Akwaaba Ghana & YCI!

I had always wanted to volunteer internationally and in 2010 the opportunity came up when Youth Challenge International had 20 scholarships for its 20th anniversary. I was one of the first non-Canadian volunteers on the program and since I was born in Guyana and lived in the Caribbean, I ruled out Guyana and Costa Rica and applied for a one month program in Ghana instead. While the scholarship covered some of my costs, I still had to fund raise which is a critical component of the YCI program and it allowed me to be creative with my efforts (dog sitting, baby sitting etc.). I also like the online program and support where I was able to share with other volunteers how we were preparing for this adventure.

Once in Ghana we had in country orientation and debriefs and we always had the support of the Country Program Manager. I must admit it was a bit overwhelming at first, new environment, new skills being developed but sometimes you do need to push yourself outside of your comfort zone in order to grow and become a better person.

The one difficulty I encountered was a short bout of a bad reaction to some food but that was over and done with in 24 hours.

I was able to work with my peers to develop and deliver training programs in Gender, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Active Citizenship and much more.