Menu Apply
NASCO was founded as an NGO in 2012 by Ousman Umar, with the primary objective of working at the root of the immigration problem to change history. Furthermore, as its name “Feeding Minds” suggests, one of the solutions to this problem is to “feed minds, not stomachs,” and to generate employment in the destination country, providing access to education and creating opportunities in rural areas.
NASCO has various projects in Ghana, based mainly on educating young people through technology classrooms provided by NASCO, which increase opportunities for children in northern Ghana, changing the paradigm of humanitarian aid.
Ousman Umar, the founder of NASCO, started this project after four years of immigration from Ghana to Spain. The chances of surviving an immigration experience are 3%, and Ousman survived and now works to ensure that millions of young people do not have to go through what he went through.
NASCO is currently led by Ousman Umar and Banasco Seidu Nuhu, brothers who manage the projects from Spain and on the ground in Ghana, respectively.
Ghana is one hour behind Spain (Peninsula).
The official currency of Ghana is the Cedi.
NASCO programs are located in Sawla.
The stay begins when the participant arrives at their destination and is picked up.
Meals included in the destination/project will be provided at the accommodation. Meals will not be included during travel to the destination, excursions undertaken by participants, etc.
The pick-up times specified for each destination/project must be respected. For the two locations in Sawla, pick-up is on Fridays. Participants who arrive outside of the pick-up time/day will incur an additional cost.
The NASCO and Cooperating Volunteers programs are located in Sawla, in the northwest of the country.
We collaborate on various projects in Sawla and the surrounding communities, sharing the goal of “feeding minds” with a focus on community development, creating opportunities, and promoting education in rural areas.
What is included?
For programs in Sawla, participants will have two options.
Arrive at Wa Airport (WZA), where they will be picked up by local staff and transferred to their accommodation in Sawla, which is approximately a 2-hour drive away, depending on traffic.
Arrive at Tamale Airport (TML), where they will be picked up and transferred to Sawla, about 4 hours away by car.
Pick-up day is Friday. If you arrive on a day other than Friday, there will be an extra charge for your pick-up. The team will be waiting for you at the airport exit to transfer you to the participant accommodation.
For programs in Sawla, arrival days are Fridays.
Specific dates are specified in the description of each program.
The minimum duration for all programs is one week.
Quality education is a basic right, and developing it is a priority for the well-being and integration of children. One of the primary objectives of this program is to generate opportunities in rural areas of Ghana.
In Sawla’s programs, we collaborate with NASCO, Feeding Minds, in the development of their “Feeding Minds” program, which focuses on educating children through computers and technological tools.
In this program, you will assist teachers in ICT classrooms, collaborating in the development and improvement of these skills among children in Sawla and nearby communities.
During school vacations, you will attend school camps, with the aim of assisting children with school support, alongside our local team.
Requirements: high level of English. Be over 16 years old at the start of the program.
The women’s empowerment program will be developed in Soma, a community near Sawla. The program focuses on working with local women’s groups to strengthen their skills, knowledge, and autonomy. Participants will develop workshops on financial education, health, basic rights, entrepreneurship, and personal development, always in collaboration with community leaders.
They will also be able to support practical activities such as handicraft production or small local businesses. The aim is to promote economic independence and female leadership. It is a profound cultural exchange experience, where participants learn and teach, contributing to the sustainable growth of the community.
The program is an hour’s drive from the participants’ accommodation (included in the weekly cost). Every morning, they will travel to Soma, where they will have lunch with a local family, and in the afternoon, they will return to their accommodation in Sawla with the rest of the participants.
Requirements: Be a woman over the age of 20 at the start of the program and have the skills to participate in it.
This program focuses on providing support to childcare centers, nurseries, and elementary schools in the town of Sawla. Participants will work with children between the ages of 3 and 7, collaborating in their educational, emotional, and social development in contexts with limited resources. Activities will always be guided by local staff at each center.
General objectives of the program:
– Offer direct support to local staff in the daily care of children.
– Promote learning through playful and educational activities.
– Foster values such as hygiene, respect, and cooperation.
– Create a safe and stimulating environment for children.
Requirements: Be at least 16 years old at the start of the program.
If you are a student or graduate in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, or similar, this volunteer program is for you.
You will collaborate in local medical centers in Sawla and the surrounding area, working side by side with local medical staff, who will guide you in all activities and accompany you throughout your experience. The program will run from Monday to Friday in the mornings.
During the program, you will always follow the guidelines of the local team, exchanging knowledge and working together. Depending on your training or specialty, you will be assigned to one department or another.
Requirements: you must have a degree in medicine or nursing, or be in your third year or above of a health-related degree program.
This program focuses on supporting local initiatives related to sustainable development and protection of the natural environment, as well as community activities.
Participants will collaborate on projects such as awareness campaigns on recycling and waste management, tree planting and reforestation, cleaning public spaces, and environmental education in schools. They will also be able to participate in small community projects such as building vegetable gardens, maintaining and improving facilities such as schools, or different community activities that will vary depending on the needs at the time you attend the program.
The program promotes working together with local leaders to generate a positive impact on the community, strengthening ecological awareness, actively fighting climate change and its consequences, and, therefore, a sense of collective responsibility.
Requirements: Be at least 16 years old at the start of the program.
Participants will be picked up at the airport (either Tamale or Sawla) and taken to the house where you will be staying and where you will live with the other travelers during the experience.
It is a very large and comfortable house with multiple rooms and bunk beds. The house has a spacious outdoor common area, kitchen, and bathrooms. The accommodation is located in Sawla, a 5-minute walk from the main avenue, where you can take different types of transportation for your free time.
