Rachel Burchnell, Di
Ann Casteel, and I had a fantastic experience during our assignment with Village Volunteers this summer. For three weeks, the three of us worked in the Basic School in Atorkor during the week and toured on the weekends. This experience was most rewarding due to the superb organization of our In-Country Coordinator in Accra, Gunadiish Nyavie, our Atork
or coordinator Seth Kordorwu, and the school Headmistress, Mr. Beaulah Mensah-Tetteh. It is obvious that the Atorkor Development Foundation is quite active in pursuing the best avenues for the community and the schools of their village. We were greeted with individuals who were interested in our welfare and appreciative of our efforts to share our ideas.
First, we were very pleased with our accommodations as the three of us were able to share a room in the family house of the Dufia. Although the electricity was off during our stay, we were delighted to have a bathroom with running water for our daily shower. Bernard was our caretaker, who furnished us with all the bottled water we desired. He also was always trying to accommodate us in various ways, including carrying our luggage up and down our stairs and recharging our night light each day. He usually walked with us to lunch and dinner meals at Belinda’s House. Belinda made every effort to fix a variety of foods and to accommodate our special food requests.
Next, the Headmistress and the staff and students were so welcoming and eager for us to teach a group of Grade 1 students Basic English vocabulary a
nd for us to conduct a Teacher Workshop. Although we usually worked from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00, the students and teachers worked hard to learn new methods. The test we conducted for the students and the workshop survey indicated we were successful. The smiles on the faces and the farewell hugs were all the reward we needed to let us know that our efforts were appreciated. We also felt very special during the welcoming ceremony and when the ADF presented us with a dress fashioned from Batik. We hope our contact with them continues in the future.
Our excursions were Central, Ashanti, and Eastern. All were interesting and included a variety of sites. Our hotel and meal accommodations were excellent. We especially enjoyed our visit to Volta Lake, the Cocoa farm, and the waterfalls in the Eastern Region. Also, in the Central Region, we had fun swaying on the six canopy bridges in the Kakum National forest and listening to the informative guide who identified the trees and plants and their various uses. The tour of Elmina, the slave castle, was also excellent. The tour of the Cape Coast castle was much the same, but the tour guide and tourists seemed somewhat hostile. We chose to souvenir shop rather than finish this tour. The visit
to the coast for the volunteers to swim or relax was also a treat. Of the three, Ashanti was the most disappointing. The four hour bus ride was really six hours, and because our guide did not follow the schedule, we only saw three of the seven sites scheduled. In Accra, we were signed up for the cloth making lessons, which we assumed would be making the Kenta cloth; however, it was they dyeing of Batik. The experience made for a long day, but we learned method. We probably would not have signed up for that class if we had realized it was not learning to use the loom to make cloth.
Sharing our experiences with other Village Volunteers on the excursions was fun and helpful. Our village assignment could not have been better. We felt very lucky to have been placed in Atorkor. Overall, I must say the welcoming and accommodating spirit of the villagers as well as the guides made our visit to Ghana a memorable experience. I especially want to sing praises to Gunadiish who made every effort to ensure our safety and to accommodate our needs and requests. I highly recommend Village Volunteers to those who would like to volunteer their services and visit Ghana.
Christine Keys
Limestone, Tennessee USA
ADF, ATORKOR
June 12 – July 1, 2008
Ann Casteel, and I had a fantastic experience during our assignment with Village Volunteers this summer. For three weeks, the three of us worked in the Basic School in Atorkor during the week and toured on the weekends. This experience was most rewarding due to the superb organization of our In-Country Coordinator in Accra, Gunadiish Nyavie, our Atork
or coordinator Seth Kordorwu, and the school Headmistress, Mr. Beaulah Mensah-Tetteh.
Next, the Headmistress and the staff and students were so welcoming and eager for us to teach a group of Grade 1 students Basic English vocabulary a
nd for us to conduct a Teacher Workshop. Although we usually worked from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00, the students and teachers worked hard to learn new methods. The test we conducted for the students and the workshop survey indicated we were successful. The smiles on the faces and the farewell hugs were all the reward we needed to let us know that our efforts were appreciated. We also felt very special during the welcoming ceremony and when the ADF presented us with a dress fashioned from Batik. We hope our contact with them continues in the future.
to the coast for the volunteers to swim or relax was also a treat. Of the three, Ashanti was the most disappointing. The four hour bus ride was really six hours, and because our guide did not follow the schedule, we only saw three of the seven sites scheduled. In Accra, we were signed up for the cloth making lessons, which we assumed would be making the Kenta cloth; however, it was they dyeing of Batik. The experience made for a long day, but we learned method. We probably would not have signed up for that class if we had realized it was not learning to use the loom to make cloth.
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