Short-term (2 to 4 weeks) "environmental" projects in Ghana

the Voluntary Workcamps Association of Ghana (VOLU) and the Volta River Authority (VRA) under the aegis of the Government of Ghana have agreed to take action to address the warning signs REGARDING the survival of the Volta Lake, which is the main energy source of the country. Human activities in combination with the combustion of fuel fossils have significantly increased the atmospheric concentration of Carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases over pre-industrial levels. This is predicted to have profound, largely negative influence on the running of the Akosombo Dam for hydro-power generation.

The Volta Lake, claimed to be one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, which has its source in Burkina Faso, has the tendency of periodic dry-up which normally leads to shortage in the reservoir of the dam. For the past decade, half the energy supply level of the country has been on the decline when the country begun experiencing erratic rainfall pattern as a result of the negative impact of climate changes on the Akosombo Dam. VOLU has entered into an understanding with the Volta River Authority to strategically collaborate under a 5-year Development Plan in the medium-term to plant over 10 million trees of various species along the gorge of the river and its operational catchment areas that is estimated to cover about 25 hectares of land. During the project implementation period, volunteers, both local and foreign, will vigorously be engaged in tree planting exercise in phases.

The project will mainly be implemented in three operational communities of the Volta River Authority, namely, Abotuase, Nkonya, Kwamekrom and other identified smaller communities living along the banks of the Volta River. These communities are sited closely to some key and strategic tributaries of the lake which significantly contribute to the reservoir of the Volta Lake. Predominant occupation of the community folks is fishing and growing of food on commercial scale. Plans are far advanced as agreed by the traditional and opinion leaders of the various towns and villages whose livelihoods largely depend on the forest and river to participate in a pre-arranged educational programme intended to train the capacity of the people towards alternative livelihood initiatives; this if done, will control the seemingly negative human activities which are inimical to the sustainability of the ecology of the river.

The project is located within the administrative district of Biakoye/Nkonya in the Volta Region of Ghana. The district capital Nkonya is about 236 kilometers away from the national capital, Accra. The trunk roads leading to the project communities are fairly good which is about 3 to 4 hours drive from Accra by bus.

The volunteers will be housed in classrooms of the local primary and high schools of the various communities where the main tree planting exercise will be carried out. Mattresses will be made available to volunteers for use throughout their stay in those communities. It is not obligatory for volunteers to bring with them their own sleeping bags and mats. Campers will share everything in common, even cooking and preparation of meals for the camp on daily basis. The ingredients necessary for the preparation of meals for the camp will be sufficiently provided to the camp. Volunteers, more importantly, the foreign ones, will be encouraged to try their hands on cooking local dishes.

English shall be the predominant and official language throughout the life of the workcamp. However, other languages would not be frowned upon as they may be spoken by volunteers in combination to English. High proficiency in English is not a requirement.

Serial No.LocationGroupActivitiesPeriod
01Nkonya1Sensitization, preparation of planting site, hole digging etc04/06-25/06/10
02Abotoasi2Community education, mobilization of local resources, land clearing, hole digging,11/06-02/07/10
03Kwamekrom3 land clearing, hole digging, tree planting18/06-09/07/10
04Nkonya4 Community Education & Tree Planting09/07-30/07/10
05Abotoasi5Tree Planting13/07-03/08/10
06Kwamekrom6Tree Planting30/07-20/08/10

All prospective volunteers on this and other projects will be required to pay participation fee of 250 Euros per project and 150 Euros for any additional project.

Volunteers will be privileged to have full feel of the serenity of the renowned Volta River as they cruise on the river.

Logistical needs will be adequately supplied by our project host, the Volta River Authority. Basic items such as hand gloves, wellington boots, rain coats, flashlights, machetes, wheel barrows, among many others will be supplied. It will NOT be a demand on volunteers to come with the above items except working clothes, which they could discard after the project.

