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Running Head: CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 1

SESA WO SUBAN

A symbol of life transformation

Carly Jalees Schmidt

Human Services Program, Western Washington University

Cross Cultural Solutions Internship: Final Report/Summary

August - September, 2010

CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 2

Forward

Whenever someone asks me how my trip to Ghana was, I struggle with a response. It is

not for any negative reasons; rather, I never know where to begin telling them about all the

amazing things I did and learned because it was such an incredible experience. I could begin by

telling them about my safari in Mole National Park where I saw elephants, baboons, and

antelope. Or, I could tell them about the time I got to sit in on a micro savings and loans meeting

in the Alavanyo Dzogbedzede Community. I could also, and inevitably always do, tell them the

amazing time I had volunteering with the children in the orphanages. However, I always feel

that there are never enough words to fully capture everything I learned and experienced through

my internship in Ghana. In this essay, I will attempt to accomplish this feat.


Introduction and Justification

To begin with, I will briefly introduce my general interests and motivations. I chose to

participate in an international internship in Ghana through Cross Cultural Solutions (CCS)

because of my passion for issues facing third world countries; mainly, poverty and sustainable

development strategies. This is an incredibly important subject. Poverty is a gross social

injustice that is incredibly detrimental to far too many people throughout the world. It is a

problem that is large, complex, and incredibly challenging to solve. Because of this, it is

imperative to better understand which characteristics, types, or methods of helping organizations

are most effective in addressing poverty. Thus, I was looking for an internship in which I could

learn about and volunteer with different organizations working to help those living in poverty.

My primary internship placement was at the Hohoe Christian Orphan’s Home (HCO)

(http://www.hohoeorphanage.com/). The orphanage was recently founded in 2003 by Nicholas

Victus Abibu, in order to provide a home for the increasing number of street children he noticed

in the town. Now, the orphanage serves approximately 30 orphans by housing, feeding,

educating, and caring for children who are orphaned due to the breakdown of the extended

family system, poverty, death, etc. The main reason children end up in the orphanage, however,

is because their families simply do not have the financial resources to adequately care for them.

These children are referred to as economic orphans. In addition, there are approximately 30 day

students who just attend classes at the orphanage. I served as a teacher’s assistant and caregiver

for the children, in order to provide them with individualized attention, tutoring, and care that

they are so deprived of in an orphanage setting. At first, I was a bit apprehensive as to whether

this placement would be constructive in helping me to accomplish what I wanted to do for this

internship, as I wanted to learn more about community development organizations that addressed

the root causes of poverty. However, my experiences at the orphanage proved to be hugely


beneficial in ways I could not imagine. I learned about the issues facing orphans and Ghanaian

children in general, gained valuable cross cultural communication and other interpersonal skills,

learned the importance of focusing on helping children in development strategies, became more

flexible and adaptable, learned about the Ghanaian education system, and more. However, I

would say that the most important thing I got out of my time at the orphanage was the

relationships I was able to build with the children. After five short weeks, I became so

incredibly attached to the kids that it refocused, revitalized, and invigorated my passions for

doing something to change the structural causes of poverty that led the children, and many other

Ghanaians, into their unfortunate situations.

In addition to my time spent at the Hohoe Christian Orphanage, I engaged in a variety of

other “Intern Activities” as part of my internship program. I met with the Department of Social

Welfare to learn more about governmental programs and services offered to orphans and other

Ghanaians. I visited and volunteered in several other orphanages—House of Hope, Happy Kids

Foundation, and an SOS International Children’s Village—in order to gain new perspectives by

comparing and contrasting them. I also had the opportunity to interview, go on field trips with,

and volunteer for several local non-governmental/non-profit organizations (NGOs): a

multifaceted community development organization called Pro-Link Ghana

(http://www.prolinkghana.org/), a microcredit and savings organization called the Evangelical

Presbyterian Development Relief Agency (EPDRA), a child-based poverty alleviation

organization called Plan Ghana (http://plan-international.org/where-we-work/africa/ghana), and a

community development organization called Rural Action for the Poor (RAP). These Intern

Activities were an incredible learning opportunity. I go to learn about the different programs

http://plan-international.org/where-we-work/africa/ghana


offered to Ghanaians, identify the major challenges to such organizations, and learn more about

the most effective, sustainable ways of helping people living in poverty.

