Exploring Ghana

I arrived in Ghana four months ago, and I’m writing this brief report  to share my first impressions and experiences  of  my  life here in Accra, interacting with  the local people and  learning from  their culture.  I have  always  been  interested in the culture and the social reality of  Africans countries, so that was one of the main reasons  why I applied  to volunteer in Ghana: to be able to know  the system from its internal structure, see the real situation  of the country,  and to have the opportunity to take part of a very  interesting and motivating project with children from local schools.

 I'm volunteering for VOUCH  (Volunteers for Youth, Children and Health Care) subsidized by the EU and executed by European  Voluntary Service (Youth-in-Action) and the joint  efforts of  two organisations: AMAIDI International and  YouNet from Italy, that helped me to have this  great opportunity of  being a volunteer in Ghana.

I’m  part of the Happy Children Project, one of the projects attended by Hope and Service to Mankind Foundation, my Host organization, here in Ghana, that promotes basic education for  the students  from low income families. My labour consists of teaching  at  two local schools: Continental School, at Ashaiman District  and Liberty School, at Klagon.  As  I’m not a professional teacher, I’m focus on  trying  to support  the educational system of the students, by promoting an cultural exchange with the children, sharing with them my personal experiences coming from a different country and culture.

 My day  at school starts at 8.30 am and I close around 3 or 4 pm depending on which school I have to teach. At Continental School I teach kindergarten students.They are between 4 and 6 years old. They learn  how to make  basic math operations: additions, substractions, and multiplications. We also make spelling and vocabulary exercises in English. With these little ones, my favourite subject  is Creative  Arts.

One of the first things I realized when I started to work at school, was that most of them do not have much manual dexterity. They find difficult to cut  out figures with scissors, to color neatly and to draw something from imagination  without copying it from a picture. All these materials needed for this subject  are expensive so it’s not easy for them to be able to practice at home like a hobbie or an entertainment activity.  This is one of the point I’m  working on, to help them to stimulate their own capacity for creativity.

At  Liberty School I teach class six basic Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Religious and  Moral education.I prepare dynamic activities that allow them to work together in groups, and also to develop an own and   independent way  of thinking. We learn and discuss about different  matters that affect the  ghaneian society.  I’m interested in knowing  their own perception about the  reality  of other places outside Ghana. We also talk about international news, we work with  newspapers and select the most important news to  debate about them. The English subject is not my strong point, so in order to overcome this, I organise  funny writing exercises for the students, so they can practice and use language skills as writing letter, speeches, and learn  how to speak in public properly, etc.

 I also use  text books as a reference of some subjects and I prepare for them,  games based on the topic we are talking about, so we can learn each other  through a creative way.

During the break time  students show me how to play  their games, and how to sing traditional songs.

They love dancing, this is the best way they have to express themselves, by moving their bodies.  I enjoy a lot dancing with them. Luch time is the moment  we have for chatting  and  sharing  laughs.

Most of them are coming from large families that unfortunately have a very little income. 

The older students explain to me how hard is for them to pay the school fees. Despite of this bad situation, they are very enthusiastic and positive children, always thinking about studying more to be able to have a better future and of course, to be able to travel.

Talking to my students in one of our last classes together, about the importance of having goals in life, almost all  of them said that  their  biggest goal  or wish in life, would be to travel around the world.  

They really  want  to see other countries, to know other people and to learn from their cultures.

 It  is pretty curious to observe the effects of this globalized world, that make people from a determinate society, like ghanaian society for example; to take famous  footballers, singers and actors from faraway countries with totally different lifestyles.as their idols and role models. 

My students  admire them  so much and they dream about  becoming as successful as these people are.  

I always ask them why  they  are so sure that the meaning of being successful in life it's  to become a  rich and famous man or woman.  

'What about the rest of the people on  earth ?  The ones that have normal lifes, and normal jobs. 

Do you think they are not successful in life just because they are not on tv and they are not rich?- I  wonder.

 They look at me still  wide-eyed, because for them it's pretty obvious that  the concept of being successful and consequently happy in life; is totally related to have money, fame and  public admiration. 

 So we discuss about this. I listen to them and  I can see that this way of thinking comes from what they see on the mass medias, on tv and Internet. Our society  exalts and idealizes famous people, putting them like  they were social mirrors where the young generations have to look at. It is worrying to inculcate these superficial ideas and values in the children minds,  promoting  frivolous  aspirations and making them forget about the importance  of trying to achieve intimate self-realization, regardless of material values you have in life. 

It's good to want to be  successful, but it's also necessary to re-difine this concept and think about what is really important to get in life.

I enjoy a lot spending my time with them.I believe  I'm learning from them more than what they are learning from me.  

Volunteering it's a matter of sharing experiences of life with local people, and I feel very greatful because everyday I have the chance of seeing the world and myself from a different perspective, and this makes me open my mind and feel part of this reality.