Volunteering at school in Ghana

Arrival in Ghana

At the beginning of August I flew to Ghana for seven weeks. At the airport in Accra I was picked up by George at night. The first way led me to Mama Mina, who greeted me warmly. For the next ten days I slept with Mama Irene. On the first day, I went on a city tour with George, where I rode Trotro for the first time and was able to experience what was happening at Kaneshi Market. After the tour, I realized for the first time that I was in Africa.

In the evening there were riceballs with groundnut soup, which I enjoyed eating, but which put a bit of stress on my stomach. So I had the problem ticked off for the next few weeks.

Orientation Program

At the weekend I had time to spend with the other volunteers. On Monday we were introduced to the rules and learned a few words of Twi. The drum and dance course followed on Tuesday. On Wednesday we heard the most important rules again from Mama Mina. In the afternoon we spent our time at the Kaneshi Market. In the evening we were partying, which you can also do very well in Accra. Thursday afternoon we newbies cooked dinner for everyone else under Eric's guidance. On Friday we went in a larger group to the Shai Hills, an antelope and monkey national park just outside of Akosombo. On Saturday we were there in the National Park and then at a small waterfall. Sunday I went to church with Mama Mina. That was really an experience and very different from Germany.

Living in the host family

In the evening I took a taxi to Mama Rita in Gbawe. I lived there for the next six weeks. The family included Mama Rita, two host brothers and two housemaids. Most of the time I shared a room with another volunteer. We got along well and did a lot together. In the meantime there were three of us. I enjoyed living with the host family because it felt like home, so I got to see real everyday life in Ghana.

My activities at school

During the weekdays I worked in a primary school, which was a five-minute walk away. The first two weeks were still summer vacation, so I taught vacation class until noon. The teacher let me teach a lot by myself. At first I had some trouble understanding the kids because they had a heavy accent. It was probably not always easy for them to understand my English in class either.

Other teaching methods than in Germany

Frontal teaching was common in elementary school. Most of my time I adjusted to this and kept my hours in the same pattern as my colleague. She gave me a free morning to prepare my own materials. In station work, the children created a booklet about Germany. The level of noise and the children's laughter indicated that they were enjoying this different class.

I liked working with the children, even though they often behave differently than the children in German elementary schools. What shocked me the most was that children only respect adults when they know they can be hit. On the contrary, I found it difficult to answer the Ghanaian teachers' question as to how German teachers manage to get the children to respect them and follow their instructions.

Conclusion of my volunteer work in Ghana

Even if the work at German elementary schools is very different from my work at elementary school, I have gained self-confidence and don't want to miss the experience. My time in Ghana was also an incredibly great experience for me because of the trips to the Volta Region and Cape Coast on the weekends.

Volunteering at the school in Ghana Field report by Rebecca R.