I also had the opportunity to participate in what CCS refers to as Perspective

Programming activities. I got to learn the local dialect through weekly Ewe language lessons. I

had frequent (usually twice a week or so) meetings with my Intern Supervisor to monitor my

internship progress, facilitate my learning experience, and provide a time for reflection and

feedback. Guest speakers visited our Home Base and taught us about different aspects of

Ghanaian culture, including the education system, traditional religion and culture, child labor and

child trafficking, and traditional folk tales. I also got to participate in a variety of cultural

activities including traditional drumming and dancing, a trip to Wli Waterfalls, lessons on how to

make the traditional dyed fabric called Batik, a visit to the Tafi Atome monkey sanctuary, and a

hike of the tallest mountain in Ghana. Through all of these activities, I got the opportunity to

learn about Ghanaian culture, learn about the main issues and problems facing Ghanaians, and

facilitate my own personal learning experience.

Finally, I also had many valuable experiences during my free time, whether I was simply

hanging out in Hohoe, talking with staff at the Home Base, or traveling during the weekends.

Weekend trips, however, proved to be the most educational in many ways. I learned a lot about

both myself and Ghana through the many museums and important sites we visited, from the

guides on the tours we went on, and simply through the many random experiences I had while

traveling (we all agreed that simply getting to the place of interest was half the fun). The first

weekend, my fellow volunteers and I visited the historic Cape Coast Castle, which housed slaves

during the colonial era, and visited Kakum National Forest’s to go on the Canopy Walk. The

next weekend, we traveled back to Kakum National Forest, where we visited a small community


for a tour, dinner, three hour guided hike, and a night spent in a treehouse in the middle of the

jungle. The following weekend, two of my bravest fellow volunteers and I took the 25 hour

journey to Mole National Park; where we visited an eco-village for a community tour and canoe

safari, and saw the oldest mosque in West Africa at Larabanga, and, of course, went on a safari

and saw elephants, baboons, antelope, warthogs, and more. The last weekend, we visited Lake

Volta, where we went for a boat ride on Africa’s largest artificial lake, went to the famous

Agomanya Market, and visited Cedi bead factory to learn about traditional bead-making. All of

these activities were a lot of fun, incredibly interesting and educational, expanded my knowledge

and understanding of Ghanaian culture, and resulted in personal growth as well.

To sum, I participated in a wide variety of educational activities throughout the course of

my internship in Ghana through Cross Cultural Solutions. I primarily volunteered at the Hohoe

Christian Orphanage; but in addition, I participated in Intern activities, Perspective Programming

activities, and Free Time activities. All of these greatly contributed to my personal growth,

human services education, cultural learning, and understanding of issues facing Ghanaians. It

was an incredibly valuable experience in so many different ways, and was absolutely beneficial

and crucial to my development as a human services professional.

SANKOFA

A symbol on the importance of learning from the past in order to build the future


Internship Learning Goals

In this section, I will outline my learning goals and activities, that is, what knowledge,

skills, and dispositions I am going to achieve and how I will accomplish this.

My first learning goal involved improving my multiculturalism and respect for diversity.

I wanted to demonstrate an increased appreciation for and understanding of diversity by learning

about the vibrant Ghanaian culture. Though this learning goal may seem broad and vague, I

believe it is incredibly important to my future career as a human services professional. I plan to

work internationally with communities living in poverty, and thus I feel that it is vital for me to

always be improving my appreciation for and understanding of diversity. Thus, I engaged in

several learning activities to accomplish this goal; including CCS Perspective Programming and

Cultural Learning Activities, Ewe language lessons, guest speakers, and time spent observing

and reflecting upon experiences in the community and at my internship.

My second learning goal involved better understanding the issues facing Ghanaians. I

wanted to be able to learn about the major social, economic, and political issues facing

Ghanaians; with a specific focus on issues and problems facing Ghanaian orphans. Again, this

learning objective may seem overly broad. However, it allowed me to maintain a holistic,

ecological perspective throughout my experience in Ghana. I feel that with what I want to do in

my future career, it is important to understand the macro forces that affect the people I will be

working with. And, though this learning goal may seem impossibly broad, I did learn a lot about

the issues and problems facing Ghanaians, especially orphans. I accomplished this by observing

and conducting informal interviews within the community as well as at my internship placement,

visiting several different orphanages in order to compare and contrast them, interviewing

knowledgeable CCS staff and community members, and listening to guest speakers.


My third and final learning goal involved learning about the most effective ways to help

Ghanaians living in poverty. I wanted to assess various helping organizations available to

Ghanaians living in poverty in order to identify sustainable helping methods, characteristics, and

strategies. This learning goal is particularly applicable to my future career, as I want to work

with people living in poverty. I hoped to be able to identify generalizable characteristics of

helping organizations so that, in the future, I can apply what I learned to best help those living in

poverty. Fortunately, I learned an immense amount on this subject. I accomplished this learning

goal by interviewing, shadowing, and volunteering with the Department of Social Welfare,

international organizations, and several NGOs. I also utilized reflection and feedback about

these experienced via the regularly scheduled meetings with my Intern Supervisors.

