Service Learning for Education and Healthcare in West Africa

This experience will stick with me forever! It has changed me for the best. It's an experience everyone should undertake. It made me personally realise how lucky I am to have the education and educational opportunities I hold, and even made me regret how previously I had not used these opportunities to my full potential, taking a lot of it for granted. However since the trip I'm I trying to take all opportunities that arise, be it educational or just generally.

There are 2 outcomes of this trip which illustrates its brilliance...
1. I want to do another operation groundswell trip
2. I want to visit Ghana again

Ghana is an incredible place and I would (and have ) recommend everyone to go and see it for themselves because you have to personally feel and experience it's magic, whether it's dancing in the rain with a group of school children or eating stew and rice under the stars on top of Wlitogi.

And obviously I would not have experienced Ghana the way I did without operation groundswell and the amazing leaders! This organisation makes your trip unique and you feel at home in a new country. People did think it was a little over priced but for me personally, from what I gained out of it, the price was cheap! It allowed you to feel independent but safe still. If you want to visit Ghana for the first time do it with this group, because you will experience Ghana so much more than doing it on your own.

There is not a day that goes by when I don't think about this trip, Ghana and the people I met. I'm still having Ghana/operation groundswell blues to this day! I really wish I could do it all over again! So if your reading this...sign up right away!!!!!

Five months later I am still thinking and longing for my summer in Ghana. I am so grateful for the people I met, the sights I saw, the food I ate, the thoughts I had, and the feelings I experienced. Operation Groundswell offers a very unique experience, one that is grounded, thought-provoking, fun, and challenging.

Whether it was walking around the market in Accra eating egg and bread, lying on a beach on the coast, climbing up a mountain to meet a village of wonderful people, or just listing to music on a long tro- tro ride, I loved everyday in Ghana and would go back in an instant!

Operation Groundswell is definitely one of the best organizations out there for volunteering abroad. I had the best experience of my life on this trip. I originally set out on this trip because I wanted to do something that would bring me out of my comfort zone and open me up to a new culture in a different way rather than the cookie cutter tourism experience. This trip did exactly that.

The best part of OG is that you actually get to immerse yourself into the culture of the country you are in. When they say, “you live like locals” they mean it. It is a whole different (and amazing!) experience when you are living in a house with 10 other strangers eating rice and vegetables you cooked yourself compared to staying in a hotel and eating fries and a burger. Even small things like riding the local bus, bargaining on the price of a bracelet, buying groceries, or trying to get a tro tro (a van kind of used for a taxi but usually cheaper) by yourself all adds to the experience and makes it that much more personal and memorable (rather than someone doing it all for you).

Day to day experiences included cooking and eating like locals (which was amazing!), and taking your own lead on volunteering projects in the village. Whether you wanted to help farm with G-Roots, help Gilbert at the local disability centre, organize soccer tournaments for the local schools, help out at the local resource centre, and/or have a workshop with the boys at the Horizons Children’s Centre, it was your choice. We would then come home and usually have a debrief about our day as a group, and discuss anything we were feeling, successes of the day and/or anything we needed help with. (These debriefs were much needed and amazing!) The trip leaders were awesome as well. One leader in particular was with us every step of the way and extremely supportive by just making sure were were physically and mentally okay, and was always there to help if we needed anything.

The highlight of this trip would definitely be working with the Horizons Children's Centre in Sandema. The boys there will teach you things you could not imagine. The love, wisdom, and experiences they share with you are unforgettable and make this trip worth every penny. Another major highlight would be during the independent travel time you are allotted during the trip. I myself along with 2 new friends decided to take daylong walks to experience the people of Ghana. This idea did not disappoint. We met the most amazing, kind, and generous people on our walk that have changed my outlook on people and life.

Operation Groundswell (or OG as it is affectionally named) is one of the best organizations out there! The experience that OG offers competes with some of the bigger names out there and outpaces them faster than Usain Bolt. The trip leaders truly make their programs amazing; not only do they come with years of crazy life experience, but they are also real people that care about who you are and what you want to get out of the trip. When I was in Ghana, one trip leader in particular really pushed us all to get out of our shell's and make a connection with the boys at HCC! One of the most common critiques of programs like this are that they are over-glorified 'volun-tourism' trips and OG works really hard to get away from that by making sure that trip participants live like a local. Taking crammed tro-tro rides (basically a van that they somehow manage to fit 12 people in) and working alongside locally-created projects (rather than coming in as white saviours and messing stuff up). One of the craziest things I ever did in that country was to take a 45 minute motorcycle ride with three people (on one bike) and all of our bags and backpacks--so not only were the 'boys' hurting but also every other part of my body as I struggled to hold on to this speeding machine. But. That's what it is to be Ghanaian. You just go with the flow.

My trip with OG is something I will never forget.
Travelling to Ghana with a group of amazing people has truly changed my life.
Being able to travel throughout the beautiful country of Ghana, and learn about the culture, food, music and people was incredible.
Operation Groundswell is a great organization that allows its participants to experience an authentic cultural exchange.
Yes, it was hard to get used to the food at first, but once you try the egg n' bread you will be hooked!
OG creates relationships that last a lifetime, and although it is not always easy to be with a group of complete strangers in a foreign place, the good times definitely outweighed the bad.
Overall- OG WEST AFRICA has made me fall in love with Ghana, and was a great program to go with, as a first time traveller.