Care & Community - GHANA Volunteer Stories

Care in Ghana – Sukey Ho

During my time in Ghana I combined working in a hospital and in day care placements. I stayed for 2 months in the Akuapem Hills which I thought was ideal as there were friendly villagers in an amazing setting, a cooler climate and being surrounded by breathtaking scenery.

My host family were wonderful and I will never forget my stay with them and the chickens which were my 5am wake up call. I lived alongside so many animals - a family of dogs, goats and a cat and frogs which came out at night. There was a school and a kindergarten down the road and of course the other volunteers I lived with. I felt completely at home there as they treated me like family, I went to church and even met the chief of the village with them on my host sister's birthday. I spent a lot of time with my host family especially my host sisters who I played with around the house. Their cousins also lived next door so there was always some sort of mischief going on every time I came back from work.

I loved the meals of red red and plantain and quickly adapted to the local food with no end to eggs and chicken! As expected, I had to learn a different way of living; with only the basics but it was definitely worthwhile as I learnt so much about what I value most. Another part of living there was appreciating completely different things and having to learn how to do normal things differently like hand washing all my clothes, collecting water every time I needed to wash and the best way to have bucket showers! As I was there during the rainy season, every time it rained the electricity went off so candles and torches were a must. All of that was strange at first but doing it for 2 months became natural and it was strange coming back home to running water and hot showers.

It was easy to meet people from fellow volunteers to the Ghanaians living around me and those I met on my travels. Ghanaian friendliness and generosity is amazing and will never forget the endless 'obroni' calls, the "'how are you?' 'I am fine'" conversations along with the fragments of the local language Twi I managed to pick up.

My placement in the hospital was fascinating. I had just finished my first year of medicine and had some experience of clinical medicine and knowledge of healthcare in a developing country. My experience taught me so much more than what I had learnt in a hospital that lacked in facilities, expertise and equipment. I observed and helped in a few wards, spending most of my time in the maternity ward and saw a stark contrast with healthcare back home. The nurses and doctors in the hospital were great and it was from them I gained a new insight into the different attitudes people had towards their health and how they should treat according to the resources available.

It was hard to see how money was such an issue when it came to treatment as many patients did not have health insurance. During my time in postnatal and antenatal classes I could see just how different the view towards pregnancy and having children was. Unlike back home where issues such as quitting smoking and healthy eating are promoted, this was completely unheard of in Ghana where few people smoke and healthy foods are not widely available and so supplements are given instead. It was an interesting contrast but there were many similarities like emphasis on breastfeeding and vaccinations.

Teaching in a day care centre for kids from any age between 2-5 years was equally interesting and a lesson in organisation and structure. Again, the teachers I worked with were fantastic and knew the ins and outs of what worked for the children. It was always interesting to compare the values of Ghanaian children to those back home and just how different the education is there. As they were so young, sometimes teaching would be hard as there was no set curriculum and there was a huge range of abilities to read and write. The classes were also huge - having a group of over 30 children in a classroom with a tin roof when it was raining was an interesting experience! Teaching in Adom Day Care was definitely about persisting and patience as Ghanaian children have such a different outlook on life that takes time to learn and understand.

Alongside volunteering, I managed to travel all around Ghana. I spent most weekends travelling with fellow volunteers to different places - canoeing on a lake, beaches scattered along fishing villages, trekking up to the Wli waterfalls, seeing elephants in Mole National Park, the slave castles of Cape Coast and Elmina and so many more places along the way. Each trip provided an array of sights and sounds, there were so many beautiful landscapes and scenes around the rural parts of Ghana and along the coast.

Everywhere I went there was music and dancing - one memorable event was on my first week where another volunteer and I went for drumming and dancing lessons from the African Academy. I treasure the memories I formed in my travels along with the cramped tro tro rides and absurd situations I found myself in like sitting on the back of an agricultural truck filled with corn and sleeping on a rooftop under the stars. It was also a lesson in independence and endurance as planning travels and organising where to go and stay had to be done in advance - there was no such thing as timetables and reliable transport! You had to be flexible and take hold of any opportunity that came your way.

The times I had in Ghana will stay with me for a long time. I met so many people who I keep in contact with and learnt so much about a different culture along with discovering my own values. I will never forget the endless 'pure water' sachets and fan ices, early morning walks and being woken up by chickens knowing that I was in an amazing country just waiting to be explored.

Sukey Ho