These learning goals were the focus of my energies throughout my internship in Ghana. I

was able to utilize them to develop as a human services professional. Furthermore, I obtained

important knowledge, skills, and dispositions that will benefit me in my future career.

NYANSAPO: “wisdom knot”

A symbol of wisdom, ingenuity, intelligence and patience


Internship Development

In this section, I will outline in more detail what I experienced and learned throughout the

course of my internship through my Placement, Intern Activities, and more briefly Perspective

Programming and Free Time activities. Though I cannot possibly include everything I

experienced and learned, I will include the most important aspects. I will also analyze how they

contributed to my learning goals and obtainment of knowledge, skills, and human services

dispositions. To demonstrate the development of my internship, I will structure this section by

weekly progress and transition through the internship stages of anticipation, disillusionment,

confrontation, competence, and culmination (Sweitzer & King, 2009).

Week One

Cape Coast Castle Kakum National Forest Hohoe Christian Orphanage

Canopy Walk

I consider my first week in Ghana to be the anticipation stage of my internship. I was

still incredibly excited to actually be in Ghana, was becoming oriented to my situation, and was

just getting started with my internship activities. This week involved many introductions,

several orientations, and much time spent getting settled into my surroundings. Nevertheless, the


first week was beneficial in that it set the stage for my experience in Ghana and I learned about

and planned what I was going to be doing throughout the course of my internship.

Cross Cultural Solutions held an orientation meeting for all of the new volunteers to

provide us with information on safety and health, program expectations, important background

cultural information, cross cultural communication, and introduction to placements. It was

during this meeting that we learned about the phrase TIA, an acronym for “This is Africa.”

Basically, the phrase was used to teach us to be flexible, as it explained the many instances in

which the water and electricity did not work, the numerous bugs and mice in the house, the

custom of almost always being late, transportation problems, and more. A more sober meaning

of the phrase referred to the fact that things never seemed to go according to plan, resources are

incredibly scarce, and poverty is ubiquitous. The utility of this phrase in would never cease to

astound us. However, it is important to note that despite the poverty present throughout the

country, Ghanaians were for the most part content because they found their happiness from

themselves, friends, and family instead of material things.

My Intern Supervisor also facilitated an Intern Meeting, during which we learned about

the additional responsibilities an intern has that a volunteer does not. We would be provided

with extra supervision, would construct and develop learning goal, culminate our internship in a

final paper to reflect upon our experience, and would be provided with other opportunities such

as meetings and field trips. I quickly developed my learning goals, told my supervisor what my

career goals and interests were, and discussed what Intern Activities I would like to partake in.

I also got introduced to my Internship Placement: The Hohoe Christian Orphanage

(hereafter abbreviated as the HCO). I was introduced to the staff and volunteers, was given a

tour, met the children, and surveyed the different classes in which I could volunteer. At first, I


chose to help in the P2 and P3 (second and third grade) classroom. It was going great: I was

given a clear role and responsibilities, was feeling productive and helpful, and was bonding with

the children. Specifically, I got a very fulfilling opportunity to provide individual tutoring and

care for a newly orphaned little girl. Unfortunately, a teacher randomly decided to move myself

and another volunteer into the P5 and P6 classroom. I loved the kids, and it was great that we

would get the chance to work with the kids who got the least volunteer interaction as they were

the oldest and often served as parent figures for the younger children. However, I was a little

frustrated because I did not feel as helpful as I did in the other classroom, perhaps because the

teacher was great and not as reliant on volunteers, and thus did not necessarily need assistance.

My Free Time activities occurred over the weekend, where the other volunteers and I

traveled to Cape Coast and Kakum National Forest. In Cape Coast, we visited the historic Cape

Coast Castle, where we learned about the tragic and disturbing historic use of the castle by

colonial countries to imprison Africans who were sold and bought through the slave trade. We

saw the dark and dismal dungeons, heard stories of rape, torture, and brutal treatment, and other

terrible acts humans are capable of. It was an incredibly sobering experience, but vital in

understanding how Ghana’s history contributed to its present culture. I was especially moved by

how Ghanaians found it important to learn from this past, terrible as it was, and look to the

future. We also visited Kakum National Forest, where we visited a fascinating museum that

talked about the forest’s history, issues and problems confronting Ghanaian rainforests,

conservation activities, and more. We then got to walk among the canopy of the rainforest

through the incredible suspension bridges build among the treetops. It was an incredible

experience that led to an increased appreciation for Ghana’s rich culture and natural resources.


