The Humanity Exchange - Volunteer Program in Ghana

Interview with Alana Shamah, Humanity Exchange-Ghana alum

GO: Why did you decide to volunteer abroad with The Humanity Exchange in Ghana?

Alana: I decided to volunteer with The Humanity Exchange for a few different reasons. When I first began my search for a volunteer program, I visited a plethora of different sites, day after day. The Humanity Exchange stood out far from the rest!

Firstly, The Humanity Exchange website was very informative. The program explained the specifics of what the opportunity entails, and also provided the reader with some background information on Ghana, and the village itself; I really liked that. It made the reader immediately feel welcome.

Secondly, many other programs I may have emailed took up to a month to get back to me; however, from the moment I emailed The Humanity Exchange expressing interest, they consistently communicated with me. Any questions I had were addressed in a very timely manner. Not only did the program communicate with me via email; I had the opportunity to speak with someone on the phone, which made all the difference! The manager of the program was amicable yet professional and again, made me feel very informed about the program.

Lastly, throughout the entire process The Humanity Exchange reassured my safety with confidence, and for all these reasons The Humanity Exchange is a program that stood out amongst the rest!

Alana volunteering in Ghana with The Humanity Exchange

GO: Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.

Alana: The Humanity Exchange promotes volunteer independence, and that was one of the most positive aspects of my experience. Though the program manager provided excellent supervision, as a volunteer I felt the program fostered a lot of independence in the volunteers, which provided endless learning opportunities and made the experience so unique. One of my favorite parts of the trip was that there wasn’t actually a “typical day”; every day brought something new and exciting.

Our morning every day started with a group breakfast, which provided valuable time for volunteers to share their ideas, thoughts and general reflections for the day. It was a great way to start the day! After that, we’d hop in a shared van and would be dropped off at the local school. The fun began the moment we stepped out of the car every day. Each volunteer was responsible for a different group of children—the opportunities presented to us were endless! For two weeks we were able to teach the local children in classrooms, followed by the opportunity to run a one week long summer camp with the same school children.

While working with the classrooms, we engaged in such a variety of activities—we taught the kids about our home countries, played word games, taught new sports (even learned some new ones!) and also ran different arts and crafts activities with all the donated material I brought from New York. We painted with watercolors, made bead bracelets, created a puppet show using popstickle sticks, and painted murals on bedsheets. We even had all the kids dancing the Chicken Dance. The kids simply loved every moment of our time with them!

Alana saying goodbye to one of her students in Ghana

GO: How has this experience impacted your future?

Alana: This experience greatly impacted my life in so many different ways! As I got to know the people and culture of Ghana during my stay I always saw such comrade, genuine compassion for others, and happiness all around. The school children may not have had any toys to play with, a clean uniform, or maybe just enough money for a small piece of bread for breakfast; the adults didn’t always have a pen or pencil to grade a test, or enough money to go to the college they wanted that year...but, they were all happy. They found happiness in the littlest things and it’s taught me the value in doing the same more often. It’s taught me to appreciate things that so many of us take for granted. I also realized that where I’m from (New York City), life moves so fast; there’s high anxiety, people always on the go, places always to be- and in turn, a lot for us to worry and stress about. Then there’s extra drama that’s created by friends and people around us, adding even more “stuff” to our lives. We live in a smartphone-obsessed, drama-frenzied culture. The next best thing. Bigger is better. Less is certainly not more. The internet is so actively a part of our lives. Drama constantly keeps us entertained, and clothes keep us stylin’. In Nkroful, the small village in which I stayed, it just wasn’t like that at all!

Adapting to this new mind-set at first honestly was a bit of a challenge. No blackberry and no internet at first was almost anxiety provoking! In the American society, we are so used to talking to everyone, knowing who’s where and what is going on, that sometimes we lose focus of what’s really important. Living in such a peaceful environment, helped me to focus on living in the moment, the importance of really taking time to focus on whatever activity is at hand; it ends up making every moment feel that much more productive! Though naturally I did have to adapt back to my NYC chaotic environment, I have found that I’ve learned to let things go more easily, not to “sweat the small stuff” as much, because there are people, communities, & countries with so much more to worry about, such bigger issues to face. Every day in Ghana, I came home SO dirty from working with the kids. I gained weight, and my hair got a bit messy. I didn’t look at a mirror for days at a time, and sometimes, we weren’t able to shower every day-but when you work with people who are so less fortunate than you- you realize all those things don’t matter at all, and your priorities start to change; now, mine have completely!

I miss Ghana very much, but it’s in my mind and heart every day! Rather than being sad, I often think about my amazing experience with The Humanity Exchange, and the importance of living life to the fullest. I have left Ghana with a sense of pride for taking a risk and trying something new, something I’ve always dreamed of doing, and truly feel a sense of urgency in encouraging my fellow friends, coworkers, or any other interested volunteers in doing the same. Try a new language. Eat a new food. Take that Zumba class. Do something alone for the first time. Apply for a new job. Go on a trip. Volunteer. Take a risk. Be fearless. I’m excited to share that I will be returning to Ghana in the summer of 2012 as the Team Leader for next year’s Ghana volunteer program. I can’t wait to visit again!

To read more about Alana's volunteer experience in Ghana, definitely checkout her personal at www.fromconcretetojungles.wordpress.com