For students and families
High School Guide
Ways for teens to learn, serve and lead with Dreamers Wish Foundation, in Utah and in Ghana. Programs, costs, safety, and honest answers to the questions families ask most.
Last updated: November 13, 2026
Download the slide deck Apply now
Who we are
Dreamers Wish Foundation is a Utah nonprofit (a U.S. 501(c)(3), EIN 87-1835814, also registered in Ghana) that grew out of Josephine Tandoh's dream for the children of her village, Mepe, in Ghana's Volta Region. Her son Godwill started the foundation in 2021. We serve children, teens and families in Utah, Ghana and Kenya through education, health, technology, enterprise and the arts, and our financials are public. We go as guests and partners: communities lead their own projects.
Our programs
Our work falls into six areas. Education: STEAME classes (science, technology, engineering, arts, math and entrepreneurship), safe classrooms, trained teachers and mentors. Health: girls' hygiene, dental care, health screenings, clean water and safe toilets. Food and farming (coming soon): school gardens and farms. Technology and energy: innovation labs, offline servers, internet and solar power. Economic opportunity: financial literacy, small business skills and the Dreamers Founder Academy (coming soon). Arts and culture: Afro-Latin dance, murals, poetry and drumming.
See every program and every project.
Five ways a high school student can take part
- At home in Utah. Mentor young coders, help in a class, dance, paint, and help at drives and events. Start any time of year.
- Internship in Ghana, 2 to 12 weeks. A real placement in Mepe and Dadome in summer 2027, for ages 16 and up, in roles approved for young people.
- Medical and public health work experience. Health education, community projects and supervised hospital observation, for ages 16 and up.
- Ghana Solidarity Trip, July 21 to 31, 2027. Eleven days of service with a team of 20. Under 18? You come with a parent or guardian.
- Serve online. Remote roles such as storytelling and mentoring. Ask us which suit your age.
In Utah: start close to home
- Robotics and AI mentor. Help kids ages 8 to 14 build and program robots, every Tuesday in Salt Lake City. No experience needed and all equipment is provided.
- Financial Literacy class helper. Sit with students ages 6 to 14 and help them rehearse their pitches in free 4-week classes at the Hartland Partnership Center.
- Dance 4 a Cause. Kizomba, bachata and salsa classes, with a teen class for ages 13 to 17. Every class helps fund a child's education.
- Murals, drives and events. Paint with us, help pack Santa's Shoebox or back-to-school supplies, and help at community events. Great for service hours.
Under 18? We place you only in roles approved for young people, and you are never alone with a child we serve.
The Ghana internship (ages 16 and up)
Spend 2 to 12 weeks in summer 2027 working in person with partner schools and the community in Mepe and Dadome. Choose any whole number of weeks from 2 to 12. There are 21 roles in five areas: education and technology, health and wellbeing, food and enterprise, rights and environment, and operations and storytelling. Applicants must be at least 16 on the first day, and under-18 interns are placed only in roles we have approved for young people. You earn a certificate of service that lists your hours and a reference letter, and placements of 3 to 12 weeks can be shaped for school requirements. See the internships page and how it works.
Medical and public health work experience
Health interns support health education and community projects, and may spend time at our partner hospitals where licensed Ghanaian doctors and nurses supervise. Teens help with workshops on handwashing, dental hygiene and nutrition, menstrual health education with our Girls' Health program, and the Dadome village well and school sanitation projects.
Interns under 18 observe, ask questions and take notes. They do not give clinical care, handle blood, needles or samples, or work alone with a child. This is early exposure to health care and public health, not clinical training and not a medical elective. Admissions teams set their own expectations, so check each school's website. Read the teen guide and work experience vs. elective.
The Ghana Solidarity Trip, July 21 to 31, 2027
Eleven days serving beside students, teachers and families in Mepe and Dadome, with a team of 20 led by Thelma Dzifah Attiso, our Director of Ghana Operations. The price is $2,500, all-inclusive except flights, and the $500 registration is included. Register by May 1, 2027 and book by June 1. Travelers under 18 come with a parent or guardian. See the trip page and the trip guide.