Though this week primarily involved introductions and orientations, I did make progress

on my learning goals. I did become accustomed to the cultural differences; especially with

regards to having to be more flexible and very self-directed, learning language skills and

adjusting to the accent through Ewe lessons, through the museums and tours of our weekend trip,

and by becoming immersed in the community. I also learned a little about of the problems

facing Ghanaians; primarily, I was exposed to the immense poverty present in the country as

well as the situation of the orphans. I also learned about and identified the helping organizations

I was interested in working with for my Intern Activities.

Week Two

Pro-Link Field Trip Mesomagor Tree House Teaching at the HCO

My second week in Ghana is hard to classify under a specific developmental stage. I

would say I was still in the anticipation stage due to my extended sheer excitement and

enthusiasm; however, I also experienced some feelings characteristic of the disillusionment stage

of my internship. This week was characterized by my adjustment to Ghanaian culture, my new

environment, and my internship. Though I faced some frustrations, I began making real progress

with my internship: I was building relationships with the children at my placement, learning

from several informative guest speakers, and partaking in several incredible Intern Activities.


This week at the Hohoe Christian Orphanage went well. I was able to start building

relationships with the students in the P5 and P6 class, as well as the other children. I was still,

however, a little frustrated because I did not feel as useful as I felt I should. In the classroom, I

served as a teacher’s assistant by providing individual tutoring during math and reading

assignments, organizing social activities for the class, and helping with creative art. It was also

an experience in flexibility and thinking on your feet, as the teacher would oftentimes inform me

that I would be teaching without prior notice. Though this was frustrating at first, I quickly

learned to prepare activities for the children beforehand in case this happened. One perceived

problem with Ghanaian education is that they focus on memorization and rote repetition, rather

than critical thinking and creativity. Thus, I tried to incorporate creative exercises into my

activities by having them, for example, write a story about a particular subject. This week, I also

got the opportunity to witness the orphanage’s weekly Chapel and P.E. sessions, both of which

were completely adorable and allowed me the chance to better bond with the children. I also

visited two different orphanages, House of Hope and Happy Kids, and spent time playing with

the kids, practicing with flashcards, and drawing. It was interesting to see the differences: the

HCO seemed much more formal and structured, overall the facilities were nicer (though the

other two had some incredible murals and painting covering their walls), and the kids seemed

better cared for. It seemed that funding sources made all the difference between orphanages.

There were also several notable Perspective Programming Activities. We learned how to

make the traditional Ghanaian cloth called Batik, which is a dyed fabric with any variety of

different designs. What is especially interesting is that each design has a meaning; for example:

family, hope, the importance of God, etc. We also continued taking Ewe lessons. Many

Ghanaians seem to expect you to respect their culture by learning at least some Ewe, so this was


important to practice basic conversational skills. We also had two guest speakers visit our Home

Base. The first discussed the educational system in Ghana; points I found especially interesting

included their emphasis on using education for poverty alleviation and prevention, and their

corresponding incorporation of technical and vocational classes into junior and secondary

schools to provide students with employable skills. The other guest speaker discussed traditional

Ghanaian practices and religion; things I learned about Ghanaian culture included the huge

importance of religion, the utilization of virtually all traditional festivals as fundraisers for

community development projects, and sometimes negative consequences of traditional beliefs.

This last point struck me because it is sometimes believed that children whose mothers die in

childbirth are evil or bad; this actually happened to one of the children at the Hohoe Christian

Orphanage and she was resultantly badly burned and almost killed by her caretaker.

I also got the opportunity to meet with the head of the Department of Social Welfare

(DSW) for Hohoe. We learned about the services they provide; including budget and planning,

community care (for persons with disabilities, NGOs, and hospital services), child rights and

protection (including the monitoring and supervision of orphanages), and justice administration

services. We inquired about orphanages in the Volta Region and learned that, alarmingly, the

DSW only monitors public, state-funded orphanages; thus leaving the numerous private

orphanages unsupervised. I was also struck by the sheer lack of resources the DSW faced: they

had no telephone, no vehicle, and only one computer! What is frustrating is that the DSW had

such human capital and potential, but just not the basic resources it needed to do its job well.

