The American Field Service (AFS) started in 1914 as a volunteer ambulance corps. The ambulance drivers of the American fieldservice assisted wounded soldiers and civilians during World Wars I and II. Their mission was one of compassion and service tomankind. During World War II, the American Field Service an all civilian volunteer force, was stationed in Europe, Syria, North Africa,India and Burma. When the war ended in 1945, AFS volunteers pledged not to abandon their tradition of international service.

Compelled to hasten the post–war healing process, they vowed to work towards changing the world’s forces from hostility tofriendship. The ambulance drivers therefore instituted student exchange program as a means of realizing their vision of a worldwhere there would be mutual understanding among people of diverse culture.

In the earl years when AFS morphed into an exchange program organization, it involved only high school students on exchanges and these exchanges were mainly bilateral between a country and the USA. High school student exchanges still for the core business of the organization but there have been some additional programs that involved people who fall outside the high school age as well as programs that do not only involve exchanges solely with the USA but also multilaterally among all 60 or so partners worldwide.

Ghana joined the AFS network in 1967. It has operated non-stop in the network and prides itself with that. AFS Intercultural Exchange Programs, Ghana is the registered name of the organization in Ghana.