Make A Difference in Ghana this Summer with Madventurer

Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.

James: To start off the very busy day, our group would fuel up on mangos and pineapples and walk through the village to be picked up on the waterfront. We would often make wagers on how late Desmond (our beloved boat driver) would be, as we quickly got used to the concept of “Ghanaian time”; I do not think there is an African word for urgency! A refreshing boat journey of 5 minutes to the beach camp allowed me to take in the gorgeous scenery, which would only be topped when travelling at night illuminated by the stars.

Teaching maths to the children was by far my favourite part of the whole experience, as they were a good mix of cheekiness and fun, but also hardworking and thoughtful. It was daunting at first, but once you build a relationship it’s a wonderful feeling seeing them come up with the correct solution. After school we’d play football and volleyball on the beach or play the local card games, all very relaxed. The Friday night however is when the beach comes alive! With a huge bonfire and speakers, we would dance the night away.

Ten years from now, what's the one thing you think you'll remember from the trip?

James: Again the school children made this such a fantastic experience; I’d love to see how they all get on in life through the next 10 years. My most memorable would be teaching the class for the very first time. I was incredibly nervous; as this was the first time I had ever attempted to teach, a great place to start... The first two days I sat in the back and observed the teaching and helped out with marking a few books. On the third day however, the maths teacher (who was also the football coach) left for a week to help organise the annual island vs island sports day events, leaving me alone and in charge.

My first class with Frank, Jonas, Evans, Prosper and Labell left me smiling when the bell rang for break. They were all shy at first, but they were also very bright and by the end were all attempting the class questions. One student, Augustina, asked me if I’d ever eaten a coconut before to which I replied I hadn’t. The next day she came in with two coconuts in her bag so that I could try one for the first! In 10 years I will look back and remember all the smiles and laughter that came from the classroom.

Has your worldview changed as a result of your trip?

James: Absolutely, it really is a life changing experience. We are too caught up in the western world about possessions and flashy items (which we are all guilty of), something that de-humanises us as a culture. Spending time with the people in Maranatha and seeing them be so happy and loving has made me revaluate what life is really about.

The local children all had so little, but they have an abundance of energy and good spirit, the happiest bunch I have ever seen. Seeing the money that was raised actually being put to good use, building a school and providing equipment, witnessing it all first hand is much more satisfying than simply entering a sum of money through a credit transaction.

What was the most interesting cultural difference you encountered?

James: There are a number of cultural differences that you’ll notice, and the one I found most interesting was how the Ghanian villagers interacted with strangers. In England, people tend to look at you as if you were from Mars if you approached them in the street, while in Ghana it is at the opposite end of the spectrum.

The walks to the riverside each morning was like sightseeing for smiles and greetings, pleasantly being greeted by the locals. One of my favourite customs, which I have tried (and failed) to bring back to England, is the Ghanian handshake, simply a handshake with a fluid click of the fingers at the end. If pulled off correctly, your coolness will go up by approximately 20%.

Where would you most like to travel to next?

James: Definitely have the travel bug and as much as I loved Ghana I am planning to travel to a different location next summer. Turning 21 and entering into the real working world next year has given me the urge to see as much of the world as possible. Somewhere in South America or a country that is exotic like Fiji. Regardless, I found the African culture to be warm and loving, a motivation in itself to return to Africa in the near future.

What position do you hold at Madventurer and why do you like working there?

Emily: I first joined Mad as a volunteer in Fiji with my university and I was hooked from the start. I absolutely loved how connected to the people we became and how the projects were all designed, directed, and completed in a very collaborative process with the village. Following graduation I spent a summer working as a crew leader in Fiji and in Ghana. Now I am the Associate Director of Madventurer starting up the US headquarters in California.

Working for Mad is a dream, because my job is to share the incredible experience of international service with others. International service has been such a transformational part of my life and I just feel so blessed to be able to help promote and develop it.

Did you volunteer abroad? If so, where and what inspired you to go?

Emily: I will never forget my first international service trip to Mexico. I was 18 years old, bright eyed, and overly optimistic to save a world that at the time I knew so little about. Working alongside a family to build them a new home taught me so much about determination, humility, and service. My world was rocked, my perspectives broadened, and my desire to continue serving abroad grew.

The desire to learn more about the world that had been instilled in me in Mexico, led me to Nicaragua where I learned a lot about how to serve in an empowering and sustainable manner on a social work project. Eager to use what I had learned in Nicaragua, I had the incredible opportunity to lead a team of students from my university to Fiji with Madventurer. The relationships that I have built and the lessons that I have learned are what keep me wanting to serve abroad more. After a summer in Fiji and Ghana, I am excited to see where Mad will lead me next.

What does the future hold for Madventurer - any exciting new programs to share?

Emily: There are a lot of exciting things in store for Madventurer, as we are continually looking for ways to best serve our international communities as well as our volunteers. One particular new aspect of the organization that I am really looking forward to helping to develop is our commitment to service learning. We want our projects to be empowering and positive experiences for everyone involved and one of the ways we are doing that is through education.

By training our volunteers in the best practices of sustainable service and cultural immersion before their trip, facilitating discussions and reflections during the trip, and helping them to identify what lessons they will be taking with them after their trip we are aiming to provide a holistic experience which will benefit the work that they do in country as well as their lives afterwards.

How does your organization differ from other ones in the industry?

Emily: One of the ways in which our organization differs from others in the industry is our grassroots, organic origins and approach. John, our founder, was made Chief of Development in a village in Ghana where he had volunteered, and was asked to come back and to serve as much as he could. He began bringing friends over to help out, and sure enough Madventurer was born. The way the organization started is the same way it has grown and sustained. All of our projects are originated and requested from the villages, schools, and communities that we work with.

What is one thing you would tell any future volunteer?

Emily: I would say to go in with a mindset to serve alongside and empower. Going into a project your natural instinct will be to give, to provide, to help the people you are working with in any and all ways possible, which certainly isn’t bad, but it makes for a process that is not as beneficial as it could be.

Instead, be thinking about ways that you can engage the people you are serving in the project, let them grab the hammer or teach you something. Do your best to give a hand up rather than a hand out, and invest in relationships. You may end up feeling like you did less work than you anticipated doing, but your impact will be far greater.

One of my favorite quotes by Maya Angelou is “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Keep the Maya wisdom in mind and you will have a great experience that truly makes a difference.

How do you think volunteer/intern abroad will change over the next 10 years?

Emily: I think that over the next 10 years volunteer abroad will become even more sustainable, collaborative, community based, and impactful. There are a lot of criticisms about volunteering abroad, that it is more about the volunteers than the participants that they are serving and that it can do more harm than good, which certainly is true in some cases. I believe these criticisms are making the industry stronger by inspiring organizations to really research their impact, improve their volunteer training to include cultural competency and international service best practices, and to ensure that their projects are as beneficial and sustainable as possible. I am sure international service will continue to grow in reach and in impact.