I want to experience what life is like in Ghana! A wonderful reason to come and volunteer in Ghana! You can already see it coming…. As beautiful as this reason is, it often goes ‘wrong’. I’m going to share in this article what I mean by this. But first I’m going to emphasize once again that I don’t want to discourage anyone from coming to Ghana! In contrary!!!! I would like everyone to come and discover Ghana.
But not to save Ghana…… To enjoy everything Ghana has to offer! Want to read what Ghana has to offer? Click here!
African and Ghanaian life has many aspects. It is impossible to experience all aspects during 1 volunteering experience.
How can volunteering in Africa go wrong when the reason for coming is so good?
The food is dirty is a statement I have heard more than once from volunteers who stayed with a host family. It’s too hot, it’s too dusty, life is slow….. These statements have a few things in common. 1. The volunteers who have said this have all said that they want to experience life in Ghana. 2. The volunteers made these statements during their first week in Ghana. The statements are judgments, conclusions.
The good news is that many volunteers in Ghana eventually change their mind.
I get very happy when volunteers eventually adjust their opinions, judgment or conclusion. And fortunately, that happens very often. Those ‘crazy or dirty’ dough balls are eventually ordered into restaurants by the same volunteer who claimed it was dirty. The hot weather and the slower pace are missed when one is back in Europe and that dust, that becomes the charm of Africa.
How a mobile phone can stop you from experiencing life in Ghana
I want to experience life in Ghana….. And in the meantime, you’re sitting on your phone watching what parties you’re missing. Are you constantly video-calling people from home and telling you a hundred about life here in Ghana. But do you have time to experience life in Ghana? I know better than anyone how tempting the phone is and how much fun it is to take a look at this and check out Instagram… Unfortunately, I see many people who are left in the west by their mobile phone with 1 leg and are in Ghana with one leg. How can you experience life in Ghana?
My tip for you when you really want to experience Ghana or any other country in Africa
Volunteering in Africa is for yourself, it’s to give yourself the chance to learn, to experience and to enjoy in a culture that is different from yours. When you know that and realize it and when this is ok for you. Then a world opens up for you! Promised!
Also available in English
Can I help you prepare for your Ghana adventure?
I want to ensure that you come up with a mindset that allows you to enjoy, experience, experience and learn in Gha naA mindset that will ensure that your good intentions and good intentions do not inadvertently do more harm than good…
I’m very keen to help you on your way in Ghana and a good start for that is the E-book/ workbook that I released a few months ago.
“I want to do good in Africa” That’s what many people tell me when I ask; Why do you want to volunteer in Africa? My answer…. Then you should stay home and send a donation to a good (local) project. Sounds harsh, doesn’t it? It’s definitely not meant to be that way! I don’t want to scare you into coming either. Your visit to Ghana alone is helping the local economy, so your goal has already been achieved. Do you want to know why I’m taking this position anyway? Continue reading!
Why do you want to do good in Africa?
Because Africa is poor. People are pathetic. They need help. There’s nothing in Africa. Africa is torn apart by war and dictators. There’s no water in Africa. People don’t have houses. Africans are hungry. Babies are sick. This is the image that many Westerners (unconsciously) have of Africa. But what is this image based on? And is it? Are all 54 African countries poor? Are there no houses in Ghana?
Why can’t you just stay in Ghana for a long time?
You can also come to Africa with a different mindset. You can see your adventure as a journey where you experience, get to know a different culture and can explore another country. When you go to a Western country for a longer period of time, do you also feel the necessity want to contribute?
What is good doing in Africa anyway?
I often see projects where European young people literally come to build houses in Ghana. The young people are happy because they really do their bit. They are very busy with mason and carpenter work. Until they’re tired… Why do they build in Ghana with these huge blocks? And why do they mix the cement with a shovel and not with a machine? What these young people don’t know is that if they weren’t there, the house would be finished much faster.
What skills do you have to help in Ghana or other countries in Africa?
This question is in line with the previous question. And the question could be even more extensive. What skills do you have that local people don’t have? For example, it is very nice to help paint and there are certainly projects where volunteers, also local volunteers, paint. Especially when there is little money available. But there are also professional painters in Africa. What is more sustainable? That the Western volunteer paints, or that the Western volunteer raises funds so that a local painter can be hired? This question naturally applies to all possible skills.
“But Pat, with Moon&Star guesthouse, don’t you offer volunteer placement?”
Someone from a volunteer organization asked this question this week, quite rightly, in response to the Ghana coach’s posts over the past few weeks on Social media. And it’s a question I’ve asked myself many times over the years. And ultimately the reason why volunteer work through Moon&Star guesthouse has changed dramatically over the last couple of years. Click here to read more about the sustainable volunteering Moon&Star guesthouse is offering!
I want to encourage everyone to come to Africa, also for a longer period!
I’m not asking these questions to discourage you from coming to Ghana. In contrary!!!! I want everyone to discover Ghana. But not to save Ghana…… To enjoy everything Ghana has to offer! And enjoying that is fine when you come to volunteer in Ghana or the rest of Africa. I just want to make sure that you come with a mindset that allows you to enjoy, experience and learn. A mindset that will ensure that your good intentions do not inadvertently do more harm than good…
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