The physiotherapy placement will allow you to contribute to an important area of community and sports development. You will provide the hands-on assistance and care that is usually unavailable to many injured locals as well as dedicated athletes. This will be a great experience for a future career as a professional physiotherapist or, alternatively, it will give you a better understanding of the hurdles many physiotherapists and medical professionals have to overcome in developing countries.

The community clinic is understaffed and underfunded. Many of the patients' conditions reflect the problems in Ghana: lots of strokes due to hypertension, car accidents, and a high proportion of crush injuries to the hand and tendons from cutting and grinding machinery. A hand injury in Ghana usually means no compensation and no income, and only those that can afford the two pound fee per session have treatment. There is also a lot of facial palsy from otitis media, which is treated with electrical stimulation. The clinic does have equipment, including a hydrotherapy pool, but it has a long way to go before the clinic can cope with the needs of the local community..

You need to be self-motivated and prepared for some long and frustrating days. However, as a qualified physiotherapist, you really can make a positive impact to an often overlooked area of medical care.

The physiotherapy project requires physiotherapists who are already qualified or who have had some experience in the area (at least to second year degree standard). Physiotherapists work in two main areas in Ghana: clinical and sports institutions.

Please be advised that the daily transportation costs to and from your program are not included and must therefore be paid by yourself throughout the course of your stay. Those costs may range from 2 - 5 Euros per day.