AtlasVolonteers Ghana

My trip to Ghana was a real human and learning experience.

Firstly, the inclusion in the volunteer team and the team in general is incredible. Arriving as a 19 year old amongst a majority of 25-30 year old who didn't speak French could have been complicated but they welcomed me straight away, Dom was attentive to all my questions, doubts, surprises as well as informing me about the Ghanaian culture and guiding me.

I spent a total of 7 weeks in Ghana. When I arrived, we were only 11 volunteers separated in two houses. The green house was made up of an American, a German, a Scottish, a French, myself and Dom, and in the second house, the white house, an Italian, a German, a Spanish, a French and two Americans and Ben. I describe this to show how much I was impressed by the diversity of people and culture from the beginning of my stay and how much it enriched my stay.

I was immediately very well received by all the volunteers, at the beginning I was in the same room as Tabea and Camille, we all spoke in English and from the second day everyone offered me to do an activity with them and integrated me into the group by giving me advice, tips and information on everyday life. When I arrived late in the evening Dom introduced me directly to the house, the other volunteers and I took a tour of Abetifi (the nearest town) the next morning with Ben. They accompanied me on my way to change money, to do my first shopping and to know the important places and words to know in my daily life.

Frank came to me the day after my arrival to introduce me to the different projects and to organise me with the renovation and the teaching. I was therefore before the strike in the primary school of Abetifi, to which I went by taxi 3 times a week. I had a class of 40 pupils of 7-8 years old to whom I taught the basics of French through cards prepared beforehand, songs, drawings and lectures. Even though I had hardly ever taught before, the most important task was not to teach the basics but to keep the pupils attentive, concentrated and interested! The teacher stayed in the classroom but let me do as I wished. Following the strike that took place in the middle of my stay we all changed schools, as we were mostly in different schools, to go to private schools. I was then able to teach different classes with smaller numbers and a more "family" organisation and to do some support: the "reading club".

These two experiences were great and allowed me to realise that private schools are not as luxurious if they are reserved for students from wealthy families as in France.

My second project that I did on Monday and Tuesday was the renovation (construction of reinforced concrete walls) of a school in Suminacase. I did this project with several other volunteers, Geoffroy from the beginning and others who arrived little by little. Unlike

teaching, this project was more expensive and physical, and I enjoyed it very much! At the beginning Frank came with us all day to supervise the work, to teach us how to help Jesse the bricklayer, and then we went on our own by taxi.

Different changes punctuated my stay: firstly, we had to move house because the number of volunteers became too large. At the beginning we lived in two separate houses and joined each other in the evenings and were all very independent, but now we have all moved into the same house. Reorganizing everything was a bit complicated but very well supervised by Sam, Dom, Frank and Ben! It has been great to learn to live in a real community again, share ideas and activities with everyone and have relationships with even more people. When I left, we were over 24 volunteers from all over the world! For me it was always a bit confusing to see people leave and get used to the newcomers, but it was great!

On Wednesdays, the family nights allowed everyone to get together outside of projects or daily life and get to know each other over a game, a barbecue, or a debate. Having local language lessons once a week by one of the coordinators allows us to get involved and try to communicate while we are running errands, at school or looking for a taxi. Apart from the team members, what has made me feel more confident and comfortable in my projects is the inclusion of woman in Ghana and safety.
At school during the projects or in everyday life, even though all the volunteers are foreigners and know little of the language and culture.

When I left, we were over 24 volunteers from all over the world! For me it was always a bit confusing to see people leave and get used to the newcomers, but it was great!
Thanks to this we organized weekend trips: like visiting a national park, going on a safari, going on an adventure. Dom encouraged and accompanied us on our visits to waterfalls, forests, caves, and typical villages. The weekends and evenings we spent together allowed us to learn about Ghana, its culture, language, food, and people. What impressed me most about the Ghanaians was their sense of welcome and trust.

This is a short review of my stay as a volunteer in Ghana, a stay that made me grow and allowed me to discover a great country and a great association with which I hope to be able to go back one day: AtlasVolonteers.