SUGGESTED THINGS TO PACK

Although you will be with us for two weeks, you do not need to pack many clothes for your trip. We have laundry facilities in Accra and staff available to wash your clothes at any time as well. Bed sheets, pillows, towels and soap are provided for you. It is recommended you bring long, light pants (women may also wish to bring long skirts) as opposed to shorts. Shorts are not appropriate work attire in Ghana, and bare legs are also more likely to attract mosquitoes.

For women, we recommend packing 3 or 4 light, comfortable pairs of pants and/or long skirts, and a week’s worth of comfortable, light tops. Though tank tops are not usually worn at work, they can be worn in conjunction with a light blouse. T-shirts are worn everywhere. The weather is always warm in Ghana (around 30 degrees Celsius or 86 degress Farenheit), and most of the offices, schools, and the clinics are not air-conditioned. Light-colored (mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors), breathable clothing is best, and light long-sleeved tops are recommended in the evening. Sleepwear should also be light and comfortable, as bedrooms are not air-conditioned.

For footwear, it is recommended you bring breathable, durable and comfortable hiking shoes or boots. It is not recommended you wear sandals or have bare feet when working in the field during outreach. Just as sandals/exposed feet are not recommended in the West when working in hospitals and clinics, we too will be working with "sharps" for finger-pricks with VCT or in clinical environments, and therefore recommend closed-toe shoes. However, you may wish to bring a pair of sandals or flip-flops for wearing around the house in the evening.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD BRING?

If you are coming to do clinical work, it is a good idea to bring your own stethoscope, otoscope, ophthalmoscope and blood pressure cuff with you. You may, also, want to bring a box of non-Latex gloves, since Latex is still widely used in Ghana. If you have any drug samples (hydrocortisone cream, broad-spectrum antibiotics, etc) or anything that can be used or given away at field clinics, you may wish to bring those as well. You can also contact us for specific needs before you come.

If you are volunteering as a teacher, you can bring teaching materials such pens, pencils, markers, flip charts and writing pads for yourself and perhaps for your students.

Our office in Accra have DSL high speed internet service for your work and personal use. However, if you are outside the office and would still like to access your emails, one of the better internet cafés in Accra is Busy Internet, and most taxi drivers know it by name. (NOTE: When taking a taxi in Ghana, you should always negotiate a price with the driver BEFORE you get in the vehicle. If you’re not sure how much a trip should cost, ask one of our staff for a good rate, and try to negotiate with your driver down to that price). For your protection, the computers at internet cafes cannot access secure sites, or sites with firewalls. If your email server is through a university or other secure site, you will have to bring your laptop with you to access your email. Please note: Most internet services are concentrated in the bigger cities of Ghana, such as Accra, Tema and Kumasi. People living in rural areas have no access to the internet. If you are placed in a rural area, you may have to travel to a big city to send and receive emails.

Please note:The power supply is 220V and battery chargers require transformers. Most laptops are already equipped to handle 110-220V. You may wish to bring a power converter if you are coming from North America.

You may also want to bring your favorite videos, novels and magazines with you, as well as any textbooks, notebooks or journals you may need. Old textbooks are valued in Ghana, and we would be happy to receive any donations.