At a glance
- Join our Speech Therapy internship in Ghana and gain practical experience in your field of study. Working in a special needs school, you’ll help boost the children’s confidence and quality of life.
- You’ll help design and implement treatment plans for children from marginalised communities all under the supervision of qualified staff.
Start Dates:
Anytime
See DatesMinimum Duration:
Two Weeks
Ages:
18 or over
You should have completed at least two years of speech therapy related studies or training, and be able to take initiative
Is a Speech Therapy internship in Ghana right for me?
Are you pursuing a career in speech therapy? Do you enjoy using your initiative and working independently? Then this Speech Therapy internship in Ghana is perfect for you!
You do need to have at least 2 years of experience in speech therapy to join the project.
You will work at a special needs school that doesn’t have an in-house speech therapist, so you will have a lot of opportunity to expand your own skill set through practical work. You will, however, work alongside a local team who are committed to providing the best care they can for the children. Along with your Projects Abroad supervisor, they will also offer you loads of support and assistance when needed.
You can use this time in Ghana to add some practical work experience to your CV. Talking about what you learned during your internship in interviews will also give you an extra edge.
Our Speech Therapy internships in Ghana run year-round, and you can join at any time from a minimum of two weeks. We recommend that you stay longer if possible so that you can make a bigger impact.
What will I do at my Speech Therapy placement in Ghana?
Joining our Speech Therapy internship in Ghana is a great way to gain some practical experience while helping at a special needs school. Here are some of the tasks you will do:
Your work will focus on the following areas:
Help children with speech and language impairments
Many children in Ghana suffer from speech and language impairments. Due to financial constraints, however, families are often unable to get the necessary care for their children. With your skills and training in the area of speech therapy, you will be able to offer much-needed assistance to these children. Through treatment, you’ll give them confidence.
Train staff and other interns if you have the relevant experience
Currently, there is no in-house speech therapist at our placement in Ghana. However, depending on the level of your experience, you may have the opportunity to offer some basic training. This will mostly be to local staff members and less experienced interns. This could include teaching them basic speech exercises they can do with children themselves.
Develop more efficient and effective systems in the workplace
Our speech therapy placement in Ghana has limited resources and staff may lack technical knowledge and training. As an intern with Speech Therapy experience, you are likely to have to manage many challenges. These will typically be very different from what you are used to in your home country.
You will need to have a sensitive and flexible approach towards the local staff. At the same time, you can help implement more efficient administration processes and help improve the placement for everyone.
Record, analyse, and report data
Recording, analysing, and reporting on your findings with your programme coordinators is an important part of your internship.
You will use our Global Impact Database to record all patient details, which can then be used to refer back to information collected at previous consultations. Follow-up and evaluation of intervention is completed after each visit. This helps us track and monitor long-term outcomes.
Where you will be working as a Speech Therapy intern in Ghana
Accra
You will be based in Accra, Ghana’s bustling capital. It’s one of East Africa’s thriving trading cities and serves as the country’s administrative, economic, and educational centre.
You’ll gain speech therapy work experience in Ghana at the New Horizons Special School placement. This non-profit facility offers education and training for children and adults with intellectual or physical disabilities. Students attending the school are encouraged to develop their capabilities as fully as possible.
Akuapem Hills
Located in the Eastern Region of Ghana, Akuapem Hills is characterised by vibrant green vegetation and rich red earth. As one of the quieter regions, children calling 'Obroni’ (foreigner) as they try to catch your attention will be unmistakable. The villages are welcoming and know how to entertain! When volunteering in Ghana, join in on the street festivities or try dried fish and yams at a food stall on the main street. The bustling city of Accra is within easy reach for a day trip.
Typical day as a Speech Therapy intern in Ghana
As a Speech Therapy intern in Ghana, your typical day will normally run from about 8am to 5pm. You will only work from Monday to Friday, with evenings and weekends being your free time.
