The Voluntary Workcamps Association of Ghana (VOLU) was founded in 1956. It is a nonpolitical, non-sectarian voluntary organization. Its membership is open to everyone over the age of sixteen, irrespective of nationality, religion, race, political view, or educational qualification. It has numerous partner organizations in Europe, North America, and Asia. Voluntary workcamps are community-building projects in which a group of both Ghanaian and international volunteers come together to build a school, organize an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign, help replenish the local rainforest, or work on similar such projects. Volunteers live and learn together in simple conditions. They work voluntarily, mainly by manual labor, for the benefit of the community. VOLU organizes a variety of projects, including the construction of primary or secondary schools, roads, and hospitals, as well as reforestation, cocoa plantation, literacy projects, community development, oil palm production, and AIDS awareness campaigns. The function of the camps, however, is not to do the work for the various communities, but rather to assist them in "helping themselves" by working with them on the projects. The common denominator is that the community development work of VOLU, in addition to being self-help, is sustainable and grassroots -- local communities decide which projects are needed and feasible. more