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Atlas Volunteers

Why choose Atlas Volunteers?

Atlas Volunteers is a volunteering group based in Abetifi, Ghana. We are ran by a mixture of British and Ghanaian staff who have all volunteered previously in the local area before meeting each other and creating a new group to focus on social impact and bringing a change to the people of our community.

Our low cost placements include accommodation in modern, clean housing with all utility bills covered and on site support staff.

We work with the local government and organisations to ensure that your visit is meaningful to both you and the local area with the highest social impact possible.

Founded
2017

Reviews

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Christine
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Turtle experience

I had recently retired and wanted to challenge myself with something completely different. The whole experience was fantastic, the guys that ran the project (Rii and Junior) were onsite 24/7 and nothing was too much trouble while at the same time making us as independent as possible. The turtle experience itself was exciting and rewarding but the guys went above and beyond with a whole rounded cultural experience. Cooking, gardening, cleaning beach sites and language lessons ran weekly and contact with the local village was encouraged. Before arriving on the complex Rii kept in constant contact as soon as I arrive at the airport in Accra. As a single female travelling solo I felt extremely safe as I knew Rii knew exactly where I was all the time.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I chose to spend 4 weeks at the turtle sanctuary but I would do 2 weeks with the turtles and 2 weeks at their associated school.
Pros
  • Turtle release and prime location
  • All-round cultural experience
  • Experienced leaders
Cons
  • Remoteness
  • Roads in the rain
Default avatar
Hannah
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing Adventure

Hey, you!

I guess you found my review, and you are reading this because you are still wondering whether volunteering is the right thing for you or whether you can have a positive impact together with Atlas or not.

Let me tell you, that's definitely the right decision, and you definitely won't regret going there.

Ghana is a beautiful country and will surely surprise you in many ways. The people there are heartwarming and friendly and are always ready to support you. You will never feel alone or left out.

No matter which project you might be interested in, it will be a good choice, as I tried out a bunch of them and none of them disappointed me. I started with the sea turtle conservation project at the beach and then went to the mountains to support kids in school and plant trees. I even helped paint a classroom at school so the learning atmosphere would improve for the kids. No matter what you do, you will see the impact you have, one way or another.

It's priceless to get rewarded with so many pretty smiles and to see how the seeds you planted grow into little trees.
But the truth is, I not only help them, but they helped me to grow and see the world with different eyes as well.

I hope your stay with Atlas will be as amazing and life-changing as mine. Wishing you all the best on your journey!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Go for all the possibilities that might open up for you. You have no idea where your future will lead, so try to enjoy your stay as much as possible. You won’t just have an impact on the place and the people – you yourself will grow and feel the impact, too.

So trust the process and go with the flow.

Also be open-minded. Life there is different, and it takes a little time to adjust. But if you embrace it fully, you’ll get the most out of your journey.

And maybe most importantly: trust your gut. If something feels right, go for it and if not, then don’t. This applies not only to traveling, but to life in general.
Pros
  • Friendly people and a wholeheartedly welcome
  • Lovely kids at school
  • Incredible nature
Cons
  • Incredibly hard to say goodbye to your new friends
Default avatar
Hanna
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best voulenteer place

I loved my experience at Atlas Voulenteers. The staff was so an amazing, and the everyday tasks was very meaningful and exciting. I loved every bit of my stay. From the first day we came, we were so exited. From seing the wonderful bungalows we were living in, the amazing food culture, the beautiful beach and surf lessons, the amazing people and the morning and night patrols. We were living in paradise and If I wish to do one thing again, it would be to stay longer. I will definitely come back!! Thank you

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
When we went for morning patrol the one day, we got to see the turtle eggs hatch. The moment we let the turtles into the ochean, was one of the best experience of my life.
Pros
  • Beautiful place and atmosphere
  • Amazing and fun staff
  • The experience of doing something important and unique
Default avatar
Thore
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My three months in Ghana

I have been to Adouamoa in Ghana with Atlas Volunteers for three months and I had a really great time. Not only experiencing Ghana as a tourist but to really live there and be able to dive deply into the ghanaian way of living was quite an adventure. I was mostly at the school doing reading club with the kids or giving sports lessons and I really enjoyed getting to know the kids as well as the teachers. I think one can defenitly say that ghanaian schools are more chaotic and louder than Europeans... and I liked it. There was just a lot of live and hapiness in those classrooms and the kids were very interactive. All in all a great experinece!

Default avatar
Lupamudra
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Enriching and highly recommeded experience

It was an eye opening and wonderful experience being with kids for 4.5 weeks, in the beautiful part of Kwahu region, Ghana. I felt my time was short and I wished I could have stayed more. Very open, joyful, nice and smart kids who made me feel welcome everyday and also taught me how to enjoy life. I learned a lot from them and I can only hope my little time there was also joyous and meanigful for them. The teachers, educators whom I met and interacted everyday were very hard working and sincere in their respective work. I would definitely go back again. Looking forward with lots of best wishes.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would pack more supplies for the kids. I really felt they would have loved to do more activities, drawing, colouring, fun event but as the schools had limited provisions so it would be great if future volunteer sthink about the aspect before travelling.

Programs

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Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Dominic Nyarko

Job Title
Project Coordinator
Ghana or go home
Dominic Nyarko

What is your favorite travel memory?

It's hard to choose as I've been to different places for different vibes.
I've been to Kokrobite for the party vibes with the rastafarian community, and also going to Keta (meet me there) which was incredible. To stay in this eco friendly hotel was really relaxing.
Then Busua, one of my favourite place to go, surfing, even though I'm not great at it but it didn't matter because there were people who are always there to teach you and it was an incredible place to spend a weekend. Day trips to the volta lake is always great too

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

I'm opened minded to The idea of working on sustainable projects. Working with people from different backgrounds with different ideologies has made me become the person I always wanted to be. Being open minded and being able to tolerate other people no matter their gender,race or sexuality. I'm glad to work on sustainable projects which makes almost a lifetime impact.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

Leaving a current job to do a humanitarian job just because she came to Ghana for six weeks. Meeting strangers who became best friends and with some I can call family. The simplicity of life in Ghana is the reason why I'm going to move there, the people there are so welcoming and always with a smile on their faces and most of them always ready to help.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

Any project that is sustainable, A gender equality programme, or Women empowerment programme.

Sustainability is key to most of the projects we do because most volunteer projects has been designed to satisfy the volunteer and after they are gone back to their various countries, some projects doesn't continue.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

Working with people from different backgrounds but always making it feels like a family.
Measurement of impact is our key objective.
Creating a bond between our volunteers and the locals. Also, it's cheap.We engage out volunteers in projects that impact can be measured. We would rather a short term volunteer plant trees whiles a longer term volunteer helping with teaching in local schools.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

Passion, Transparency, Making client feels very important, and Hard working workers.

Every company wants hard working workers but when they are passionate about the work they do, it makes it easier and success will be assured.
And after being passionate about your job, you have to make sure everyone understands what the company is about without hiding anything from anyone.