Public telephone connectivity, post office, internet cafes, banks as well as forex bureaux are non-existent in the various project locations of the Akosombo projects. However, volunteers can conveniently use their cellular phones as they connect to any of the networks that provide the services in the country, provided the service provider's network has coverage in the project locations.

the Voluntary Workcamps Association of Ghana (VOLU) and the Volta River Authority (VRA) under the aegis of the Government of Ghana have agreed to jointly take action that seeks to address the prevailing warning signs ostensibly intimidating the survival of the Volta Lake, which is the main energy source of the country. Human activities in combination with the combustion of fuel fossils have significantly increased the atmospheric concentration of Carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases over pre-industrial levels. This is predicted to have profound, largely negative influence on the socio-economic and ecological impact on the efficient and effective running of the Akosombo Dam for hydro-power generation.

mitigating the adverse effects of climate change. Current and future initiatives to create new forests are key features of institutional efforts to mitigate climate change by increasing forest carbon storage.

The Volta Lake, claimed to be one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, which has its source from the Republic of Burkina Faso, has the tendency of periodic dry-up which normally leads to shortage in the reservoir of the dam. For the past decade, half the energy supply level of the country has been on the decline when the country begun experiencing erratic rainfall pattern as a result of the negative impact of climate changes on the Akosombo Dam. Due to this, the dam has not been operating at its full capacity, which necessitated the Volta River Authority (VRA) to undertake load shedding-appropriating power sequentially to consumers, more importantly to neighboring countries that draw electric energy supply from Ghana.

To aggressively contribute its quota towards mitigating of the situation, VOLU has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Volta River Authority to strategically collaborate under a 5-year Development Plan in the medium-term to plant over10 million trees of various species along the gorge of the river and its operational catchment areas that is estimated to cover about 25 hectares of land. During the project implementation period, volunteers, both local and foreign, will vigorously be engaged in tree planting exercise in phases. The volunteers will be mobilized and organized in batches as they are motivated and encouraged to enthusiastically participate in the project towards the achievement of its overall objective.

The project will mainly be implemented in three operational communities of the Volta River Authority, namely, Abotuase, Nkonya, Kwamekrom and other identified smaller communities living along the banks of the Volta River. These communities are sited closely to some key and strategic tributaries of the lake which significantly contribute to the reservoir of the Volta Lake. Predominant occupation of the community folks is fishing and growing of food on commercial scale. Plans are far advanced as agreed by the traditional and opinion leaders of the various towns and villages whose livelihoods largely depend on the forest and river to participate in a pre-arranged educational programme intended to train the capacity of the people towards alternative livelihood initiatives; this if done, will control the seemingly negative human activities which are inimical to the sustainability of the ecology of the river.

The project is located within the administrative district of Biakoye/Nkonya in the Volta Region of Ghana. The district capital Nkonya is about 236 kilometers away from the national capital, Accra. The trunk roads leading to the project communities are fairly good which is about 3 to 4 hours drive from Accra by bus.

The volunteers will be housed in classrooms of the local primary and high schools of the various communities where the main tree planting exercise will be carried out. Mattresses will be made available to volunteers for use throughout their stay in those communities. It is not obligatory for volunteers to bring with them their own sleeping bags and mats. Campers will share everything in common, even cooking and preparation of meals for the camp on daily basis. The ingredients necessary for the preparation of meals for the camp will be sufficiently provided to the camp. Volunteers, more importantly, the foreign ones, will be encouraged to try their hands on cooking local dishes.

English shall be the predominant and official language throughout the life of the workcamp. However, other languages would not be frowned upon as they may be spoken by volunteers in combination to English. High proficiency in English is not a requirement.

All prospective volunteers on this and other projects will be required to pay participation fee of 250 Euros per project and 150 Euros for any additional project.

Volunteers will be privileged to have full feel of the serenity of the renowned Volta River as they cruise on the river

Logistical needs will be adequately supplied by our project host, the Volta River Authority. Basic items such as hand gloves, wellington boots, rain coats, flashlights, machetes, wheel barrows, among many others will be supplied. It will NOT be a demand on volunteers to come with the above items except working clothes, which they could discard after the project.

Public telephone connectivity, post office, internet cafes, banks as well as forex bureaux are non-existent in the various project locations of the Akosombo projects. However, volunteers can conveniently use their cellular phones as they connect to any of the networks that provide the services in the country, provided the service provider's network has coverage in the project locations.

the Voluntary Workcamps Association of Ghana (VOLU) and the Volta River Authority (VRA) under the aegis of the Government of Ghana have agreed to jointly take action that seeks to address the prevailing warning signs ostensibly intimidating the survival of the Volta Lake, which is the main energy source of the country. Human activities in combination with the combustion of fuel fossils have significantly increased the atmospheric concentration of Carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases over pre-industrial levels. This is predicted to have profound, largely negative influence on the socio-economic and ecological impact on the efficient and effective running of the Akosombo Dam for hydro-power generation.

mitigating the adverse effects of climate change. Current and future initiatives to create new forests are key features of institutional efforts to mitigate climate change by increasing forest carbon storage.

