How 10 Months of Volunteering Abroad in Ghana Has Been So Far
I have always loved travelling. Going to new places, getting foreign stamps in my passport and learning a new culture or language has always appealed to me.
When I finished University in June last year, I was looking for my next adventure. Having previously lived and worked in Senegal on my year-abroad for my course, I knew I wanted to work overseas again.
I became interested in development from my course at University, (International Relations and French) and from my internship with an NGO in Senegal. I knew I wanted to work or volunteer for an NGO again to gain more experience and skills in the field of development.
I applied to a job posting online for the Ghana Health and Education Initiative (GHEI). I was delighted when I was accepted as the new Communications Officer! The role is a year-long voluntary position and involves living on-site in the organisation’s compound.
So for the last 10 months, I have been based in the rural village of Humjibre in Ghana’s Western region. It has been a fantastic experience and opportunity to learn about the different culture, food and language of the region and of course an opportunity to learn more about Ghana itself!
On the job, I have been learning, not only more about communications, but more about the NGO too. GHEI’s mission is to enable communities in the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai District of Ghana to improve their children’s health, learning success and opportunities by building local capacity and providing necessary resources and support.
We are also directly involved in the communities in which we work. Each year, we conduct Summer Serve and Learn projects to give the opportunity for international volunteers to come and experience living in a rural Ghanaian village and the chance to help out with our programmes that benefit our communities.
Next year we are running two Community Health Evaluation sessions and one Girls’ Empowerment camp. These sessions are a fantastic way for volunteers to get involved with GHEI’s programs and to help us better serve our local communities!
You can find out more about GHEI’s volunteer programmes here: http://www.givingway.com/organization/ghei
And read more about this year’s Summer Serve and Learn through our additional blog https://gheiblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/08/super-busy-fun-summer-community-health-evaluation-edition/
‘Invest in an individual, empower a community’