Dates and lengths
The cohort track starts July 21, 2027 and travels with the Ghana Solidarity Trip group. On the flexible track you choose your own start date in summer 2027. Pick any whole number of weeks from 2 to 12; 3 to 12 weeks fit school requirements best. We confirm your exact dates in writing at acceptance, before you commit to anything.
What it costs
Each extra week beyond two is $550 on every tier. Included are your host family, three meals a day, airport pickup, daily transport, orientation, 24/7 support, a weekly mentor and cultural trips. Not included are flights, the Ghana visa fee, travel and medical insurance, and personal spending. Your exact total is confirmed in writing before you pay.
| Length | Tier A · Education, enterprise & operations | Tier B · Health & wellbeing | Tier C · Specialist tracks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 weeks | $2,795 | $3,095 | $3,195 |
| 3 weeks | $3,345 | $3,645 | $3,745 |
| 4 weeks | $3,895 | $4,195 | $4,295 |
| 5 weeks | $4,445 | $4,745 | $4,845 |
| 6 weeks | $4,995 | $5,295 | $5,395 |
| 7 weeks | $5,545 | $5,845 | $5,945 |
| 8 weeks | $6,095 | $6,395 | $6,495 |
| 9 weeks | $6,645 | $6,945 | $7,045 |
| 10 weeks | $7,195 | $7,495 | $7,595 |
| 11 weeks | $7,745 | $8,045 | $8,145 |
| 12 weeks | $8,295 | $8,595 | $8,695 |
Who can join, and how age works
- Ages 16 and up for internships and the gap year. We count age on the first day.
- Under 17: you always travel with an adult, or a parent or guardian who is at least 21 comes as an accompanying visitor.
- Age 17: you may travel on your own once every safety step is complete and the Foundation agrees in writing.
- Ghana Solidarity Trip: travelers under 18 come with a parent or guardian.
Read the full under-18 policy.
What we need before we confirm a place
- A video call with the applicant and a parent or guardian.
- A consent form signed by each parent or legal guardian, including the host family and weekend trips.
- A notarized travel permission letter from each parent or legal guardian, which the U.S. State Department advises for minors traveling to or from Ghana without a parent.
- An emergency medical treatment authorization.
- One named adult in the U.S. who can be reached at any hour and can act for the family.
- Travel and medical insurance that includes medical evacuation.
- A passport, a Ghana visa and a yellow fever certificate.
- The Code of Conduct, safeguarding training and the pre-travel orientation, plus a reference from a teacher or school counselor.
We take no payment from an under-18 applicant on our website. After the call and the consent forms, we email the secure payment link to a parent or guardian.
How we keep young people safe
You live with a host family in Mepe that we have vetted. Under-18 interns share a room only with someone of the same gender and, where possible, age. Every placement is supervised, with a named supervisor, a buddy and a mentor who checks in every week. An under-18 intern is never alone with a child we serve. Safeguarding training and our Code of Conduct come before any day with children. Our Ghana team is on call 24/7. You are home by dark, unless a night out is agreed with your host. Read how we keep you safe, our child safeguarding policy and the under-18 policy.
Getting to Ghana and home again
Flights are not included. We share the full flight plan with your family at least 14 days before departure, and flights should arrive in daylight with no overnight stays outside an airport. A Team Lead or Program Director meets every under-18 intern inside the airport in Accra and releases them only to our team, and your family gets a message within two hours of landing. On the way home, our team stays with the intern until they are through airport check-in, and the family gets a message when they board.
We offer chaperoned flights for a fee from some U.S. airports, and we can connect you with airline unaccompanied-minor services. Airlines set their own rules for minors, so confirm the whole journey. See booking flights.
Documents, health and official guidance
- Passport: valid for at least 6 months after you return.
- Visa: U.S. passport holders need a Ghana visa, and Ghana's embassies publish a parental consent form for minors. See visa and entry.
- Yellow fever: Ghana requires proof of vaccination.
- Insurance: travel and medical insurance is required and must include medical evacuation.
