How it works
Pre-departure support
You are never preparing alone. After acceptance, your portal, your mentor and our team walk you through everything, step by step.
Last updated: November 12, 2026
Your portal opens at acceptance
When you are accepted, your Changemaker Portal opens with your pre-travel checklist. It tracks everything in this list, and your full weekly breakdown for your placement is there too.
Orientation and training
Every changemaker completes an extensive pre-travel orientation, so you know our rules and local customs, the area around Mepe and Dadome, and your project before you arrive. Required courses include our safeguarding training, our Code of Conduct, Ghana preparation and cultural humility, and health, safety and safeguarding abroad. You finish them online, at your own pace, before you travel. Safeguarding training comes before any day with children.
Documents
- A passport valid for at least 6 months after you return
- Your Ghana visa. See visa and entry
- Your yellow fever certificate
- Copies of your passport, kept separately from the original
Health and insurance
- See a doctor or travel clinic a few months before you go, about other vaccines and a malaria plan. Check current CDC guidance
- Travel and medical insurance is required for every intern. It should cover medical care while you are abroad
- A background check is required for any role that involves working with children
- Tell us about allergies or dietary needs when you apply, so your host can plan your meals
Flights
Book after your acceptance letter. See booking flights, and chaperoned flights if you are under 18.
Packing
- Documents: passport, visa, yellow fever card
- Clothing: light, breathable clothes, modest outfits for school days, comfortable closed shoes and a light rain jacket
- Health: your prescriptions, malaria medication, sunscreen, a hat and insect repellent
- Extras: a small day backpack and a plug adapter for Type D and Type G sockets
We provide drinking water, so you do not need to pack your own.
Funding and school paperwork
Set up your own Zeffy fundraising page to raise your fee. We also help with university paperwork, including supervision hours and evaluations. Visit fundraising.
Your mentor
A mentor checks in with you every week during your stay. Before you travel, your video call with our team and your portal checklist keep you on track.
Questions about getting ready? Email [email protected] and a real person will reply.
More information
- How it works: Every step from application to your certificate, in order.
- Arrival procedures: Airport pickup, your first evening and your first day.
- Booking flights: How to book, our travel partners and 24/7 help.
- Chaperoned flights: Extra support for travelers under 18.
- Visa and entry: Passport, visa and yellow fever requirements.
- Information for parents: Answers to the questions families ask us most.
- How we keep you safe: Our team, host families, supervision and insurance.
- Your Changemaker Portal: The online home for your role, training and hours.
- Medical work experience for teens: A guide for high school students and families.
- Work experience vs. elective: What the two terms mean, and where our internship fits.
- Accommodation: Your host family home in Mepe.
- Frequently asked questions: Quick answers on every program.
- Under-18 policy: How we welcome and protect younger interns.
- Child safeguarding policy: How we keep children safe.
- Fundraising: Raise your fee with your own Zeffy page.