Volunteers have 24 hour access to Sankofa Center staff and home-stay families. Knowing what to expect helps volunteers make informed choices due to on-going training. Schools and village sites have been assessed to meet safety and security criteria.
Any safety concerns are immediately responded to as emergency communications and planning are in place to ensure volunteers are safe at all times. Also, Ghana is a peaceful country in which Americans are strongly admired. Yet, Sankofa Center has carefully considered factors such as access to medical facilities, banking, existence of suitable housing arrangements, proximity to staff and other volunteers, as well as the availability of communications and transportation, particularly in cases of emergency.
In matters of safety and security, Sankofa Center makes the following key assumption: serving as a volunteer involves some amount of safety and security risks. However, with knowledge and training, we can minimize that risk. Volunteers are expected to adopt a culturally appropriate lifestyle to promote their safety. Being a volunteer requires changes in lifestyle preferences and habits in deference to host country cultural expectations. Choices in dress, living arrangements, means of travel, entertainment, and companionship may have a direct impact on how volunteers are viewed, and thus treated, by the community.
Navigating the differences in gender relations may be one of the most sensitive and difficult lessons to learn, but one which we cultivate since it could have a direct impact on your safety and the protection provided. Mature behavior and the exercise of sound judgment will enhance personal safety. Current information on travel safety in general, and for a specific country such as Ghana, can be found on the US State Department Travel Information web site.