The Volta Lake, claimed to be one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, which has its source from the Republic of Burkina Faso, has the tendency of periodic dry-up which normally leads to shortage in the reservoir of the dam. For the past decade, half the energy supply level of the country has been on the decline when the country begun experiencing erratic rainfall pattern as a result of the negative impact of climate changes on the Akosombo Dam. Due to this, the dam has not been operating at its full capacity, which necessitated the Volta River Authority (VRA) to undertake load shedding-appropriating power sequentially to consumers, more importantly to neighboring countries that draw electric energy supply from Ghana.

To aggressively contribute its quota towards mitigating of the situation, VOLU has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Volta River Authority to strategically collaborate under a 5-year Development Plan in the medium-term to plant over10 million trees of various species along the gorge of the river and its operational catchment areas that is estimated to cover about 25 hectares of land. During the project implementation period, volunteers, both local and foreign, will vigorously be engaged in tree planting exercise in phases. The volunteers will be mobilized and organized in batches as they are motivated and encouraged to enthusiastically participate in the project towards the achievement of its overall objective.

The project will mainly be implemented in three operational communities of the Volta River Authority, namely, Abotuase, Nkonya, Kwamekrom and other identified smaller communities living along the banks of the Volta River. These communities are sited closely to some key and strategic tributaries of the lake which significantly contribute to the reservoir of the Volta Lake. Predominant occupation of the community folks is fishing and growing of food on commercial scale. Plans are far advanced as agreed by the traditional and opinion leaders of the various towns and villages whose livelihoods largely depend on the forest and river to participate in a pre-arranged educational programme intended to train the capacity of the people towards alternative livelihood initiatives; this if done, will control the seemingly negative human activities which are inimical to the sustainability of the ecology of the river.

The project is located within the administrative district of Biakoye/Nkonya in the Volta Region of Ghana. The district capital Nkonya is about 236 kilometers away from the national capital, Accra. The trunk roads leading to the project communities are fairly good which is about 3 to 4 hours drive from Accra by bus.

The volunteers will be housed in classrooms of the local primary and high schools of the various communities where the main tree planting exercise will be carried out. Mattresses will be made available to volunteers for use throughout their stay in those communities. It is not obligatory for volunteers to bring with them their own sleeping bags and mats. Campers will share everything in common, even cooking and preparation of meals for the camp on daily basis. The ingredients necessary for the preparation of meals for the camp will be sufficiently provided to the camp. Volunteers, more importantly, the foreign ones, will be encouraged to try their hands on cooking local dishes.

English shall be the predominant and official language throughout the life of the workcamp. However, other languages would not be frowned upon as they may be spoken by volunteers in combination to English. High proficiency in English is not a requirement.

All prospective volunteers on this and other projects will be required to pay participation fee of 250 Euros per project and 150 Euros for any additional project.

Volunteers will be privileged to have full feel of the serenity of the renowned Volta River as they cruise on the river

Logistical needs will be adequately supplied by our project host, the Volta River Authority. Basic items such as hand gloves, wellington boots, rain coats, flashlights, machetes, wheel barrows, among many others will be supplied. It will NOT be a demand on volunteers to come with the above items except working clothes, which they could discard after the project.

Public telephone connectivity, post office, internet cafes, banks as well as forex bureaux are non-existent in the various project locations of the Akosombo projects. However, volunteers can conveniently use their cellular phones as they connect to any of the networks that provide the services in the country, provided the service provider's network has coverage in the project locations.

Desertification is very fast creeping into the northern sector of Ghana as a result of many environmental and social-economic factors. Among them are annual bush fires that occur during the dry season which are usually caused by human and natural agents, fire wood harvesting, charcoal burning, over grazing, bad agricultural practices etc. In a bid to tackle this problem, the chief and his subjects in consultation with the local authority (District Assembly) have conscientiously agreed to continue with their tree planting project initiative-this time on a larger scale. Over 20 hectares woodlot/plantation is targeted to be planted within the next five years. This year not less than 3 hectares is envisaged.

