Home

Cameroon

Ghana

Morocco

Volunteer
Reports

Costs

Application
Form

Donations

FAQ

Contact

Brochure

Newsletters

Sophie Wilsdon in Ghana - 1998

Induction Programme
In general, I thought that the induction programme was very well planned and carried out, with consideration given to several different priorities and interests. I wasn't expecting the wonderful welcome we received by the people of Ahotokurom and Abee, and I think that that was the most special part of those first couple of weeks. It was humbling and very moving to meet and be welcomed by the respective chiefs of Abee and Atonqwa, as well as the elders of Camp and the Archbishop. I was touched and felt extremely privileged to be treated with such respect by these people who as far as I could see deserved far more respect than any of us.

The attention we received from Mark and the Sisters was warm and very understanding to our needs. I was constantly surprised by the patience shown to us regarding our difficulties with heat and culture shock. I had been expecting much less understanding! I felt very safe with all the people in Ahotokurom, and it quickly became like home. I immediately felt able to relax in the company of the Sisters and Mark.

However, I also think that with hindsight, I can say that I don't think we would have been able to cope without this amount of help. The heat was completely overpowering and it made the whole experience a lot harder to deal with. Because of this, the constant rushing around meeting people wore us down quickly. I think we needed to spend a day independently, exploring and relaxing by ourselves, in order to fully take in and digest what was happening. I think it would have been better if we had been able to have this before the second Friday of our arrival, which was, in fact, our first "day off". It wasn't just a question of not doing anything though. I found it hard to fully relax and evaluate what we'd done whilst still in the physical and mental heat of meeting, greeting and so that included being in Abee.

Because of the first couple of weeks being so full of meetings and events, it was all a bit confusing, especially as to who everyone was. I was very confused as to who Aunty Atta was for quite a while, and also to the role of several other people who were to become our best friends and family. However, there were so many people to meet that it would have been very difficult to have made it any easier to keep track of who everyone was.

I really enjoyed meeting so many different people during the induction programme. We were definitely launched straight into the culture and lifestyle of Ghana, which is what I hoped for. I found it fascinating to talk to people from so many different walks of life. Mrs Comi with her knowledge of women in Ghanaian society, the doctor with his experience in leprosy, the British High Commissioner, the Chief of Atonqwa ... I will never forget how understanding he was of our difficulties in understanding some of the traditions and cultures. These were all additional extras which we really appreciated - thank you.

Accommodation / Abee
Living in Abee added other elements to our life in Ghana that we would have had no experience of had we lived in Ahoto like the volunteers before us. It gave the five of us the opportunity to get to know each other quickly and become closer and of more help to each other than if we had lived in Ahoto. That was a stretching and learning experience in itself, but I think living on our own forced us to look after ourselves a lot more, and also, more importantly perhaps, to look after each other, creating the sister-like bond that grew up amongst us. Coming home every night to our own home and the privacy it gave us was very important to us. Again, I very much appreciated the respect everyone gave us regarding our privacy and own space. I learned a lot from living with the girls, and that separate experience is something I would never want to change.

Living in a real Ghanaian village was obviously the other advantage and unique experience we got from living in Abee. I felt so privileged and lucky to be accepted and become part of village life. I think I only realised in the last week or so the full extent of our attachment and links to Abee, with our party and the leaving ceremony with the elders. It did take us a long time to venture out into the village properly, and that is something I would do differently if I were to do it again, but I understand that living in Abee was a totally new experience for everyone and no one really knew how it was going to work. But in leaving it up to us to really get involved, we were forced to do things for ourselves, which gave us more confidence and independence in the long run. If we had lived in Ahoto, we would have missed out on the Abee football matches, dancing at the bar, getting to know all our friends in Abee and at Prisons and probably ten marriage proposals a day! That kind of independence gave me the courage to join Ankaful Choir as well, something I did because I felt confident enough to go into a village on my own. The friends we made in Bright and Aunty Atta were obviously a huge part of our life in Abee, and it was thanks to them that it became so special to us. Bright was there for us from the beginning, coming round to greet us every day, and always asking us if we wanted to come over to watch TV or go and play draughts at Prisons. Our relationship with Aunty Atta is something that just wouldn't have existed if we had lived in Ahoto.

