Africa’s faster growth through voluntary workcamps?

This article is taken wholly, with very slight editing, from the website of the Ghana Voluntary Workcamp Association, for public presentation without prior permission, hoping that Volu Ghana will appreciate our service. Africa Supreme is doing this in support of the voluntary workcamp movement in Africa and in other parts of the world. We believe that the voluntary workcamp idea, given the necessary and continuing encouragement will become the catalyst for faster growth in the construction and instructional programmes of the countries of the continent. We therefore give the movement our whole hearted support and encouragement toward greater achievements. This is a movement that creates friendships and builds bridges across ethnic groups; across countries; across races and across continents; a movement that leaves solid footprints in countries in which it operates.

We hope to be able to provide the addresses of voluntary workcamp associations on the continent to readers to make it easier for interested persons and organisations to communicate with any of them whenever the volunteering spirit touches their heart.

Management of Africa Supreme

The voluntary workcamp idea was promoted by a British teacher of English at the Mfantsipim Secondary School in Ghana in the year 1956, as the records state. The gentleman, called Gordon Green, is credited with the formation of the first Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) for voluntary work in the rural areas of Ghana. The idea was first put into practice at Tsito, a village in the Volta Region of the country. As a result of the positive outcome of the Tsito workcamp, the Quakers of Ghana sought the assistance of the International Voluntary Service for Peace (IVSP), at the time located in London, to train a person from Ghana in voluntary workcamp organisation.

On his return from training, the gentleman became the Organising Secretary for the Voluntary Service in Ghana, nicknamed VOLU. News on the formation of Voluntary Service in Ghana reached Reverend James Robinson, an African American who urged the United States Operation Crossroads Africa to cooperate with VOLU in their services in Africa. It was this ensuing cooperation that raised VOLUs workcamp activities to international attention and directly leading to the formation of the American Peace Corps, a body that has cooperated with the Ghana VOLU on many workcamp projects in Ghana.

Apart from its voluntary work in Ghana, VOLU has participated in voluntary workcamp activities in association with voluntary workcamp organizations in Asia, Europe, America, Latin America and in Africa.

VOLU is a member of the Global Network of National Voluntary Workcamp Organisations. The mission, vision, aims and objectives of VOLU are as follows:

Our Vision

The vision of VOLU is to become the most versatile and trustworthy volunteering organization in Ghana and in Africa as a whole.

Our Mission

Volu’s mission is to mobilize students and the youth to render service to needy communities through work camping activities

Aims and Objectives

To organize and run voluntary workcamps in Ghana, either independently or in collaboration with other voluntary organizations or government departments
To bring together all those interested in voluntary work either as active campers or as sympathizers.
To encourage voluntary service in the community both among the campers and in the communities for which the campers work
To bring together educated and illiterate, town folk, villagers, Africans and Non-Africans (International) in a common respect for manual labour by doing using constructive work in their spare or leisure time
To help poor communities to do work which they would otherwise be unable to do by themselves
To foster international and inter-racial understanding by inviting people from abroad to attend camps in Ghana and by sponsoring Ghanaians to participate in workcamps abroad.

Times of operation

Work camps are organised at three different times. These are:

Weekend camps
Christmas camps
Long vacation camps

The long vacation period generally starts from July through to end of September in the year.

Voluntary workcamp activities

Voluntary work camp activities may be classified into two categories: Construction work involving construction of buildings and other work facilities; and Skill training involving teaching and other trade and professional work. These are detailed below.