My Favorite Memory: There were several “favorite memories”: how hard Big Emma worked on his reading skills one quiet afternoon; Donkor’s request to help him read more about malaria (from a science book); the drumming and game sessions; meals in the midst of the host family’s community; the waterfalls; the monkey sanctuary; the open friendliness of the Ghanaian people (being greeted on the street by “strangers”)…
I was surprised that… I was never hungry while I was there; there were very few mosquito (dry season).
The most difficult thing I experienced was… leaving the kids and the host family.
My best received lesson… preconceived ideas about people and places can be very inaccurate; we Americans burden ourselves unnecessarily with stuff.
Tip for future volunteers… (Clothing, travel, personal items, donations, sightseeing etc) Think of visiting rural Ghana as akin to a camping trip and you will not be unpleasantly surprised. Small Ghanaian cedi bills are most useful, request small bills at the change window at the airport. We were glad to have brought extra hand sanitizer because water was scarce and dust was everywhere (dry season). Sneakers and sandals were adequate enough, with more T-shirts than days visiting. Brought a voltage converter which was helpful for charging the camera. Kids LOVED receiving Polaroid pictures of themselves. Be careful about trying to get supplies in-country, especially after leaving Accra – it is not yet a consumer-oriented economy.
Personal Paragraph (Testimonial): To us, the best part of our adventure was in meeting new people who are different from us in many wonderful ways. Rural Ghanaians live a simple life, centered in community and in relationships. The friendship, grace and humility of the host family and the community was both delightful and instructive. We came home wondering what our future involvement with Ghana will look like. Will we raise funds, will we start a non-profit, when (not if) will we return and for what purpose? Our involvement is surely not finished. The countryside of the Volta Region was very picturesque.
How would you rate your experience working with the ABV staff, both in the USA, and in-country? The U.S.-based and in-country ABV staff were top-notch. We understand that sometimes when traveling outside America plans can go awry. We tried to be flexible and the staff was very accommodating. There were no real issues.
How would you describe your accommodation ( ie: host family, on-site, shared housing etc) Our host family was wonderful! We had a hard time saying good-by to them because they were so kind and friendly. Accommodations were just fine. We understood going in that running water was not available in the countryside, so we were ready for bucket-showers, etc. Beds were fine, although we all covered up with our towels when the morning temps dropped below 70 F. The food was tasty and portions adequate, if slightly lacking in vegetables. We made up for it by buying bananas very inexpensively on the street. Because we traveled as a family, we just shared space among ourselves.
Are you willing to speak to other potential ABV volunteers? Sure, anytime.
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