I also got the incredible opportunity to work with Pro-Link Organization, a community

development organization that provides a wide variety of programs and services to Ghanaians in

the Volta Region. I first interviewed the manager, where I learned that Pro-Link programs cover


areas including health (especially prevention of water-borne illnesses, family planning, and

medical training for isolated communities), livelihood support and financial assistance (income

generating activities for communities, microfinance, etc.), and support for people living with

HIV/AIDS. I especially loved Pro-Link’s rights-based approach to development, with which

they focused on empowering and educating those who are less privileged to help alleviate their

poverty. I also found it interesting that Pro-Link was currently in the process of obtaining more

sustainable funding through the development of a for-profit microfinance program. Finally, I

especially loved their focus on the self-determination of communities by incorporating their

feedback, skills, and ideas into community development programs. After the meeting, I got the

incredible opportunity to go on a field trip to the Adigbo Community to witness one of Pro-

Link’s projects in action. We got to see a few short plays by the Milenorvisi Drama Group,

which educates their community about the prevention of water-borne illnesses such as Bilharzia.

Afterwards, we got to spend time with the community members by comparing our cultures and

offering each other words of encouragement. It was an invaluable experience.

For our weekend trip, my fellow volunteers and I traveled back to Kakum National Forest

to visit Mesomagor Village. The village had started its own eco-tourism program, that offered

tourists such as us a community tour, dinner, nature hike, and night spent in a jungle tree house

that overlooked a tree often visited by elephants. It was an incredible experience! We got to

learn about a traditional community, as well as the strengths (a strong and close-knit community)

it possesses and challenges (mainly, money) it faces. We also go to go on a very interesting

nature hike, where we learned about the many traditional, medicinal, and other uses of many

plants in the jungle. We also got to spend the night in a tree house in the middle of the jungle,

which was awesome despite the fact it was pouring down rain, freezing, and we did not get to see


elephants. It was a great weekend; and I was constantly struck by how friendly, content, and

happy the community members were throughout our time spent there.

I started to make much progress on my learning goals this week. I learned much about

Ghanaian culture, especially during my visits to the wonderful communities. I learned a lot

about problems facing Ghanaians through the guest speakers, experiences at the orphanage, and

meetings with the DSW and Pro-Link. I also learned of the importance of resources,

sustainability, and the self-determination and empowerment of communities in order to

effectively help people living in poverty.

Week Three

Elephant at Mole National Park Mognori EcoVillage Community Ancient Mosque at Larabanga

During my third week in Ghana, I experienced many things characteristic of the

disillusionment stage of an internship. Though there were some positive highlights to this week

—including Intern Activities, a visit to the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary, and an incredibly


educational weekend trip to Mole National Park—overall this week was challenging in many

ways. I was still a little frustrated with my role in the P5 and P6 classroom at the Hohoe

Christian Orphanage, though I was in the process of confronting this situation. Furthermore, I

realized the harsh realities of poverty, corruption, and other problems in Ghana through the

events of this week. The most difficult of these events was receiving the news about corruption

in my own placement, the HCO. Though such events were disillusioning for me personally, I

found that I was able to, for the most part, confront them.

This week was quite tumultuous at the Hohoe Christian Orphanage. Just before heading

to the orphanage Monday morning, we discovered a newspaper article on the HCO that charged

the founder/director of extorting money from people trying to adopt children. A CCS staff

member accompanied us to the orphanage that week to make sure the orphanage was still

operating and that we could still volunteer there. Later, we learned the gravity of the situation;

that the founder/director was under investigation for misuse of funds, extortion, and specifically

for exploiting the adopting family of a child who was not supposed to be adopted at all. It was

an incredibly upsetting situation. My Supervisor asked if I would feel comfortable staying there;

and though I was unsure of what would happen, I agreed to stay because I did not want to

abandon the kids after all the progress I had made building relationships with them. We were

advised to stay neutral if questioned, and thus tried to act as normally as possible at the HCO that

week despite the obvious tension (which was good practice for maintaining professionalism in

tough situations). Thus, I tutored, helped keep the kids in line during chapel, and organized

activities for them during class. The experience was also a valuable lesson in healthy skepticism

for me. Though it may seem unnecessary to question the decency of an organization such as an


orphanage, it is important to remember that corruption can occur anywhere. Through these

terrible circumstances, I learned of the importance of transparency and accountability in NGOs.

Coincidentally, our guest speaker that week discussed child exploitation. He discussed

how because of the prominence of poverty, many families are forced to give up their children

either to orphanages, or to work organizations. Unfortunately, this situation often results in the

exploitative and dangerous coercive labor and/or the trafficking of these children. These kids

can become isolated from their family forever, can be abused and mistreated, are deprived of

education, and can even die. There are organizations that focus on intervention and

rehabilitation in child exploitation cases. However, though intervention programs are necessary,

it is important to recognize and address the large-scale social, economic, and political issues that

contribute to the problem. Organizations such as Pro-Link get at the root cause of the problem

through education, family planning, community empowerment, and other poverty alleviation

programs that address the poverty that often results in child exploitation. Child exploitation is

still, however, a large and terrible problem in Ghana.

