AWESOME EXPERIENCE IN GHANA!

I went to Ghana on the 13th of September to volunteer at a medical clinic in Frankadua, about 2 hours by bus, North East from Accra. It was part of the 'purple program' which consists of other kinds of volunteering endeavours such as education and agriculture.
When I arrived in Ghana, I was duly picked up at the airport by the staff of IVHQ. We spent the first night at the volunteer house in Accra which was just a temporary stop where all volunteers went to for their orientation. Everyone was very welcoming and also very accommodating. I got to meet other volunteers from other parts of the world and become acquainted with them.
The next day was our orientation and afterwards we travelled to our individual placements. Our interim program coordinator, Evans was (and still is) very apt in recognizing the needs of volunteers and offering solid, tangible solutions. Some of the things he was able to help with in my case for example were things like acquiring a Ghanian SIM card to communicate with my friends and family. He also escorted us to the purple program and helped get us settled in. He was available round-the-clock to answer any questions we may have about the program, donations, the culture, what to expect, etc. I can honestly say that I didn't go into the purple program with any doubt about what to expect.
There is a volunteer house right within the community that is pretty much a hotspot where a lot of the locals come to hang out and get better acquainted with the international volunteers. The volunteers I stayed with were extremely friendly. We got along quite nicely.
My time in Ghana was actually short. I was only able to do a week due to the amount of time I was able to take off work. But within that week, we did a lot. We went to cape coast, saw the cape coast castle where slaves were held prior to shipment, we went to the Kakum National Park for a hike and also went to pet crocodiles as well.
The clinic in Frankadua is the only clinic in the community and where most of the locals go for medical their medical needs. It functions primarily as a malaria clinic and practically all the clients would get tested for malaria test post-triage/ initial assessment. If there are any differential diagnoses out of the scope of the clinic, or seemingly idiopathic in nature, the patients are referred to one of the bigger hospitals in the neighbouring cities. Other common ailments include anemia, gastroenteritis, etc. Mama Christine who runs the clinic is very adept. There are other staff nurses and a lab technician that work there. There is a governmental run insurance program for Ghanians and so a lot of the time, the clinical visits are covered by the government which I thought was very progressive and encouraging.
There is also a maternity ward for labour and delivery and about 8 beds or so for admitting patients. Pregnant soon-to-be mothers are routinely checked upon and the clinic does monthly out reach programs for post-partum mothers at different parts of the community.
All in all, its safe to say that you won't be disappointed to volunteer here at the medical program with IVHQ at Frankadua.
Have a great day.
Tolu.