DAVS Projects: Community Construction

Most volunteers see this as an adventure or a Work Camp. There is lots of fun working together with local people on building projects such as schools, orphanages, recreational centers etc...Volunteering in construction projects is challenging, Can you pound a nail, swing a paint brush, or plant a flower? We are currently constructing a school library for one of our supported schools located at Ho in the Volta Region of Ghana.

Volunteers will engage in construction activities such as digging, mixing sand and cement, carrying bricks, sand, fetching water, and painting school buildings. They will be led and work together with local skilled people who will be providing free labour for the improvement of their communities. Some of the most important work that needs to be done in developing communities is setting up basic infrastructure. Helping communities through building lays a foundation that will allow locals to continue with your efforts even after your volunteer work abroad has ended.

Our building projects really allow volunteers to be immersed in the host community. Volunteers work with locals to make sure these projects get completed and match the needs of the people they.re benefitting. You may find that the way you.re used to working on building projects back home can be very different from this experience; the materials used are often a bit more simple and there can be limited tools for construction. Additionally, work schedules are not always the same as you might imagine them to be in your country, so get ready to test your cross-cultural knowledge.

The core of each project is the building work that we undertake in the village and town. This is the most tangible contribution that we make to the host community, and forms a focus for you and the group. Those less keen on heavy building work usually take up the lighter, but equally important, work such as painting or plastering. We research each project to ensure it meets our strict criteria including an assessment of the need, benefits and long term-sustainability of the project itself, together with levels of community involvement, risk assessments, health and safety requirements, logistical practicality and living arrangements. The key to any building project is the partnership between you, the team and the local community. As well as bringing essential funding to the project, the presence of a team of volunteers in the town or village community can be a great motivator to local people. On every project, it takes time for villagers to get used to the idea that volunteers - especially girls - actually want to help with manual labour, and initially you will find people trying to do all the work for you. Once you explain that you genuinely want them to teach you the basic skills (eg. how to mix cement or lay bricks) then the partnership really begins to develop, allowing everyone to get stuck in.

These projects are for volunteers who are on summer vacation, a gap year from your education, or taking a career break and they run all year round. You don.t need any previous building experience, though you should be physically fit and willing to work hard in order to partake on these projects.