I also think that by us living in Abee, it gave Mark and the Sisters some valuable space and privacy to themselves. Although I have no doubt that our relationships would have been just as close had we lived in Ahoto, I think it gave us all the chance to get on with things on our own if we needed to. We were made to feel totally part of the Ahoto family, but I always feel that it wasn't fair for us to intrude on absolutely everything.

The actual house was beyond all my expectations. It was more than adequate for us, and we would have been fine with less. The rooms were more than big enough, the kitchen and bathroom had everything we needed, and the gazebo was like an oasis in those first weeks of sun baked exhaustion. Mark and Glad deserve so much thanks for letting complete strangers stay in their new house. Gladyss' cooking was wonderful and the love we felt from her was incomparable. I really appreciated the time and effort put into looking after us by Gladyss, and the system of her and Aunty Atta's team worked brilliantly! The problems we had with our general food shopping could be put down to lack of communication on our part I think, and for that I am truly sorry for all the upset we caused. I do think it would have been easier if we had bought the additional food, having been given a budget to stick to. It just gave Glad and Mark additional jobs to do that would have been less stressful for us to do. However, each group will be different, and it may be that the next group would prefer the system we had.

The water and light problems we experienced in Abee were fully part of the experience and if I had to do it all again, there is no way I would change that at all. It was very hard to cope with the shortages at times, but the way I saw it was that without that we would had had it far too easy. We needed something like that to stop us living too well and too removed from the rest of Abee. We lived so much better than the villagers, and although there was barely any jealousy or resentment, it felt right that we should experience the same problems as the rest of the village for once.

Placement
In the first few weeks of our time in Ghana, there was so much going on that I didn't feel that I could have chosen one placement above all the others to spend my six months. I feel very lucky as a Gap Year worker in general when I talk to other friends who have done similar projects this year, and who didn't have the choice of work that we had.

At times, the six day week seemed very long and tiring, but I always felt that we could say to Mark when we were finding it hard. The only problem I felt we did have, was at times the lack of communication which was due to busy schedules and difficulties in making contact. At times it was unavoidable, but it did create tensions and confusions that were unnecessary if we had had time to speak to each other. At the beginning, although we knew that Mark was officially responsible for our placements, he was so often away or busy, so it was sometimes easier to talk to Sr Pat, much to her annoyance! I'm very sorry if we caused problems or additional stress for any of you — at times we were just a little confused as to who we should talk to.

The work at Camp did come as quite a shock at first, as we were definitely not made aware of the extent to which we would be working there before we left. That doesn't change my enjoyment of the work there though. I'm almost glad that I didn't know how much we'd be working there before we came, because I think it would have put me off, yet now I look back on my time at Camp as some of the most enjoyable work I did. I'd never done anything like that before and probably never will again (unless I come back soon...), and I am so grateful for having had the opportunity to do it in the time I was there. The other placements were equally as rewarding. I would have liked to have worked at DMC, but when it was all being decided I wasn't confident enough to push myself forward to work there.

My favourite placement was Nursery, where I particularly enjoyed working with small groups and the special needs group. If I was to come again, I think I would try and build up a longer commitment to certain kids. However, I think the experience we had of working in so many different places gave us the unique opportunity to see so many different areas of both care and physical work.

Any problems I had in Ghana were simply minor difficulties that in no way contributed to any dampening of the experience. Those six months are the most special and unforgettable time of my life and I would do it again if I could.

The most special part of my time in Ghana will always be the people I met. Wherever we went, we met people who were prepared to go out of their way, again and again, to help us and make our experience a good one. I was constantly amazed by the amount of effort that was put into making us part of the family and to include us in things. But also the times when Mark took us to Winneba, to Mole, to Koforidua and the countless evenings of traditional drinking — all additional ways to make us feel welcome, that ate into the Mantey family's rare free time. Thank you to Sr Pat and Sr Monica for accepting more volunteers as well. I feel privileged to have been able to spend some time in your lives — thank you!

Sophie Wilsdon - September 1999