Volunteer in Africa: Callie in Ghana

United Planet’s mission is to create a global community, one relationship at a time. Well, there is no better place to fulfill this mission than in Ghana, a country that prides itself on how communal and relationship-oriented it is.

Ghana, located along the Gulf of Guinea on the west coast of Africa, sandwiched in between Cote D’Ivoire and Togo, Ghana is part of United Planet’s volunteer in Africa program.

During the first few days in Ghana, I visited the beach and explored the Center for National Culture (also known as the Arts Centre) on my own before the program began. Immediately upon arrival at both locations, I was greeted by Ghanaians who wanted to show me the best beach chairs; bring me a bottle of water; or bring me around to various market vendors so I could hear their stories, see their work, and learn more about the process of creating artwork. It is hard to imagine arriving at a market in the US, and a vendor wanting to personally take you to see how the art is made! It just goes to show how eager Ghanaians are to form relationships and get to know people across cultural lines.

Once Richeal, our newest volunteer, arrived in Ghana, I had the chance to experience the United Planet mission. It was amazing to see how much is accomplished in just a few days – for volunteer orientation! Alongside Yaw, our Country Coordinator, and Richeal, I toured the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, took a stroll through Makola Market, and ate a lunch of rice, chili sauce, and “red-red”. The latter being a traditional dish of black eyed peas cooked in oil and seasoned with spices and optionally cassava. Each location is a unique experience that all volunteers partake in as part of orientation. Richeal’s welcome dinner was at a local restaurant in Accra, where there was a live African band playing hi-life and reggae music – very popular in Ghana.

The next day included a language class, to pick up some Ewe–the language of the Volta Region and drumming lessons!

The best part was finally bringing Richeal to her project site, a hospital in the Volta Region. She was given the chance to shadow doctors and nurses and gain insight into the tasks and techniques before beginning a medical program at university this fall. We were introduced to her host mother, Auntie Mercy, who hosts many United Planet volunteers and loves everyone as her own family. It was unbelievable to hear about each of the volunteers she has had in her home – remembering each so clearly and fondly. It made me feel the real connections we’re helping make in the world. Placing volunteers in an immersive host family experience rather than the typical hotel or hostel is the start of our relationships.

I spent the remaining days traveling to other United Planet project sites in Ghana – schools and an orphanage in the Volta Region and schools in Cape Coast. I had the chance to visit the Cape Coast Dungeons, a haunting and sad reminder that we must keep moving forward with compassion and equality with everyone we meet.

My time in Ghana was an amazing opportunity to see fully all the work United Planet has done in Ghana since it’s partnership began 12 years ago. I hope all our volunteers take this incredible chance to not only gain valuable experience volunteering at sites of their choosing, but also form long-lasting relationships with their host family, project sites, and even vendors at the markets! We are striving to foster global understanding by bridging gaps across cultures, and I think anyone who travels to Ghana will immediately be absorbed by their “community” of people. I know that I personally took away many aspects of Ghanaian culture that will be used at home to increase community and understanding when it’s needed most.

Written by Callie Roberts, International Programs Supervisor to Short-Term Quests

Learn more about United Planet’s short-term volunteer and long-term volunteer programs in Ghana.