Checked in November 2026: the CDC's Ghana page advises the yellow fever vaccine for travelers 9 months and older at least 10 days before travel, prescription malaria prevention, hepatitis A and B, and routine vaccines up to date. The U.S. State Department rates Ghana Level 2, exercise increased caution (July 2026), and advises reconsidering travel to the northern border regions. Our placements are in the Volta Region. Advice changes, so re-check both before you go and see a doctor or travel clinic a few months ahead.
A typical day in Mepe
Breakfast at home at 6:30, a ride to your placement with our team at 7:30, and your morning session at 8:00. Lunch, then the afternoon session. The placement ends at 3:30, leaving time for prep, project notes or a walk through Mepe. Dinner at home with the family is at 6:30. Weekends are for cultural trips and rest, such as the castles at Cape Coast and Elmina, the Kakum canopy walk and markets.
Questions parents ask
Can a 17-year-old attend without a parent traveling with them?
Yes, in some cases. A 17-year-old may travel on their own once every step is complete: a video call with a parent or guardian, signed consent, a notarized travel letter, an emergency medical authorization, a named U.S. adult reachable at any hour, and insurance. Applicants under 17 travel with an adult.
What would a high school student actually do in the health internship?
Health education and community projects in Mepe and Dadome: handwashing, dental hygiene and nutrition workshops, menstrual health education with our Girls' Health program, and help with the village well and school sanitation projects.
Will they work with nurses and doctors, or do mostly community education?
Both. Most time is public health education and community projects. Through our partnerships with two hospitals in Ghana, a placement can include supervised time alongside licensed Ghanaian doctors and nurses. For interns under 18, hospital time is observation and non-clinical help, never hands-on patient care.
What dates are available for 4 weeks in summer 2027?
Our cohort starts July 21, 2027 and travels with the Ghana Solidarity Trip group, or you can choose a flexible start date in the summer. A 4-week internship is $3,895 on the education, enterprise and operations tracks, $4,195 on health and $4,295 on the specialist tracks. We confirm exact dates in writing.
How does a minor travel from the U.S. to Accra?
Our Ghana team tracks the journey 24/7. A Team Lead or Program Director meets them inside the airport, brings them to Mepe and accompanies them during airport transfers, travel and program activities. Flights are extra. We offer chaperoned flights from some airports and connect families with airline unaccompanied-minor services.
Is there a supervision policy for minors?
Yes. Our Under-18 Interns and Volunteers Policy covers vetted host families, a named supervisor and buddy, a weekly mentor, the two-adult rule, safeguarding training, a signed Code of Conduct and being home by dark.
Can you share an example schedule?
See a typical day in Mepe above. The full weekly plan is in the Changemaker Portal once you sign up and are accepted.
What if my teen gets sick, or something goes wrong?
Travel and medical insurance is required. If an intern is unwell, our team goes with them to care and calls the family. Our Ghana team is on call 24/7, and your family has a named U.S. adult and our direct contact details.
Is it a medical elective that will count for medical school?
No. It is early exposure to health care and public health, and it is not clinical training. Admissions teams set their own expectations, so check each school's website. You do earn a certificate of service with your hours and a reference letter.
Good questions to ask any program, including ours
- Is there supervision around the clock? Ours: a Ghana team on call 24/7, a named supervisor, a buddy and a weekly mentor.
- Who meets my teen, and how will I hear? Ours: met inside the airport, a message to your family within two hours of landing, and when they board for home.
- Is the work real and locally led? Ours: projects set by local leaders, with licensed local professionals and partner schools. Under 18, never alone with a child.
- What does it cost and what is in it? Ours: every price is published, and the exact total is confirmed in writing before you commit.
How to apply
- Apply. Tell us your track, length and summer window, and add your age and school.
- Video call with you and a parent or guardian. We explain the roles open to your age.
- Consent and acceptance. Forms are signed, and the placement and exact price are confirmed in writing.
- Prepare. Online orientation, safeguarding training, passport, visa and vaccines.
- Arrive. We meet you inside the airport and bring you to Mepe.
Prefer to talk? Call or text Godwill Tandoh, Founder, at (801) 404-0485, or email [email protected].