You would normally spend the first hour of the morning preparing your work for the day. After this, you will start your sessions with children. Remember that since you won’t have the guidance of an in-house speech therapist, you will have the opportunity to take initiative. This means you will also be able to make decisions about the approach you’d like to take with different children.
Once you’ve finished your morning sessions, you will have an hour and a half lunch break. If your host family lives close by, you can head home to eat and rest. Alternatively, a meal will be provided at the placement.
You will continue your sessions in the afternoons, and you can use the last bit of the day to catch up on some administration, reporting and inputting information into our Global Impact Database.
Evenings and weekends are your free time to explore, rest, and relax. Meal times are great opportunities to get to know your local host family better and learn more about Ghanaian traditions, food, and culture.
What are the aims and impacts of our Speech Therapy internship in Ghana?
There are two main aims of this project: to help you develop your skills doing speech therapy work in Ghana, and to meet the needs of the local community.
We want to equip you with the knowledge and practical skills to pursue a career in speech therapy. You will work in a placement that doesn’t have its own in-house speech therapist. This is an excellent opportunity to expand your skill set through using your own initiative and creativity.
What’s more, you’ll be providing much-needed therapy to children who have had limited support for their speech and language difficulties. Due to financial constraints, many families in Ghana are unable to access the help their children need.
Our Speech Therapy internship forms part of our wider medical work in Ghana. We have identified five long-term goals to work toward:
- Encourage an understanding of medical practices and promote an exchange of medical knowledge
- Improve access to basic healthcare for disadvantaged groups
- Promote awareness of non-communicable diseases
- Improve the quality of healthcare provided to patients
- Reduce the number of cases of malaria
Join our Speech Therapy internship in Ghana and gain invaluable professional experience while helping children with special needs.
Management plans
We set out the aims and objectives of our projects in documents called Management Plans. We use them to properly plan the work you’ll do. They also help us measure and evaluate our achievements and impact each year.
Ultimately, our Management Plans help us make our projects better. This in turn means you get to be part of something that makes a real impact where it’s needed. Read more about our Management Plans.
Measuring our impact
Our projects work towards clear long-term goals, with specific annual objectives. Every volunteer and intern we send to these projects helps us work towards these goals, no matter how long they spend on our projects.
Every year we take a step back and look at how much progress we've made towards these goals. We put together a Global Impact Report, which documents our achievements. Find out more about the impact our global community of volunteers, interns and staff make, and read the latest report.
Food and accommodation
You'll stay with a host family in Ghana. They will welcome you into their home, eager to share their customs and have you teach them about your own culture. We believe that this is the best way to immerse yourself in the culture of Ghana and have a truly unique experience.
We will always try to let you live alongside at least one other Projects Abroad volunteer or intern at the same host family. Your room will be modest, but comfortable, clean, and safe.
Your program fee includes three meals a day.
Find out more about our accommodation.
Leisure activities and free time
Volunteering in Ghana is an ideal way to explore this colourful West African country. There’s a huge variety of different activities to do while you’re there, giving you plenty of exciting ways to spend your free time.
Music is a central part of Ghanaian culture. In the bigger towns, especially Accra, you will hear some great live bands and have some memorable nights out. Evenings spent at buzzing restaurants will also give you a taste of some of the delicious local cuisine.
For a look into Ghana’s history, you can tour the slave forts of Cape Coast and visit museums. Nature lovers will relish trekking through the rainforests of Kakum National Park or Mole National Park.
We run a wide range of projects in Ghana so there’s sure to be other volunteers there during your trip. This means you can explore the country solo or connect with other volunteers and travel as a group.
Safety and staff support
Your safety and security is our prime concern. We have many procedures and systems to ensure you have the support you need to enjoy your trip with peace of mind. Our Projects Abroad staff are available 24 hours a day to help, and will be on hand to make sure you settle in well at your accommodation and placement. If you encounter any problems, they will be available to help at any time.
Find out more about safety and backup.
This placement is fully researched, safety audited, and risk assessed in accordance with the British Standard BS8848 for the Adventure Travel Sector.
Meet the team in Ghana
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