So lots of people have been asking me to tell my story and show pictures of my time volunteering in rural Ghana so here goes.....
I volunteered in Ghana for the whole month of October 2022 and it was a real education.
Why did I want to go, so many people asked me.....well I wanted to mark my 60th birthday by doing something meaningful where I could make a real difference. My kids had previously volunteered in Africa and I saw what a difference they made to the community they volunteered in and how much they got from their experience so it was always on my bucket list to one day to do this myself and the time was right...or so I thought! Due to Covid the trip was delayed so I was 61 when I got there, but better late than never eh!!
First Impressions
Well it wasn't all students there and I was the oldest by 30 plus years, but all my fellow volunteers were fabulous and I integrated with them well (more about them later).
The only time I felt old was when the Ghanaian kids and adults called me Grandma...Apparently its out of respect if you have grey hair!! After some persuasion they decided on addressing me as Auntie Michele instead :)
To be honest for the first week it was like an endurance test, adapting to the basic way of living, regular power cuts, sometimes just an hour other times 24 hours.
We slept in dorms with 6 bunk beds, but only one of each bunk was useable so we used the other bunk as a wardrobe. We did have the privilege of having 2 fans in the room which where necessary with 33 degree heat and with humidity felt more like 40 degrees.
Yes there were bugs beside the mosquitos. There was a small bug native to the farmlands that couldn't be seen but loved Obroni (Ghanaian word for foreigner) flesh and left raised red blotches on the skin, so you were game as a feast if you didn't remember to cover your arms and legs first thing in the morning and after the sun went down at night.
The kitchen staff did their best with what produce they could get hold of but the food was carbohydrate heavy and most food was deep fried and quite repetitive, lots of bread, rice, pasta, noodles, eggs based foods and chicken mainly and a portion of either orange, pineapple or melon at breakfast. The exception was Red Red a favourite of all the Obroni's, but who's to complain we ate well, where so many go hungry and our food got cooked for us by the lovely Edna and Victoria (IVHQ staff) three times a day, everyday and they never had a day off. They did however love a sneaky yoga class with me from time to time.
The compound we stayed on was quite big, but had very uneven ground made of muddy sand which was treacherous after it rained and it rained often, sometimes 3 times a day we would have a tropical rain storm and it came down by the bucket load.
The toilets were pit toilets that are connected to a sewerage system (thanks to charity funding over the years) and are exceptionally clean due to Rebecca one of the IVHQ staff who scrubbed them every morning with disinfectant to keep away the bugs, which in the main did work as there were not many spiders or weird creatures. The toilet guests most of the time were the resident Geckos.
The shower cubicles were private, you had to first fill your bucket from the large vat of water and then take it to the block and use a smaller bucket to have a cold water bucket shower which actually was quite refreshing albeit breath taking once we acclimatized to the hot weather.
The care volunteers cooked the kindergarten breakfast every morning over coals or wood in the compound and then carried it to school, if there was any left over it would go to year one girls first but often there would not be any left over and the older kids would have to go hungry....this was hard to witness.
I did notice that the only thing the children had to play with in the compound was one skateboard, yet they had 3 fairly substantial trees, so I had the idea of creating tree swings. When we went to the market I bought lots of strong rope which we successfully made into 4 tree swings using wood from tree branches as seats. They were a real hit with the kids and the staff and were used everyday. I also purchased 3 large mats as the ground was unsuitable to sit on for yoga and very uneven with the pot holes even in the school rooms. The kids absolutely loved them and it kept them grounded which is always a bonus with kids.
Sorry ...this video didn't load well. You can see Edna and Victoria the IVHQ staff having fun. They had never been on a swing before
Teaching in Ghana
So yes I did have a lot of stick from my family and friends about me teaching English with a black country accent (not to be mitaken as Brummy they are people from Birmingham)....but actually it went OK I think, albeit I was much better at teaching them yoga and they loved it.
All their learning is academic so to do something physical with postures, some fun breathing techniques and even meditation was just what they needed and they embraced everything I asked them to do....I can't tell you how much they enjoyed these sessions and I linked it to the lessons they had that day which the teacher loved.
I did noticed the high rate of special needs kids mixed with very bright kids which made the teachers job very challenging. I particularly noticed that some kids as old as 10 couldn't read or write, but could copy from the blackboard quite successfully giving the impression that they could keep up with the class but really hadn't got a clue what was being taught.
I asked if I could take one child to see if one to one would work and I could teach him phonics, which to my delight paid off. After 3 days Emmanuel could read 3 letter words...it was a start. I discussed with the teacher the possibility that he and others who were struggling with the class be moved into a more suitable group. I also suggested they look into taking theses children into another group until they were able to catch up or have some one to one time with them.....The Headmistress said she would consider it, but obviously its all down to resources and as some of the teachers have not been paid for some time it is unlikely to happen.
