Volunteering Teaching English in Ghana - 3 of the best weeks of my life!

I have now returned from my 3 week English Teaching Placement in Kumasi, Ghana and I must say that it has been one of the most enjoyable and eye-opening experiences of my life so far. A big part of this is purely down to the support, kindness and welcoming attitude of the local team at PMGY Ghana. All of the team there are so focussed on making sure you have an enjoyable and productive time in Ghana, as in the words of Seth Mensah (PMGY Ghana Coordinator) they want to "make sure you make every moment count". This support that Seth and his team offers expands over so many different areas, from simple things such as buying people biscuits and putting on films to keep people entertained and happy, or taking care of you when ill even if it means driving to the pharmacy for you, as well as going to your placement with you and sorting out any issues if you are unhappy with what you're doing there or how you're treated. The list can go on for ages, however, the main point that I'm trying to put across is that you'll never feel alone or unsupported when at PMGY Ghana.
The placements are also a great experience, despite only having done the teaching placement, I have heard great and interesting things about them all. The one thing which can most likely be said for all of them, as well as Ghana as a whole, is that it's all quite a big culture shock, however with an open mind and the concept of "this is how they do things in Ghana" you can manage to benefit quite a lot from it all. In my own case with the school, you realise how education is a lot more appreciated, as the children are required to pay school fees. Yes, the conditions of the school, classrooms and resources are not the best, however, they manage to make it work which is a great thing that I admire. At the end of the day, I found my entire placement at the school great, seeing the kids smiling faces as we walked into the classroom each day, introducing them to a new style of lessons which didn't just revolve around writing and got them more practically involved. But the best thing was when you realised that students were getting an understanding of your lesson and the information which you had taught them, seeing the happiness on their faces when they understood and would explain to their friends to help them when struggling. To me that was one of the best parts about it, knowing I had actually contributed to their lives and that this experience has benefitted more than just myself.
As a whole, these last 3 weeks volunteering teaching English in Ghana with PMGY has been a truly unforgettable experience and one that I hope to replicate with PMGY again in the future, either at one of their other destinations or possibly Ghana again. From start to end PMGY have been so helpful and supportive, both the UK and Ghana team. You can see they are doing great things, managing to make a difference whilst providing great experiences for people, allowing them to open their eyes to the world and provide the means to give something back. I will definitely be volunteering with them again at some point in the future and I can only hope that they manage to continue to grow as an organisation so that they can continue to make the change which you can see occurring at the various projects.