As one of my Intern Activities, I got to work with the Evangelical Presbyterian

Development Relief Agency (EPDRA), a microcredit and savings organization. First, we met

with the EPDRA employees to discuss their organization. Every day, they walk around the

community and collect “susu,” a small amount of money that individuals either use to pay off

loans or to put into a savings account for future use. EPDRA uses this susu program to help

individuals in the community, who are mainly employed as petty traders, to develop good

monetary saving habits. The next day, I got to go with the EPDRA employees into the

community to collect susu. It was a great opportunity to observe and interact with Ghanaians.

Afterwards, I got to have a discussion with the EDPRA employees. They mentioned that a lot of


other microcredit organizations in Ghana have problems with corruption; for example, some

employees in a neighboring community stole people’s savings. An EPDRA employee summed

up the problem NGOs face with corruption best when she stated, “Money is the devil. There is a

spirit in it that makes people do bad things.” Her statement was very sobering, and unfortunately

quite applicable to my learning for this week.

Despite the troubling and upsetting events of the week, two of my friends and I decided

to continue with our weekend plans of embarking on the great journey to Mole National Park.

Mole was twenty-five hours from the city we were living in, with a total of nine legs to the

journey via five different modes of transportation (tro-tros, buses, vans, taxis, and the following

of helpful Ghanaians around on foot). Those twenty-five hours were filled with incredibly

uncomfortable seats, no personal space, people falling asleep onto us, bathrooms that convinced

us to limit our eating and drinking for the duration of the trip, bus break-downs, numerous

miscommunications, sleep deprivation, stifling heat, and absolutely unbelievably bumpy roads.

It was an incredible adventure, and words cannot describe how proud, and relieved, we felt after

successfully arriving at Mole National Park. After thankfully arriving at Mole, we had some

amazing experiences. We did get to go on safari, where we saw and learned about incredible and

valuable Ghanaian wildlife including baboons, elephants, monkeys, warthogs, and several types

of antelope. In addition, we visited the ecotourism projects of two different communities:

Mognori and Larabanga. At the amazing village of Mognori, we got to go on a canoe safari and

community tour. The tour was incredible; we got to witness traditional community practices

such as shea nut processing, cassava grinding, traditional mud and stick huts, and more. I was

completely blown away by how friendly, tranquil, and content the community members seemed.

Our tour guide discussed this valuable point; he said that it was because they were content with


what they had, the most important of which were family and community. At Larabanga, a

Muslim community, we took another tour and were able to learn about some of the differences

between Muslim and Christian communities in Ghana. We also saw one of the oldest mosques

in West Africa, supposedly built in the 1400s and later developed as an ecotourism project by a

Peace Corps volunteer. These community tours, as well as the safari and incredibly epic journey

to and from Mole National Park, made for an indescribably great weekend that contributed

greatly to my personal growth, resilience, flexibility, and education.

This week’s events, both positive and negative, contributed greatly to my learning goal

progress. I was exposed and immersed in so much Ghanaian culture through my experiences and

interactions with Ghanaians during my trip to Mole; I learned about traditional African

communities, Ghanaian religious differences and especially about its Muslim population, history,

and the importance of their natural environment. I also learned a lot about issues facing

Ghanaians; notably poverty, child exploitation, and the seemingly ubiquitous presence of

corruption. Finally, I learned some hard but valuable lessons about helping organizations: that

transparency and accountability are imperative in combatting corruption, the importance of

healthily cynicism of even the most seemingly well-intentioned people, and how money can lead

to the success, and sometimes failure, of NGOs and community development projects in Ghana.

Though the challenges of this week were difficult, I feel that I confronted and learned from them.

Week Four


Hohoe Christian Orphanage Plan Ghana Community Meeting Happy Kids Orphanage

The fourth week of my internship in Ghana was characterized by a few more

disillusioning events; however, I feel that I had almost totally entered the competence stage of

my internship. I had become accustomed to the routine of my internship, and now felt almost

completely comfortable with my intern responsibilities and duties. In fact, I began to take on

more responsibility, began to engage myself more fully in my activities, and expanded on what I

learned and experienced even more than I had previously. This week, I was faced with the

responsibility and pressure of being one of only two volunteers left serving at the HCO after the

scandal, the news of yet another awful orphanage scandal near Ghana’s capital, spent time with

the children of the Happy Kids Orphanage again, worked with a great international NGO, and

learned a lot through reflection and informative meetings with my Internship Supervisors.

