Volunteering in Ghana

Hi, I’m Nicole Sweeney, a final year Occupational Therapy student at Ulster University. I’m excited to share that I will be traveling to Ghana in January 2025 with four student colleagues to volunteer in a local school in Kumasi, as part of my final year placement.

In Ghana, 80 percent of children still do not acquire basic skills in literacy and numeracy by the end of primary school and many families struggle to afford adequate childcare, leaving children without access to essential early education. The day care facilities are often under-resourced, and what these children need most is individual attention during their crucial early development stages. Our project aims to share our knowledge and training to advance the provision of quality early childhood education

Occupational Therapy is a vital healthcare profession that supports individuals facing physical, psychological, and social challenges, helping them lead fulfilling lives. During our time in Ghana, we will be providing essential occupational therapy services to children who lack access to these resources in their community.

Our goals include:

• Delivering tailored therapy to help needy children develop essential life skills.

• Providing equipment that assists daily activities of those children

• Collaborating with teachers, parents, and guardians to educate and inform them to create effective support strategies for all the children, improve and advance knowledge of how to identify and address specific educational needs and spread and utilise resources.

• Running group therapy sessions for that promote fine and gross motor skills through play and engaging activities, which are crucial for their overall development.

Our work will contribute to the long-term development of these children, giving them positive opportunities to learn English and other valuable skills.

I am reaching out for your support. Any donation you can provide will go directly to funding this important cause, helping us to bring much-needed resources and services to these children.

Thank you for considering to support us!