The rationale behind this project is to combat the devastating effects of desertification and social impact of climate change on the lives of the people and the environment. Based on this, 5 hectares of the planted land will be preserved purposely for fuel wood to address the energy needs of the community. However, the remaining portions will be reserved as plantation/forest to enhance the ecology and biodiversity of the entire area. Volunteers from all walks of life are expected to partake in this all-important project. The main activities shall include digging of holes, moving the seedlings from one place to the other and planting.

Kumbungu is a town located in the Tolon-Kumbungu District in the Northern Region of Ghana. It is about 5 km from Tamale, the capital city of the region. The trunk road leading to the community is in very good condition. It is sometimes difficult to get direct transport from Accra hence it is advisable to board a lorry from Accra to Tamale which is about 7 hours’ drive. Then change over to another bus bound for Kumbungu. However, plans are far advanced in terms of transportation from Tamale to the camp site on the day of arrival. It is envisaged that a bus shall be put at volunteers’ disposal throughout the camping period. The people are mostly farmers. The district has population of about 250,000. The festival celebrated in Dagbone area annually is Damaba (which has already been celebrated in March) and Fire Festival which is celebrated in August

A classroom block is reserved for volunteers. Bedding in the form of mattresses shall be provided. Food and other ingredients shall be provided to volunteers to prepare their own meal daily. All volunteers are expected to assist in the meal preparation in turn so as to have a feel of how local dishes are prepared (a nice opportunity to learn some Ghanaian recipes). Distance from the camp site to the work site is a walk away.

English shall be the official spoken language in the camp; but high proficiency is not necessary.

All prospective volunteers on this and other projects will be required to pay participation fee of 250 Euros per project but 150 Euros for any additional project

As the Kumbungu community is not far from the Regional capital, Tamale, most of the social amenities can easily be accessed. It is worthy to note that there are some tourist sites within 60km radius to visit during camping period. Notable among them are Mole Games Reserve, Witches Camps etc. Visits to these places have to be done in consultation with camp leadership.

the Voluntary Workcamps Association of Ghana (VOLU) and the Volta River Authority (VRA) under the aegis of the Government of Ghana have agreed to jointly take action that seeks to address the prevailing warning signs ostensibly intimidating the survival of the Volta Lake, which is the main energy source of the country. Human activities in combination with the combustion of fuel fossils have significantly increased the atmospheric concentration of Carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases over pre-industrial levels. This is predicted to have profound, largely negative influence on the socio-economic and ecological impact on the efficient and effective running of the Akosombo Dam for hydro-power generation.

mitigating the adverse effects of climate change. Current and future initiatives to create new forests are key features of institutional efforts to mitigate climate change by increasing forest carbon storage.

The Volta Lake, claimed to be one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, which has its source from the Republic of Burkina Faso, has the tendency of periodic dry-up which normally leads to shortage in the reservoir of the dam. For the past decade, half the energy supply level of the country has been on the decline when the country begun experiencing erratic rainfall pattern as a result of the negative impact of climate changes on the Akosombo Dam. Due to this, the dam has not been operating at its full capacity, which necessitated the Volta River Authority (VRA) to undertake load shedding-appropriating power sequentially to consumers, more importantly to neighboring countries that draw electric energy supply from Ghana.

To aggressively contribute its quota towards mitigating of the situation, VOLU has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Volta River Authority to strategically collaborate under a 5-year Development Plan in the medium-term to plant over10 million trees of various species along the gorge of the river and its operational catchment areas that is estimated to cover about 25 hectares of land. During the project implementation period, volunteers, both local and foreign, will vigorously be engaged in tree planting exercise in phases. The volunteers will be mobilized and organized in batches as they are motivated and encouraged to enthusiastically participate in the project towards the achievement of its overall objective.

The project will mainly be implemented in three operational communities of the Volta River Authority, namely, Abotuase, Nkonya, Kwamekrom and other identified smaller communities living along the banks of the Volta River. These communities are sited closely to some key and strategic tributaries of the lake which significantly contribute to the reservoir of the Volta Lake. Predominant occupation of the community folks is fishing and growing of food on commercial scale. Plans are far advanced as agreed by the traditional and opinion leaders of the various towns and villages whose livelihoods largely depend on the forest and river to participate in a pre-arranged educational programme intended to train the capacity of the people towards alternative livelihood initiatives; this if done, will control the seemingly negative human activities which are inimical to the sustainability of the ecology of the river.