I found it hard to get the full attention of the class as so many kids from other classes were allowed to leave the classroom when they liked and would come in a disturb the class I was teaching. I addressed this in a staff meeting and the following day it was eradicated and all teachers were told that students were only to leave the class to go to the toilet. I think all teachers were happy about this adjustment and the learning environment was much calmer and a lot quieter.
The Cane - Yes, I know it still happens here. I was horrified the first time I saw it being used and realized how common it was in every classroom. The teachers knew I disapproved of this form of discipline and I didn't hold back by giving them my views on the subject. As a result in the staff meeting this was also discussed and they did agree to use the cane less and try alternative forms of class control and a couple of teachers said they would not use the cane again....Lets hope!
One thing to point out is that the Ghanaians love to learn new things and new skills and embrace anything new that is taught to them from western society.
If this school were in the UK it would be deemed derelict and unsafe and it was apparent that repairs needed doing to the masonry and woodwork which was wriggled in woodworm. It also was in need of brightening up. So I decided to start fund raising to help pay for this and my Austrian co-volunteer Barbara also said she would fund raise and we could do the project together, which was great as I had ordered the paint, the masonry and carpenter before I had the funds to pay!
But boy we did not expect the response we had from you guys...so thank you so much for your very generous donations to make these changes possible.
Repairing and Painting the School
After 2 weeks of teaching I started construction and got he go-ahead to paint the school, so I had the necessary repairs to the school done ready for painting and myself, Barbara, Sam (IVHQ staff) and a young lad who just turned up from nowhere called Osu set to painting the 8 classrooms. Everyone can paint...right?..... Wrong, it was going everywhere over the floor, doors, windows and over the other freshly painted walls and the preparation non existent. So I made it my mission to teach everyone to paint before I gave them a roller or brush and believe me it was such a novelty to see anyone painting they all wanted a go.
Preparation was an eye opener though; I had a real shock when I pulled down one of the posters and 2 bats flew out. We found 6 bats in total all behind posters.
Every classroom was painted different combination of colours and the energy levels of teachers and kids was off the scale. They were so excited that we were spending time making there school something to be proud of. They thanked and blessed us every day, even people in the community on the walk back to the compound.
We were on a mission and in the last few days of the project we had so many community helpers as I was on a mission for it to be finished the day before I left and it was!!!
School Nurse
I hadn't planned to be a nurse but it just happened. I noticed flies in open wounds of a couple of children I was teaching and so at break time I took out my first aid kit and dressed the wounds. Sending pictures to my daughter who is a nurse to see if any needed further medical assistance and to get advice on dressings. Before long I had a queue a few times a day dressing wounds. Some from falling, some caused by family members and others from Machetes. Yes, unfortunately it is a tool used very commonly used in rural Ghana and kids bring them to school. There is no form of health and safety here, so accidents invariably happen. It was good to see some of the nasty wounds healed by the time I left.
TT another IVHQ member of staff has had some medical training and said he would be happy to take over wound care in the school and compound when I left.
Barbara and I raised enough funds to fill two huge boxes of medical supplies, one for the school and one for the compound....again this was all down to you guys, so thank you!
Sports Field
On our walk to school I noticed that the kids had cleared an area and made goal posts out of branches of a tree. This gave me the idea to create a sports field so that the school could add physical education to their timetable and give them something to do with their spare time as there is nothing to occupy the kids here at all.
Fortunately we raised enough funding to provide proper goal posts and nets and also created a volley ball and netball court along with 4 footballs, 2 volley balls, a netball, a basket ball and a basket of balls for the little ones to play with. I can't tell you how excited the kids were let alone the teachers and community. Again it was a project that had to be finished and by the time I left and it was just about.
We provided a cooked meal of fried rice and chicken and a soda for every child and those that helped with the painting. We had an open day with music and a football game between the Asempanaye School kids and the community kids who were much older...It was such a brilliant and memorable day. Unfortunately we had a power cut so they music was cut short, but it didn't stop the excitement. The headteacher Ruby gave a speech and showed the children all the things that we had bought for them including lots of educational supplies and posters provided by Stefany another volunteer. There were so many cheers and such excitement. I knew then that this is why I was here, if there was any doubt in my mind that I did the right thing coming to Ghana, right there and then I knew I had. I can't tell you the amount of pride I had for the people that donated and for my fellow volunteers. My heart was over flowing watching the joyful faces of the community....they were so happy.
Most kids didn't have football boots, some shared a pair and wore one boot, others had poor fitting shoes and some wore just socks or were barefoot. I think the kit was on loan for the day. The football game with kits, the music and kids games were all set up by the head and teachers as a surprise for Barbara, Stefany and myself and it was just beautiful.
