A common question that arises with potential volunteers is: why do you have to pay to volunteer? Why should you pay money to work for free?
The simple answer is every organization charges to volunteer since they are mostly based in developing countries, and such communities have extremely limited funds and resources so therefore are unfortunately not able to subsidize the costs of hosting you. The host institutions are always the ones in need of the help so simply cannot afford to pay you (though they are always extremely appreciative of your kindness to assist them).
Like anywhere in the world it costs money to buy food, pay rent, pay utility bills, pay for airport transfers, and provide orientation tours. This all costs extra when a volunteer arrives from overseas, so this is precisely what our program fee pays for.
We have however noticed that there are many organizations out there that charge an extremely high program fee for their projects and this sincerely disappoints us. Volunteering does not have to be that expensive at all. We strongly believe that our program fee only reflects the minimum necessary costs involved. Our organization is entirely non-profit and the fee simply covers the costs of housing, feeding, transportation, utilities and a few other expenses all listed in the Program Fee.
We offer a low, honest price and still of a great quality experience. Some of the reasons why we are cheaper are that we are grassroots and are based in Ghana so we do not have any expensive administration or operating costs, or high middle-man overseas costs. Nor do we have glossy marketing brochures. Nor are we using any money from the program fee to pay any inflated Western World salaries to staff.
We may be on a smaller scale than other huge organizations, but we offer the same quality, if not better quality experience. We do not just see you on the first and last day. Our Cheerful Hearts Foundation staff pride ourselves to focus every effort on making sure you are safe, comfortable and satisfied throughout your experience, and you will never feel like you are neglected. When you come you will see exactly how your money is spent as we have nothing to hide!
You will notice that some organizations also demand a compulsory payment to the host institution when volunteering, yet we believe that it is up to the volunteer to make that choice and how much, and if, he/she wishes to do so during or at the end of the placement. The low cost does not detract from the experience you will have with CHF, and if anything, we hope it enriches it so you can spend any other money you might have on your own choices, and exploring Ghana.
We truly appreciate your help and assistance in Ghana and do not believe whatsoever that you should pay a high cost for the experience.