Upon returning from my extended weekend trip to Mole National Park, I had a meeting

with my Intern Supervisor about orphanage scandals. The HCO was still under investigation,

thought my supervisor highly doubted that there were sufficient resources to fully investigate and

resolve the case. Furthermore, there had been a new development: CCS would no longer be

sending any new volunteers to the HCO for the time being. Though originally there were ten

volunteers to help care for the children, now there would only be two. For the duration of our

stay at the HCO, the kids always seemed paranoid that we would be leaving soon as well, which


was heartbreaking. Furthermore, because there were so few volunteers, my friend and I were

suddenly thrown into a situation in which much more attention, care, and responsibility was

needed of us. Fortunately, the day students were on summer vacation and so there were only 30

or so actual orphans to care for during these last few weeks. This was good in that we got to

spend a lot of time with the kids who needed the individual care and attention the most. I also

got to take on much more teaching responsibility; which turned out to be a great lesson in being

self-directed, thinking on my feet, and commanding and succeeding in situations I was not

necessarily confident in. Nevertheless, it was difficult.

As if the situation at the HCO was not trying enough, we received more absolutely

terrible news this week as well. The Osu Orphanage, a public orphanage near Accra, had just

been exposed for the abuse, neglect, and even wrongful deaths of orphans residing in their

center. This was especially troubling, as this was seen as one of the model public orphanages in

the country. Unfortunately, the Department of Social Welfare lacks the sufficient funds to

adequately supervise and monitor the orphanages it is responsible for. As a result, such atrocities

can occur. Though the Ghanaian government is in the process of a massive orphanage

restructuring program as a result of this scandal—for which it set up a committee to fully

investigate and evaluate every Ghanaian orphanage and take the actions necessary to ensure the

children are well taken care of—my supervisor and others highly doubt that there are sufficient

resources to see this program through to fruition. It is an especially tragic example of how the

sheer lack of resources can be so incredibly detrimental, hindering, and even downright

dangerous to helping organizations and governing bodies.

In addition to my time spent at the HCO and in meetings with my supervisors concerning

the recent developments, I worked with an incredible international NGO called Plan Ghana.


First, we interviewed some employees of the organization to learn more about it. We learned

that it was a child-based organization focused on ensuring that children all across the world have

the opportunity to realize their full potential. We learned that Plan Ghana had programs

revolving around education, health, livelihood assistance, sponsorship between families in first

and third world countries, and water and sanitation. We learned that Plan does not support

orphanages, as they see it as perpetuating the problem and not addressing its root cause: poverty.

Thus, they focus on building relationships between families in Ghana and families in richer

countries, in order to acquire funds for community development projects that will prevent

children from becoming orphaned in the first place. I found it especially interesting that the

unanimous opinion of Ghanaian NGOs was to target women as the main beneficiaries of their

programs. This was because they believed that men would simply squander the money on

acquiring more wives, whereas women would use the resources for the betterment of the children

and the rest of the family. The morning after the meeting, I got to accompany the Plan Ghana

employees to the Likpe Koforidua Community, where they were in the process of initiating a

sponsorship program that would provide the resources for community development. To initiate

the process, we first met with the village chief and obtained his permission to work in the

community. Then the town crier used a bell to call all the people to the community meeting

place. Here, the Plan Ghana workers introduced themselves, explained what they would be

doing, and began registering families for the sponsorship program. I assisted by ushering people

and paperwork to the appropriate Plan employees, ensuring we took pictures and documented

everyone correctly, and by taking pictures of the children and families involved in the program.

Getting the chance to see the community and Plan Ghana collaborate with the initiation of a new

community development project was an interesting and very exciting experience.


To sum, I learned an immense amount this week and made much progress on my learning

goals. I learned much about Ghanaian culture through my Intern Activities and discussions with

my supervisors; for example, during the Plan Ghana field trip I learned about the many different

roles in traditional Ghanaian communities (the town crier, queen mother, chief, traditional

healers, etc.), the intergenerational transmission of these roles, and how such roles and other

traditional communalistic structures are tragically breaking down due to modernization.

Secondly, I learned about many issues facing Ghanaians; notably corruption, the perception

NGO leaders hold about the misconceptions and mindsets (such as polygamy) many traditional

communities have that hinder their development, and the difficulty of accomplishing progress

without reliable power, transportation, and/or communication. Finally, I learned so much about

effective characteristics of helping organizations through interviews, meetings with supervisors,

and the events of the week. I learned of the importance of proper monitoring and supervision of

such organizations, avoiding dependency, a focus on a grassroots, bottom-up approach to

empowerment in order to sustainably help people living in poverty, the utilization of a strengths-

based and rights-based approach, and the effective and sustainable use of funds. I was making

such progress on my learning goals and was feeling so comfortable and successful in my

internship role that I confidently classified this week as the competence stage of my internship.

