Volunteer for Medical & Eye Missions (Ghana)

GMAD’s mission is to preserve families, protect children, and provide refuge, and most of our efforts revolve around helping a Ghana organization operate a children’s home in Dabanyin, Ghana. Accordingly, you are volunteering to work at a children’s home, and to protect the children and the integrity of the home, it is expected that you will honor GMAD’s code of conduct (as presented in your application and in this handbook) at all times and in all places throughout the duration of your volunteer experience.

Who Can Volunteer
If you meet the following criteria, you can apply to be a GMAD Volunteer:
● you are 18 or older
● you are a high school graduate
● you are accompanied by someone 18 or older
● you have never been charged or convicted of sexual misconduct

Program Costs
● Airfare: $1,500-$1,900
● Program Fee: $1,800 (includes all transportation within Ghana; lodging and all food while staying at the children’s home; an overnight sightseeing trip to Cape Coast; fees for cultural activities; a GMAD t-shirt; and a filtering water bottle)
Use this link to make all of the payments in accordance with the schedule noted on page 3, BUT do not make any
payments until you have been officially approved to be a member of the medical mission team.
● Current Passport: approximately $160
● Ghana Travel Visa: approximately $80 (required to enter the country)
● Travelers Insurance (with emergency medical transportation, including medical evacuation, and medical expense coverage): approximately $100 (this is required)
● Vaccinations: will vary (some insurances cover them and some do not)
● Antimalarial drugs: approximately $150 (some insurances cover these as well; see below for more information)
● Spending Money: approximately $300-$500 for market trips, any food along the way, etc. (this is optional and for you to determine)
Your Volunteer Costs are Tax Deductible
GMAD is a 501(c)(3) organization, and your travel costs and program fees are tax deductible. The IRS says it this way. Do you plan to travel while doing charity work this summer? Some travel expenses may help lower your taxes if you itemize deductions when you file next year. Here are five tax tips the IRS wants you to know about travel while serving a charity. To learn more see Publication 526, Charitable Contributions. The booklet is available at IRS.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM
(800-829-3676).

Code of Conduct
As a volunteer, you must agree to abide by the code of conduct (as presented in your volunteer) at all times and in all places throughout the entire period of your volunteer experience.

Medical Licensing Requirements
Most medical professionals who will be volunteering in a medical capacity in Ghana need to obtain a temporary medical license from the Ghanaian Medical Council. However, there are some exceptions and some unique situations, so all medical professionals should contact the appropriate person (listed below) to determine whether a temporary license is needed and if so, what process to follow. All applications and required documents should be submitted to the following people.
● Medical professionals going on a medical mission should contact Austin Johnson at [email protected]. Mailing address: 12250 W. New Hope Rd., Star, ID 83669
● Medical professionals going on an eye mission should contact Stacey Hofman at [email protected]. Mailing address: 12040 W. New Hope Rd., Star, ID 83669

DOCTORS (first time):
There are three major steps to complete the application: 
(1) complete the online Application for Temporary Registration and upload your passport photo and other documents as requested, 
(2) after submitting your online application, use the code you receive to print the online application and then send it, along with your passport photo and all documents you uploaded in step one, to Austin Johnson at the address noted above, and 
(3) submit your entire application to the licensing office in Ghana (GMAD will do this for you). 
Be sure to read and follow the directions on the “guidelines” page located at the application link included above. GMAD will pay your licensing fees for you - do not submit any payment.

NURSES:
Gather documents for temporary registration. The temporary licensing form asks for the following 9 items. If you have previously been licensed in Ghana, all you need to do to renew that license is provide your current US license.

Airplane Travel
Travel times vary based on your place of embarkation. From the western US, total travel times are typically 20-25 hours.

Getting A Travel Visa
Before you leave for Ghana, you must get a travel visa.
There are two different visa entry classes: single entry (if you only intend to go to Ghana once) or multiple entry (if you intend to go to Ghana multiple times). A single entry visa must be used within 90 days. Depending on the life of your passport, a multiple-entry visa can be used for up to three years. 
WARNING, you are going to love Ghana, so you might want to consider the multiple entry visa.
 
For more details about the above-listed aspects and many others (like accommodations, vaccinations, packing list, travel documents, etc.) please visit BE A GMAD VOLUNTEER IN GHANA webpage, where you can access the volunteer handbook.