Volunteer in Ghana

My Quest was amazing. I left Ghana feeling like I had made an impact on people’s lives, not just for providing them with healthcare at my place of work, but also for sharing my experiences and living with them for a month. We both learned a great deal about the differences in culture, helping to break global boundaries and share similarities. I enjoyed my place of work; the staff was friendly and very easy to get along with whilst giving me the support to learn valuable skills and also to impart some knowledge of my own into their way of working. A highlight would be my excursion to the monkey sanctuary and Wli waterfalls – both amazing places to visit. I would do it all again in a flash. I have made friends who I will no doubt stay in contact with forever. I learned to live and work in a culture that is so different from my own.

When I first arrived, I received no itinerary as I was told beforehand, so I basically had no idea what we were up to for the first two days that we were spending in Accra before heading to the project site. This isn’t also too big of a concern, but Yaw’s wife (I was not told he would be gone for the first few days so his wife would take us to places) always showed up late – like 2 hours late – apparently because Ghanaians are terrible with time. As for me, living in the Western side of the world, I am used to being at least 15 minutes early, so I would be very, very tired during any plans since I would prepare myself but everything would be delayed. However, my experience in the project site, specifically the orphanage, was excellent. Everyone was friendly and I had a nice time volunteering and bonding with the children of all ages and staff members. I also really went on 1 excursion since I was there for 3 weeks, but I wish that you guys made more time and coordinated something else for me. But I am very thankful for what I have experienced and happy that I was able to earn this opportunity. Thank you, Ayaka and Yaw.

I enjoyed learning about Ghanaian culture and history. I enjoyed being exposed to the differences in health care between Ghana and Canada. Yet it was hard to accept the lack of resources. It made it difficult to be optimistic and made me feel a little hopeless. Seeing people in poverty I could not help but feel like there was not much I could do as an individual. But I also learned to look on the brighter side of things and be appreciative of what you have. The Ghanaian people are in poverty, but they often have smiles on their faces and do not dwell on what they do not have, rather they are thankful for what they do have. This has changed how I view the world and my life. I enjoyed the excursions to the Wli waterfalls and monkey sanctuary which allowed me to see the natural beauty of Ghana. I also loved meeting the other volunteers and creating memories and friendships that will last forever.

This experience was incredible… really really amazing. Words don’t describe it actually! The medical quest was overall very enlightening and really makes you think about and appreciate working in the United States versus a third world country. Living and actively participating in the daily cultures and routines of Ghana has taught me innumerable life lessons. I wanted to go on this Quest for work experience and to see a bit of the world I had never seen before but came back with a whole lot more. This was a very rewarding experience and one that I will never forget.

United Planet did many things well in preparing me for this adventure but the best thing they did was set expectations. I knew what to expect I knew it was going to be hard. They repeatedly told me to be flexible. To jump right in and be assertive when it came to participating in my quest. By reading this information from UP and emailing my mentor and reading the blogs I was prepared, I brought the correct things and knew how to overcome some adversity. Overall a tremendous experience. I never could coordinate something like this on my own. You need somebody like United Planet to coordinate and expose you to these countries.

What I enjoyed most about my quest was being fully immersed in the culture there in Ho from eating meals with my hands, bargaining at the local markets, learning a little bit of the language they speak there Ewe and forming relationships with the locals. My favorite experience while I was there was going to church there. The singing, dancing, and drumming from the choir with everyone’s energy, I just smiled I think for the first hour I was there. I felt connected to the community and felt like I understood a little bit more about their culture by going there.