About Kpando

Kpando is located at the central point of the Volta Region almost sharing the eastern boarder with the Republic of Togo and bounded on the west by the Volta Lake by a town called Torkor. Kpando is about a 3-4 hour drive from the capital Accra through the eastern corridor. It is a pretty big town and has a population of 15,000 people. Kpando is the administrative capital with almost all the social amenities such as electricity, good drinking water

Language & Activities
The main languages of the people in Kpando are Ewe, English and Hausa and they are mostly farmers, fishermen, woodcarving, pottery and others a white color jobs.

Accommodation
While in Kpando you can also stay in separate host families that are very near to each other. Orphanage volunteers also have the option of living at the orphanage itself.

Climate/Weather
Kpando is hot and dry. Daytime temperatures range from 27-35 C (79-95 F) throughout the year.

Communications
Mobile phones are widely available in Kpando. You can buy and activate a mobile phone for about 40 USD from one of the many mobile phone shops in town. You can also bring your mobile phone from home and buy a local SIM chip to get a local Ghana number. There are 4 networks in Kpando to select from namely: Vodafone, MTN, Tigo and Kasapa (the one that look Ghanaian).

The nearest internet café is approximately a 15-minute walk from the orphanage called EDNO CAFÉ opposite Cedes GUEST House. Prices of their services are moderate.  The home will soon have an access to the internet.

Sightseeing & Activities
There is not much in the way of sightseeing in Kpando and the surrounding areas. There are very few tourists who even visit Kpando.The lakeside at Kpando Torkor is also attractive and there is a large market which operates every three days. Kpando has a strong, formidable football team called the Heart of Lions.
Kpando was a German historical site during the Gold Coast era and has a number of tourist sites such as grottos at Agbenoxoe and Aziave all at Kpando. It is mostly patronized by Christians and non-Christians from all over the world. There is also a modest pottery factory in the town of Fesi that is worth a Saturday visit. Also, take a 15-minute taxi to see Lake Volta to the west of town, where you will see locals making their living from the lake in various ways like collecting driftwood and selling goods to the ferry passengers. There are also several waterfalls in the area such as Wli and Tagbo Falls and a monkey sanctuary. read more

Arriving at Kpando
Certain qualities show the good character, identity and values of every Ghanaian and the people of Kpando are noted for their kindness, sympathy which makes them unique. However since all hands are not equal you may find few odd ones but it doesn’t mean that everything is the same everywhere.
Everyone is kind and welcoming. In the villages everyone especially will stare and call you ‘yevu’ meaning ‘white man’ it is not an insult. For many children especially it is the first time they have seen a white person. Everyone will greet you with ’woezor’ meaning welcome just say ‘Akpe’ meaning ‘thank you’

Some cultural practices
Hospitality is one of the traits that are associated with every Ghanaian and for that matter the people of Kpando to strangers.

It is most interesting to see the use of the right hand to eat or pass anything to an elderly person. It is considered very disrespectful to pass anything to anyone with the left hand.

Others are:

• Shaking of hands starts from the right to the left.
• Most of our funerals are held on the weekend amidst drumming, noise making etc. You will get used to them very quickly.
• Time: You will learn the meaning of patience here. Everyone is incredibly busy and on their own timeline. No one is on time including almost everything.
• Be prepared to wait on tro-tro (the local transport) for a long time for them to fill up with people.
• Speak out if you are hungry or thirsty, sometimes people forget about food and water. They are eager to help you with any and everything
• Not many people in the village drink alcohol or smoke. Feel free to do what you want; they respect your culture as well.
• Not many people in the village like wearing caps/hats with the front facing the back.