycled and this in addition to the Solar panels supplies us with some of the energy needed. With this, we have lights for the Bar and kitchen, and when the mains power is out we are still able to use a blender for Juices and play Music!

We are looking for Volunteers with some knowledge and experience of either Solar or Wind Turbines. You would be helping advance these projects, with the future intention of being able to train Local youth in the construction of both technologies to produce kits for sale on the local market at affordable prices. This will enable the people of Peki to generate Clean Affordable Electricity and not rely upon the infrequent and unreliable ECG (Electricity Company of Ghana).

Honey Project

We have been working with a local family supporting their Beekeeping & Honey production. Sadly, Mr. Dango passed away in 2014, age 74, he is remembered & missed by the whole community. This now leaves his wife even more in need of help from the Project. We have been able to Build a number of New Bee Hives and bought a Bee-Keepers Suit so that the Honey can be harvested Safely. They need more hives, a second suit and advice/expertise on ways of improving their Bee Keeping & Honey production.

Peki Library Fund

We have been able to donate two Boxes of Books to Peki Community Library. The librarians told us they desperately needed Children’s Books, so we are starting to raise funds for this section. We are looking for ‘in-scope’ Ghanaian/African based books. It is no use saying to a child in Peki “A is for Apple” when Apples don’t grow here! As you can see in the picture, all the shelves are sadly very bare. The Library basically needs funds. All volunteers can feel free to bring Books as donations to the Library, in addition to this, anyone with Librarian experience will be able to assist in organisation & running operations.