This is rather alarming.

Apparently unqualified and unvetted Europeans are paying Ghanaian facilitators large sums of money in order to gain access to certain schools and orphanages in Ghana.

Does anyone know any more?

OP, what is it that you're hearing, specifically, and what's your source? Anything which could be verified by outsiders? What little I've heard does not correspond to what you've posted, and I'd like to check further.

Thanks.

Mark

What he's simply saying, albeit in a provocative way, is that there are organizations in Ghana which charge volunteers a fee to arrange some kind of program whereby they can go help out in schools or orphanages. Undoubtedly there is little to no vetting process. Most of the volunteers I talked to had little teaching experience and were often just out of high school--lots of young women in particular--a large portion being Dutch, English, or American. I don't believe they actually teach, they just help the teachers. Is their idealism being exploited by organizations in Ghana? Who knows?

There have been a lot of posts on here specifically requesting information for volunteer opportunities in Ghana, again, mostly young women so it seems, I guess because it's safe, stable, English-speaking, and with a critical mass of other volunteers already there and a sort of network in place. It would be great, I suppose, if all volunteers could be vetted but I think that would kill volunteering.

Ah, I get it now. Thanks, Taharqa.

My imagination had moved in other directions: for example, I'm aware of some controversies about international adoptions in Ghana, and I've also heard some very unappealing things about the local sex trade. When someone posts vaguely about "unvetted" westerners paying sums of money for "access" to children, it does not sit well.

The volunteer situation is ongoing throughout most of sub-saharan Africa as well as elsewhere in the world. If the OP wishes to discourage some of the excesses, he/she might do well to post specific advice and recommendations. People will continue to crave volunteer experiences, and they'll continue to (often) be taken advantage of by vultures of one sort or another.

Mark

fair enough OP; but aren't most of the volunteers young women who've gone ghana to experience bigger things...?