Who can join?

Just as our mudCAFETERIA project will the mudLIBRARY be built with the help of (international) volunteers. Although in principal everybody is welcome to apply, we do have a maximum number of applicants (approx. 30) that we can accommodate . In case we have to make a selection, relevant experience and technical skills are of course favorable assets. ArchiFair will do everything possible to make your stay an unforgettable experience. Because we strongly rely on the help of volunteers,their well-being is paramount for the success of our approach. We do however want to point out that if you are considering to participate, you have to be aware that you are not signing up for a holiday camp. You are working at a construction site under sometimes demanding climatic conditions – during the summer months you will have to expect temperatures around 30 degrees and a high humidity. You also have to be aware of the fact that you are a guest in the Nsutem, a village where they are not used to interact with tourists. And because we will be there for more than 12 weeks, we expect you to respect the cultural traditions and habits of the local inhabitants.

Lecture Technical University Vienna

Just as as the last time, we again anticipate that most of our volunteers will be students that participate in our corresponding lecture at the Technical University in Vienna. In this lecture we prepare students for participation in our workshop in Ghana and teach them the basics of building with earth and project-management. The most significant part of the lecture however, will be the building workshop in Nsutem. By participating in the lecture, students commit themselves to a three week stay in Ghana (minimum ) to complete the practical part of the lecture.  For their participation, students can get up to 7.5 ECTS points.

251.730 Transdisziplinäre Interaktionen (3 ECTS)

251.702 EX Exkursion Außereuropäische Architektur (2 ECTS)

An additional 2.5 points can be earned by conducting additional (small) tasks to support the organisation and documentation of the workshop (for example filming, photographing).

Of course also volunteers that do not study at the TU Vienna can participate in the course.

If you are interested please contact us at office@archifair.org or visit our first lecture on the 24th of March (12:00) at the Technical University (HS14A, 3.Stg, 3.Stock)

Journey/Visa

All international flights land at Accra Kotoka International Airport. When you arrive in the evening, we recommend you to spend the night in Accra. The Agoo Hostel for example has a good reputation and costs around 15-20 € a night. The transfer from the Airport to the hostel costs around 15,-. In Accra you can also use Uber.

Flight Vienna to Accra: Approx. 600,-€

Flight Munich to Accra: Approx. 500,-€

Visa: a three-month Visa (includes one entry) costs 100,- €  (The Ghanaian embassy for Austria is located in Bern. You will need to contact your responsible embassy well in advance as it can take some time for your Visa to be issued)

From Accra to Nsutem

From the Bus-terminal in Accra there are each day several buses that go to Nsutem (final destination Kumasi). Usually the departure times are flexible and the buses leave as soon as they are full. In takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes to get to Nsutem and it costs around 10,-€. A reliable bus-company is for example VIP Bus Service.  When you decide to travel in a group you could also consider taking a registered airport taxi. If you would go straight from the Airport to Nsutem you will probably pay around 100-150 € , but prices  can vary strongly.

Accommodation and board

ArchiFair will rent a house within walking distance of the construction site. The house has five bedrooms (each contains a double and a single bed) with private bathrooms, a common living and dining area, a kitchen and a surrounding outdoor terrace (fenced-in). The toilets can be flushed normally, showering is done with a scoop and a bucket. A washing machine is available.  The house will be cleaned regularly and there will be a housekeeper around 24/7.

A cook will be engaged to cater for the team (breakfast, lunch and dinner) during the week. We haven’t agreed upon a menu yet but we will try our best to offer three quality meals a day. There is always the possibility to eat at one of the establishments in town, Linda Dorm and Paradise,  which both offer local as well as  ‘western’ dishes. We believe it is reasonable to plan with 10-15€ per day for food and drinks.