The project is located within the administrative district of Biakoye/Nkonya in the Volta Region of Ghana. The district capital Nkonya is about 236 kilometers away from the national capital, Accra. The trunk roads leading to the project communities are fairly good which is about 3 to 4 hours drive from Accra by bus.

The volunteers will be housed in classrooms of the local primary and high schools of the various communities where the main tree planting exercise will be carried out. Mattresses will be made available to volunteers for use throughout their stay in those communities. It is not obligatory for volunteers to bring with them their own sleeping bags and mats. Campers will share everything in common, even cooking and preparation of meals for the camp on daily basis. The ingredients necessary for the preparation of meals for the camp will be sufficiently provided to the camp. Volunteers, more importantly, the foreign ones, will be encouraged to try their hands on cooking local dishes.

English shall be the predominant and official language throughout the life of the workcamp. However, other languages would not be frowned upon as they may be spoken by volunteers in combination to English. High proficiency in English is not a requirement.

All prospective volunteers on this and other projects will be required to pay participation fee of 250 Euros per project and 150 Euros for any additional project.

Volunteers will be privileged to have full feel of the serenity of the renowned Volta River as they cruise on the river

Logistical needs will be adequately supplied by our project host, the Volta River Authority. Basic items such as hand gloves, wellington boots, rain coats, flashlights, machetes, wheel barrows, among many others will be supplied. It will NOT be a demand on volunteers to come with the above items except working clothes, which they could discard after the project.

Public telephone connectivity, post office, internet cafes, banks as well as forex bureaux are non-existent in the various project locations of the Akosombo projects. However, volunteers can conveniently use their cellular phones as they connect to any of the networks that provide the services in the country, provided the service provider's network has coverage in the project locations.

Volunteers will be actively engaged in the completion of the construction of proposed Out Patients Department (OPD) which was started by volunteers during last summer's camping period. The project in addition to an existing Healthcare Centre which found was woefully inadequate to meet the increasing population of the inhabitants. The project if completed is expected to comprehensively curb the high rate of immorality and other related reproductive health issues that confront the people.

Volunteers’ main tasks will be focused on moulding of sandcrete blocks, filling of the base of the sub-structure with gravels, carting of coarse/fine aggregates to the construction site and other materials relevant to the project. The volunteers under the supervision of the masons may be called upon to try their hand at the block laying procedures as and when the need arises. The proposed project is expected to be completed within 3 weeks of intensive work by volunteers. Beside the major assignments, campers will be requested to embark upon a tree planting exercise in a bid to address the desertification of the area (in the wake of climate change and its impending vagaries). Trees will be planted along some principal streets and distressed areas of the community if time will permit.

Volunteers will continue to enjoy the same form of accommodation being provided by their hosts as during the last summer, at walking distance to the project site. They will be sleeping on mattresses placed on a well finished cemented floor. Alternative arrangements have been put in place to ensure the provision of comfortable bedding for the campers. A warm sleeping bag is strongly recommended but optional. Cooking may not be the sole responsibility of the volunteers. Nevertheless, in spite of this enthusiasm of our hosts, any volunteer who may express interest in learning preparation of Ghanaian local dishes will be encouraged to do so.

The project is located in a community called Chinderi. Chinderi is a small community situated in the northern zone of the Volta Region with Kete-Krachi as district capital. The community which is estimated to be about 20,000 inhabitants is composed of more than 26 other small towns and villages forming the nucleus of the Ntsunuru ethnic group. The other tribes and clans presence in the area altogether gives total population of 50,000. The principal occupation of the people is farming. Primary farm produce cultivated by these farmers are yam and cassava, whilst cattle rearing is also on the increase. But many women and groups trade in fishing and processing of fish produce from the Volta Lake on a commercial scale. Yam and other tubers remain the traditional cash-crop of the entire area.

