Laura Gier, Germany; International Management Student.

 

I came to Ghana on July 1, 2011 and spent six weeks with the organization Dream Ghana, working at the New Life Orphanage International in Nungua, Accra (orphanage and teaching placement).

 

The organization

Dream Ghana is the perfect volunteer organization to go for, especially in case it’s your first time to Africa. The program directors are very welcoming, support was always available, well-organized and very personal, advice (concerning work, transports, trips etc.) was always reliable and helpful. Plus, the program fee is low in comparison to international volunteer organizations. For a volunteer stay in Ghana, I would always recommend Dream Ghana as the organization who accompanies you best during this unique experience!

 

My host family

My host family was an extended Ghanaian family living together in one compound (several houses on a fenced area) and hosting several volunteers at a time. The whole family was very welcoming and lovely and always had an ear for our questions etc. Room and facilities were very good and the food just great. Great hosts and a good atmosphere that made me feel at home.

 

The volunteer placement

I spent the six weeks in Ghana working at the New Life Orphanage International in Nungua, Accra. I worked as a teacher for the younger classes in the orphanage’s school and spent a lot of time with the children (about 50 children from 2 years to 17 years old) at the orphanage during their free time, with sports, reading, creative arts etc. All the people I worked with were very friendly and really committed, the kids are all lovely and very smart. Working with them was a really unique experience for me, interesting and a lot of fun, I enjoyed every single day.

 

Travelling and going out…

Although Accra is definitely a great place to stay – very busy, interesting historical sites, shops, bars, markets, nightlife…etc. I spent several week-ends travelling and so got the chance to see a lot of interesting places and different parts of Ghana. Ghana is a great country to travel, with beautiful landscape, lots of sights and towns to visit throughout the whole country. Travelling was easy to organize and hassle-free, I met a lot of people (Ghanaians are very, very friendly and always willing to help a lost "obruni" (white person) and it made my Ghanaian experience unforgettable.

 

Ghana is a welcoming and interesting country, I had an amazing and really unforgettable time living and working there, and first of all thanks to Dream Ghana.