Name: Claire Padgett
Programme: Ghana Community Volunteers: HIV/AIDS awareness

How did Real Gap assist you? Very approachable and I could ask anything I needed to before I departed for Ghana. What was the accommodation like? Extremely clean and they are a lovely, hospitable family. I had my own bedroom that I could lock and it had all the facilities I could need. There was no running water, however this I got used to and the family provide facilities to enable showering and flushing the toilet etc. Every 72 hours the electricity goes off for 12 but this is easy to become adjusted to.

What did you think of the programme? I thoroughly enjoyed the programme and felt that I taught people a lot and I was very useful. What was the most memorable moment of your trip? Teaching children in a secondary school about H.I.V. and the look on the children's faces that you were taking time to be with them. Answering the questions they have and discussing the differences about England and Ghana was great.

How have you benefited from your experience? How have you changed? I have become extremely more patient and learned the African way of life.  I have become more open-minded and understand how poverty affects people's lives. I had to be more self-sufficient than I originally thought and had to use my initiative in finding places to do the project.

• You must have a lot of knowledge about the subject as they have a lot of questions!
• To take H.I.V. materials such as condoms and leaflets.
• Do not compare negatively the life in Africa to Europe - it is completely different.
• Be extremely open-minded and respect the African way of life. 
• Try not to offend their beliefs and culture, for example I found their religious beliefs hard to understand.  There is a big belief in witchcraft and some people think that witches transmit H.I.V. to people who are ‘bad'.  I had to be careful and just explain the only ways that it is transmitted.  
• Children will stand at the side of the streets shouting ‘Obruni' which translates to white person, they like touching you to feel your skin and hair.  It is done in a very friendly manner and they just want to learn about you. 
• Accept the African culture and enjoy it. 
• Accept the lifestyle and just ‘go with the flow'.