Three meals a day, seven days a week, are included. The local team will cook a customized menu.
The total cost of volunteering is broken down into two parts: the registration fee paid to reserve your place (from €210) and the program cost paid later (in euros).
General costs:
€300 for the first week.
€280 for each additional week.
Program extras:
The medical program has an additional weekly cost of €40.
The community-environmental program has an additional weekly cost of €50.
The Women’s Empowerment program has an additional weekly cost of €80.
Visa, flights, travel insurance (mandatory), vaccinations, daily transportation to the project, return transfer to the airport from the program, other expenses (*** participants in Ghana generally find that €80 (approx. US$70) is sufficient for basic weekly expenses).
Leave us your information and we will contact you within the next 24 hours
Our volunteers will be able to validate university credits with the aim of traveling in a more responsible and economical way.
What does volunteering focused on university practices involve?
At Cooperating Volunteers, we make agreements with different universities to validate university credits with the aim of traveling in a more responsible and economical way.
The specialties we work with are extensive: medical volunteering, nursing, education, social work, psychology, physiotherapy, engineering, architecture…
The practices can be carried out in our designated destinations for this purpose, as well as in Spain.
If you choose an international destination, it’s a unique way to live an unforgettable and enriching experience, as you will have the opportunity to continue your education in another country, with a completely different culture.
Stepping out of our comfort zone and being part of the various projects at the destination will allow us to grow both personally and professionally, creating a more extensive curriculum.
And we are fully convinced that this experience will accompany you throughout your life.
You will be able to visit hospitals, schools, centers, orphanages, and participate directly and actively in the daily lives of all those people at the destination, always accompanied by other professionals willing to collaborate hand in hand with you and guide you in daily tasks.
If your university is not part of the agreement with Cooperating Volunteers, you can contact cristina@cooperatingvolunteers.com so that we can get in touch and make this experience a reality.
Corporate volunteering consists of tailored programs for your company, designed to develop teamwork skills.
It is proven that teamwork directly impacts productivity.
Collective effort surpasses individual capabilities, promotes diversity of skills, stimulates creativity, and facilitates problem-solving in the face of various challenges.
Therefore, it not only maximizes efficiency but also enriches the work environment.
We conduct corporate volunteering programs that consist of customized programs for your company, designed to develop teamwork skills, improve performance, and foster unity among employees.
We tailor projects to the corporate identity and size of the company, and we can adjust them to any destination and time of the year.
The advantages of corporate volunteering include:
The future is aligned with a more responsible society, and participating in social projects positions our company among the list of revolutionary businesses that want to be part of the change.
If you resonate with this message, corporate volunteering is a unique experience both individually and collectively, and at Cooperating Volunteers, we accompany you throughout the process to make it a unique journey.
Quality time spent with family strengthens emotional bonds, promotes communication, and contributes to the emotional well-being of its members.
Spending quality time with family and being able to disconnect from our hectic routines is not only enriching but also necessary.
Sometimes we forget to communicate, connect, and dedicate time to each other. Each one of us lives focused on our jobs, schools… And it’s necessary to find the opportunity to pause and take care of ourselves.
Quality time spent with family strengthens emotional bonds, promotes communication, and contributes to the emotional well-being of its members. And of course, it creates lifelong positive memories.
At Cooperating Volunteers, we suggest moving away from those ‘more superficial’ trips (which can also be fantastic), but we invite you to live this experience to bring out our most empathetic and humanitarian side.
Family volunteering gives us the opportunity to be part of a positive impact, promoting values of solidarity and social responsibility.
There are many families who choose to experience these trips focused on cooperation and direct involvement with different communities around the world, where living conditions are very different and sometimes entirely precarious.
Projects are tailored to different ages, allowing us to work together.
An incredible way to fill our suitcase with memories, learning, and knowledge.
And although stepping out of our comfort zone often feels daunting, we assure you firsthand that it’s worth it.
At Cooperating Volunteers, we accompany you throughout the entire experience, from start to finish, to make it unforgettable.
At Cooperating Volunteers, we believe it’s never too late for anything, especially for volunteering and living a unique and unforgettable experience.
There are many people, increasingly so, who opt for responsible travel that involves social work.
Accustomed to organized and mostly touristic trips, at Cooperating Volunteers, we want to advocate for a more enriching experience, one that transforms us from within and allows us to be part of the change the world needs to see.
We can adapt both the destination and the duration of our projects to fit your needs.
It’s an opportunity full of emotions that allows us to significantly contribute to different communities and their evolution. And you can participate in different areas such as education, social support, or assistance in different centers.
Some of the benefits include:
Living this experience will undoubtedly be a before and after.
A volunteering initiative with leadership and impact through the educational action program.
When we talk about social volunteering, we refer to all those actions and activities carried out altruistically, selflessly, and with the aim of addressing multiple problems and needs of different communities, always focused on education and self-sufficiency.
Education is essential because it provides the tools and knowledge necessary for personal, social, and economic development.
Our goal is to create self-sufficient communities and provide opportunities for the future personal development of each member. The message is not to ‘give’, but to accompany in the process of training for self-managed provision.
At Cooperating Volunteers, many of our destinations and projects embrace this type of volunteering. Some of our projects include: community programs, education, women’s empowerment…
And although they are completely different from each other, they share a single objective: progress towards a society that can embrace us all in the same way.
If you are someone who is restless, who needs to see a change in the future, volunteering is an experience tailor-made for you.