ARRIVAL. The journey to Chinderi can be very exciting and full of fun as one could embark on the voyage either by water or road. It usually takes 24 hours to travel on the Volta Lake from Akosombo. The ferry leaves Akosombo bay on Mondays and arrives at Bejame landing bay the following day. The vessels return to Akosombo on Wednesdays. The alternative means is by road; it takes between 8 to 11 hours to cover the trip from Accra. Public transports from Accra depart for Dambai also from Mondays to Fridays every week. On arrival at Dambai, a town located close to banks of River Oti; ferries and commuter boats are available to carry volunteers across the river within a period of 30minutes. A vehicle will be pre-arranged to convey volunteers to campsite (Chinderi) at the other side of the river free of charge.

As usual English shall be the main official language of the camp, high proficiency is not a prerequisite.

All prospective volunteers on this and other projects will be required to pay participation fee of 250 Euros per project but 150 Euros for any additional project.

Intermittent excursions on the Volta Lake shall be organized during the life of the camp by the camp leadership. Any other places of interest may be identified and will be visited after a careful and proper arrangement. Expenses estimated to be involved in this expedition will be borne by campers collectively. Volunteers will be provided with pipe-borne water, electricity energy from the national grid and water closet toilet facilities. A postal agency is located in town to address the postal needs of volunteers. However, Internet Services, Forex Bureau, Banks and other related facilities are not available in the project community but volunteers can have access to these facilities at Hohoe which is about 89 kms from Chinderi or the district capital-Kete-Krachi.

The main activities that face volunteers in the municipality is planting of avenue tress along some identified Principal Streets of the city of Kumasi. The project is purposed to address the environmental needs (in this era of climate change) as well as beautification of the city. The administrators or the city authorities had already in collaboration with Ghana Forestry Services in anticipation mapped out and located specific areas where volunteers will plant the tress during the period. The volunteers’ task in this project will primarily be focused on digging of holes, conveying of seedlings from one point to another, fixing of wooden frames as guards around the planted trees, protecting them from both human and animal damage.

Volunteers will also be given the opportunity whilst working on the project to live, learn, and experience the rich and famous cultural values of the Ashanti Kingdom. A series of cultural activities is being outlined by our hosts to expose the volunteers to the Ghanaian culture, more importantly the culture of the Ashantis such as Akwasidae festival.

The project location is Kumasi, the capital city of the Ashanti region of Ghana. Kumasi is one of the largest commercial towns in Ghana with a population of about 2.5 million inhabitants. Commerce and industrial activities are the main business of the people. Indeed, the city is heavily industrialized in a manner that almost every consumer product is being manufactured in this city. Industries such as shoe manufacturing, processing of timber and wood products, engineering works etc. Kumasi as a result of its green nature is popularly referred to as the ‘’Garden City of Ghana’’. But it is very fast losing its potentiality as the most beautiful and disciplined city of the country as a result of over-urbanization.

The population of the region is concentrated in a few districts. The Kumasi city alone accounts for nearly one-third of the region’s population.

The entire Ashanti Region is renowned in cocoa and timber production. The bulk of Ghana’s cocoa is being cultivated and processed in the Ashanti. The region can boast of lots of tourist sites and many forest reserves. Volunteers will be privileged enough to experience the cool natural serenity of some of these thick tropical African forests. It will be a unique but remarkable moment for the volunteers during the project life to visit many of the places located in the region.

Plans are far advanced by the Member of Parliament responsible for Asokwa constituency, the suburb of the Kumasi which hosts the project, to provide decent accommodation for the volunteers at walking distance to the project site. Mattresses and other beddings necessary for the comfort of the volunteers will definitely be provided. Adequate preparations have been made by the project host to ensure a successful camp. Food intended for volunteers meals will be made available; but the preparation of the meals shall always be the primary responsibility of the volunteers themselves. The camp leader will from time to time require from every volunteer to actively be involved in the cooking.

The fundamental medium of communication amongst all volunteers will be English; however high proficiency in the language will not be the determining factor for qualification of participation in the camp.

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Remember to come along with your own mosquito nets and insect repellents as well as sleeping bags. Some few working gears are also recommended.

All prospective volunteers on this and other projects will be required to pay participation fee of 250 Euros per project but 150 Euros for any additional project.