This video below was sent to me by Ruby the Headmistress, it didn't load well, but it does give you an idea of the Volley Ball games they now are able to play.
The New School Room and Community Library
Our fund raising went far and above what we expected and there was enough money to complete the senior classroom of which the head teacher was overjoyed and did a dance around the room when we told her. The classroom had foundations but they ran out of money to complete the build and they wanted to continue to educate the kids in their senior years. Once the kids get to 14 years old there is a high drop out rate for senior school because of the distance they have to travel, the expense, the heat and the monsoon rains, so it made sense to continue the build as all of the current students and even some of the ones that had left wanted to continue their education at Asempanaye School.
I had left Ghana when the build started but Barbara my co-volunteer was there for another 8 weeks so the funds I collected I transferred to her and she paid the workers and suppliers and project managed the build and as she is a student engineer/planner, she was not phased by this. Barbara drew out plans to extend the school room in to a community Library and an office for Ruby the Head as she currently just takes one of the desks and puts it under a tree which is not ideal in rainy season.
The building is now complete with a roof, windows and doors and all that is left to do is to paint and put down the floor tiles in the library and office. It will then be kitted out with furniture and book shelves.... All we need now is the books. Ummm!
The Future is bright
Kids in this village don't have mobiles, tables, computers or WIFI and at the moment no books either unless volunteers leave any behind. This is why it is so important for them to have access to books.
Its all good having a new Library but not much good without books and they mostly want English books, so not really a job for Barbara as she is Austrian.
Albeit Twi is the native language in this village; there are at least 46 indigenous languages. English is also an official language of Ghana due to it being part of the British Colony until 1957. Because of this they have UK plug sockets too which was very convenient in the compound but not much use in the school as the electric is not connected.
Barbara and I have continued to fund raise and hopefully Barbara will be able to get electricity to the new building and maybe the school and I am in the process of trying to raise money towards the shipping costs of sending over a pallet of 1,000 books.
The books will be sent from a charity called 'Books2Africa' however I need £500 for the shipping and another £500 for duty and for them to be taken to the school . I am writing to as many companies as I can with hope that I can get enough funding by the end of the year to send over the books as they can take up to 3 to 4 months to arrive.
Please! Please! help if you can as this will be my last shot at fundraising and I want to order the books before the end of the year
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If you or if you know a business that could help to provide some funding to get the books sent over it doesn't matter how little as it all adds up , we will be truly grateful.
Here are the account details and the funding link:
Michele Burton Account Number: 72555960 Sort Code: 30-99-06
My fellow volunteers
When I arrived at Gold Camp (The Compound) there were three of us who did orientation together the day before; Barbara from Austria and Helina from Doncaster and myself and we hit it off straight away. We met with Amy, Sky and Nula who were university students from the UK and Stefany from Brazil who was there until mid November and when Amy, Sky and Nula left Sara from Italy and Carmen from Connecticut, USA arrived.
The six of us bonded really quicklyl, sharing our highs and lows and enjoying the art of giving. Spending time with each other at the weekends, taking in the sites and culture of Ghana.
Its amazing what six people can achieve in just a few weeks and I am so very proud of them all. Helina, Stefany, Sara and Carman sponsored 20 children to go to school in two separate villages, some of them for 2 years and some until they finish their education. Helina bought kitchen utensils required for the child care project and Stefany also raised enough funds to provide every child in the school with a new school uniform ,new plimsoles and a new school bag. She also bought educational supplies and posters for two schools and provided the whole community with a bag of rice and a bottle of oil and to be honest there were a lot more things that were done for the community by the volunteers such as supplying toffee, lollipops and biscuits to the children and buying balls for the kids in the compound and much more.
'Get me out of here' bridge at the national park and Boti Falls where a complete rainbow shone through the waterfall the whole time we were there and yes we did have a swim.
Summary
It was an amazing and enlightening experience full of laughter, tears , frustration and quiet contemplation. It was certainly the earliest I ever went to bed as there is not a lot to do after dark except scribble in our journals of which most of us kept. Apart from weekends of course when we could let our hair down and have some me time.
The people of Ghana treated us like celebrities and were very warm, loving and always smiling. Their language does away with connecting words so when speaking they can come across as very direct. They say please and thank you a lot but not necessarily in the place you expect. But to be honest they may well think we have too many words and over complicate sentences. As I often say ' there is no right or wrong just different'
I stepped out of my comfort zone to do this adventure as I had never even taken a plane on my own before, let alone spent a whole month in close confinement with complete strangers half my age in a country so far away from home. I learnt so much from the Ghanaian people and from my fellow volunteers. Doing this has enriched my life and hopefully those of others too and It is an experience I hope I never forget .
Would I recommend this experience and would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY!! In fact if you have got this far in my blog then I would say you have the stamina for it yourself......Phew!
Boti Falls swollen from the monsoon rains.