PERIOD OF VOLUNTEERING COST INVOLVED
First month USD  $ 650
Additional weeks after first month USD  $ 120 per week

What does the cost cover?

The program fee cost stated above covers the following services rendered by this organization to you. The first month is more as it incurs extra one-time costs, such as the airport transfers and the orientation transportation and tours on the first three days of arrival.

The total program fee includes:

  1. Pre-Departure Handbook (Details on everything you need to know about your arrival to Ghana)
  2. Airport transfers from Accra airport (Pick Up and Drop Off)
  3. Rent and Accommodation throughout your stay
  4. Breakfast and Supper throughout your stay
  5. Utility bills (extra Electricity, Water and Gas)
  6. Compensation to host family
  7. Orientation transportation and tours (first three days of arrival to familiarize yourself with the community you serve)
  8. Day Tour to the capital city, Accra (seeing the major sights such as Independence Square, National Theatre, Arts and Cultural Center, Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park)
  9. Continual assistance and contact from members of CHF staff
  10. 24/7 Emergency Support

Volunteers who prefer to cater for their own meals should let us know and we can make changes to the program fee.

NB: From January 2012 all volunteers would be required to pay an additional project contribution fee of $200 to support Cheerful Hearts Foundation’s Child labour project. Thank you for your willingness to support the vision of this foundation.

Other costs not included in the program fee: Airline tickets, visas, vaccinations, travel insurance

Personal Expenditure: Cost of living depends on individual choice and lifestyle! On a general budget we advise that you come with an additional US$50-70 a week to cater for your personal needs such as lunch, phone credit, transportation, snacks, entertainment, drinks and excursions if preferred, and any other things you may wish to buy.

Fundraising your Trip

If you are short of funds, fundraising is a common way to help raise money to pay for the program fee. This can be easily done by actively seeking donations from private enterprises, local companies or organizations to help fund your placement. You can try to apply for funding at your university or grant proposals to charitable organizations such as The Prince’s Trust. Attempt appeals to friends and family in person, and also on the internet or facebook for example. Promote awareness within the media, and you can look at organizing community events; from charity gigs, parties, marathons, raffles, bingo, cake sales – you name it and previous volunteers have raised it! All of these fundraising techniques will help people to contribute to the cause of helping the needy communities in Ghana.

Cheerful Hearts Foundation is happy to provide you with a letter you can send to organizations to prove your commitment as a volunteer or intern. Our tips when writing to potential donors, is not to write too much information, be concise and to the point about your desires for them to aid in a good cause. It’s a good idea to state a specific amount of money you are requesting and the total you are hoping to raise. Express a sense of urgency to get a prompt reply. Be sure to acknowledge all contributors with a thank you letter, and give a presentation with photos to them after your experience to show how their money has made a positive impact on the developing world.

With regards to online donations, feel free to contact us as we would be happy to assist you in any way we can, i.e. facebook interaction.etc. You can also use our PayPal link to CHF on our donate tab of our website, to help recognize where the money is going towards. Any money raised by you that goes to the CHF PayPal account, we can arrange for your money back to you when you arrive to deliver to your project.

Should you require any help with your fundraising efforts, please don’t hesitate to contact us as we would be happy to assist.

Good luck!