Volunteer: Robert Jones
Project: Primary School Teaching and working in an Orphanage
Dates: 1 July - 27 August 2006
How was your experience in Africa?
Volunteering in Africa was everything that I wanted it to be and more. Asides from the project itself, the friendliness of the people, the fantastic opportunities available for travel and exploration within the country, and the friends that I made throughout my time in Ghana made it the best experience of my life.
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What did you think of the Project?
My project was an extremely challenging, but immensely enjoyable one. I was placed in a very derelict and poorly-ran school (upon arrival only 3/6 classes had teachers, and those teachers sat outside for the vast majority of the day eating nuts - they were dumbfounded by our work ethic!), but this I think added to the tremendous experience, rather than taking anything away from it.
I was given my own class to teach, and was not given any restrictions on what I ought to teach, nor was I told how I should or shouldn't teach them. |
Though that might sound a little daunting, after 5 minutes I soon got to realise the level of the class and after a few days it becomes clear what concepts and techniques need to be improved, or indeed introduced to the kids.
Seeing the class develop over the months that I was there was unbelievably rewarding. I can't wait to go back to Ghana to see how they're all getting on.
What was the accommodation like?
I felt nothing but welcome and comfortable throughout the entirety of my stay in Ghana. Sleeping in the house with the same kids that were in my class meant that so much extra work was done ‘after hours' and we were generally able to gain a much better insight into how they were being treated and what we cold do to help in the future.
The food was fantastic and always pentiful, and we were always looked after with hot water for baths and traditional Ghanaian remedies for colds! |
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Also, although we were warned very strongly - both before arrival and whilst there - about the risk of malaria in Ghana. I was pleasantly surprised when none of my volunteer friends, nor I, actually fell foul of the disease. I think this is largely due to the organisation's care in placing all its volunteers in the safest, whilst also most genuinely African environments possible.
Were you pleased with Real Gap?
Absolutely. The outstanding feature of Real Gap for me was the flexibility of it's programmes, which made my GAP year so much simpler to organise. Not only that, but I felt like the affiliated organisation in Ghana provided the most challenging projects available.
Not one person I met in the orientation week complained of having an easy time of it - we were all thrown into the deep end, in the best possible sense. The orientation too was superb in giving us all a firm foundation of understanding of how to operate in Ghana, and also in allowing us to meet other volunteers from all around the world. I was fortunate to make some fantastic friends during my time in Ghana because of this.
 Further information on the Community Volunteer Projects Ghana
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