The Metropolis has every social amenity that will make life comfortable for the volunteers and experience immeasurable and memorable work camp season in Ghana. Innumerable Forex Bureaux, Banks, Post offices, Internet Cafés and many other business centres are dotted in and around the city. Western Union, Automatic Teller Machine (ATMs) points among many other money transfer operators are present in Kumasi. On Health care front, the second largest Teaching Hospital in West Africa coupled with good number of health delivery centre are available to care of the health needs of volunteers during the period.

the Voluntary Workcamps Association of Ghana (VOLU) and the Volta River Authority (VRA) under the aegis of the Government of Ghana have agreed to jointly take action that seeks to address the prevailing warning signs ostensibly intimidating the survival of the Volta Lake, which is the main energy source of the country. Human activities in combination with the combustion of fuel fossils have significantly increased the atmospheric concentration of Carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases over pre-industrial levels. This is predicted to have profound, largely negative influence on the socio-economic and ecological impact on the efficient and effective running of the Akosombo Dam for hydro-power generation.

mitigating the adverse effects of climate change. Current and future initiatives to create new forests are key features of institutional efforts to mitigate climate change by increasing forest carbon storage.

The Volta Lake, claimed to be one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, which has its source from the Republic of Burkina Faso, has the tendency of periodic dry-up which normally leads to shortage in the reservoir of the dam. For the past decade, half the energy supply level of the country has been on the decline when the country begun experiencing erratic rainfall pattern as a result of the negative impact of climate changes on the Akosombo Dam. Due to this, the dam has not been operating at its full capacity, which necessitated the Volta River Authority (VRA) to undertake load shedding-appropriating power sequentially to consumers, more importantly to neighboring countries that draw electric energy supply from Ghana.

To aggressively contribute its quota towards mitigating of the situation, VOLU has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Volta River Authority to strategically collaborate under a 5-year Development Plan in the medium-term to plant over10 million trees of various species along the gorge of the river and its operational catchment areas that is estimated to cover about 25 hectares of land. During the project implementation period, volunteers, both local and foreign, will vigorously be engaged in tree planting exercise in phases. The volunteers will be mobilized and organized in batches as they are motivated and encouraged to enthusiastically participate in the project towards the achievement of its overall objective.

The project will mainly be implemented in three operational communities of the Volta River Authority, namely, Abotuase, Nkonya, Kwamekrom and other identified smaller communities living along the banks of the Volta River. These communities are sited closely to some key and strategic tributaries of the lake which significantly contribute to the reservoir of the Volta Lake. Predominant occupation of the community folks is fishing and growing of food on commercial scale. Plans are far advanced as agreed by the traditional and opinion leaders of the various towns and villages whose livelihoods largely depend on the forest and river to participate in a pre-arranged educational programme intended to train the capacity of the people towards alternative livelihood initiatives; this if done, will control the seemingly negative human activities which are inimical to the sustainability of the ecology of the river.

The project is located within the administrative district of Biakoye/Nkonya in the Volta Region of Ghana. The district capital Nkonya is about 236 kilometers away from the national capital, Accra. The trunk roads leading to the project communities are fairly good which is about 3 to 4 hours drive from Accra by bus.

The volunteers will be housed in classrooms of the local primary and high schools of the various communities where the main tree planting exercise will be carried out. Mattresses will be made available to volunteers for use throughout their stay in those communities. It is not obligatory for volunteers to bring with them their own sleeping bags and mats. Campers will share everything in common, even cooking and preparation of meals for the camp on daily basis. The ingredients necessary for the preparation of meals for the camp will be sufficiently provided to the camp. Volunteers, more importantly, the foreign ones, will be encouraged to try their hands on cooking local dishes.

English shall be the predominant and official language throughout the life of the workcamp. However, other languages would not be frowned upon as they may be spoken by volunteers in combination to English. High proficiency in English is not a requirement.

All prospective volunteers on this and other projects will be required to pay participation fee of 250 Euros per project and 150 Euros for any additional project.

Volunteers will be privileged to have full feel of the serenity of the renowned Volta River as they cruise on the river

Logistical needs will be adequately supplied by our project host, the Volta River Authority. Basic items such as hand gloves, wellington boots, rain coats, flashlights, machetes, wheel barrows, among many others will be supplied. It will NOT be a demand on volunteers to come with the above items except working clothes, which they could discard after the project.

Public telephone connectivity, post office, internet cafes, banks as well as forex bureaux are non-existent in the various project locations of the Akosombo projects. However, volunteers can conveniently use their cellular phones as they connect to any of the networks that provide the services in the country, provided the service provider's network has coverage in the project locations.