A life-changing experience

I volunteered at GHTA for two weeks, and my only regret was that I couldn't stay longer. I've been a teacher for 20 years, and have never experienced students so eager to learn, so excited to be there, and so appreciative of the opportunity! Although I've never taught English, there were clear and detailed lesson plans to follow, so it didn't take long to get the hang of it. As others have said, there are translators in all the classes, so don't worry about not speaking Swahili! If you do want to learn some Swahili, though, you'll find the students eager and happy to teach you, and it's fun to be able to learn from each other :-)

The volunteer house was safe, clean, and comfortable, located right at the school in a nice colonial-style house surrounded with beautiful vegetation. You can walk or take an inexpensive taxi into town to buy food for your breakfast and lunch, and lovely, always-smiling Margaret cooks dinner for the volunteers every night. It was hot in January when I was there (the peak of summer), but you get used to it after a few days. You realize that, even though your living conditions there aren't what you are used to at home, they far surpass the locals' living conditions, and seeing local life is a real eye-opener.

Monika, who founded and runs the program, is terrific in every way! She was very responsive by email in advance, so all questions were answered and you will arrive prepared, and on-site she always made sure we all had whatever we needed. You can learn a lot by watching her interact with the students and other locals. I really enjoyed her combination of warmth, spunk, determination, humor, and know-how.

I would go back in a heartbeat, and hope to be able to return soon. Even though the program name implies that the volunteers are giving a heart to Africa, I personally felt like the women of GHTA gave a heart to me. You should go. It will change your life, too!