Week Five


Reading at the HCO RAP Microsavings Community Meeting

Saying Goodbye to the HCO

During my final week in Ghana, I enjoyed the last of the competence stage of my

internship and then transitioned into the culmination stage. This last week was very busy; it was

filled with informative meetings, incredibly inspiring field trips, and sad farewells. I

experienced, accomplished, and learned an immense amount. Despite being proud and excited

about everything I had done, I was very sad that my Ghana experience was ending.

During my last week, I got to participate in several great Intern Activities. I worked with

a microsavings and microloans organization called Rural Action for the Poor (RAP) during the

first part of this week. Plan Ghana actually utilizes RAP to implement their microcredit through

RAP’s Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) Program. Though I was skeptical

because this program was very Western and capitalistic in nature, it truly empowered and

assisted people in impoverished communities by helping them to develop good monetary,

banking, and savings practices. Communities hold weekly meetings during which they collect


money for a social fund (to help families with medical, education, and other bills), distribute and

collect payments on loans, fine members who do not follow the rules, and collect individual

savings from members. They utilize a money box to organize their funds that contains tokens, a

calculator, money bags and compartments, and four different locks distributed to four different

trustworthy community members to ensure the security of the money. They also elect other

community members to positions such as the Chairperson, Boxkeeper, Money Counters, etc.

The next day, I got to attend two of these meetings within the Alavanyo Dzogbedze Community:

the Dziewornu (“it takes heart to do something”) and Agbebolo (“bread of life”) Group

meetings. It was such a great opportunity; I had read about microcredit before but had never had

the inspiring experience to actually witness microfinance in action in a traditional African

community! The community members were so friendly and excited we wanted to take part in

their meetings, and we in turn were so impressed and excited by the progress they were making

as a result of RAP’s program.

I also got the opportunity to go on another incredible field trip to the SOS International

Children’s Village of Tema, Ghana. Though I had been to several orphanages throughout my

internship in Ghana, the quality of care of any of these was not even slightly comparable to SOS.

My supervisor, fellow intern, and I were all completely blown away by how nice the facilities

were, how well structured and organized everything was, how happy everybody seemed, by all

of the opportunities provided for the children, how incredibly well cared and provided for the

children were, and how successfully the organization helped its orphans to succeed in life. For

example, the educational facilities were nicer than my own elementary and middle schools back

at home; the children lived in a traditional Ghanaian family setting with a central mother figure

and a limited number of siblings to ensure adequate individual care and attention; they were


provided with seemingly endless health, educational, and recreational services and opportunities;

and SOS stayed involved with the children for the duration of their entire lives in order to ensure

that they were successful and happy. The experience was inspiring, uplifting, and helpful in

restoring my hope in helping organizations after the sobering events of the past few weeks.

However, at the same time it brutally revealed the drastic inequality present in orphanages in

Ghana due to their funding. It did not seem fair that some children got to grow up in the caring

and fruitful environment of the incredible SOS Village, while others were subjected to the

inhibiting and even dangerous environment of the Osu Orphanage. This illuminated the

importance of collaboration between helping organizations, in order to increase the transfer of

knowledge that could result in increased funds and resources for the poorer organizations.

My last week at the Hohoe Christian Orphanage was simultaneously incredibly good

and sad. I had an great time with the children that week. Because it was summer vacation we

were granted more flexibility in our teaching roles and responsibilities. My fellow intern and I

got to help in each of the classrooms this week, in order to spend time with as many of the kids

as possible during our last few days in Ghana. I felt very helpful and appreciated; I got to

mediate many small conflicts, individually tutor and assist many children, supply the kids with

lots of fun flashcards and books, and organize many creative, social, and academic activities for

the classes. Most notably, though, I cherished the chance to interact with the incredible children

of the HCO. On our last day, the teachers organized a farewell ceremony for the other intern and

me. The kids sang us songs, drew us countless pictures, wrote us incredibly touching letters,

took group photographs, and then lined up so that we could give them all goodbye hugs. My

friend and I reluctantly left the orphanage crying not only because of how much we would miss


the kids we had grown to love so much in our five short weeks spent caring for the, but also

because we knew that, for the time being, there would be no other volunteers to fill our places.

In conclusion, though this week was filled with many incredibly sad farewells, it also

concluded my experience in Ghana on a positive and hopeful note. We learned a lot this week

about Ghanaian culture, issues facing the people, and effective characteristics of helping

organizations. We realized that though there are many people and organizations in great need

throughout Ghana, there are also many organizations doing incredible work to help them. I also

was exposed to the great tenacity and resilience of the Ghanaians despite the difficult situations

they face, and their incredible ability to remain hopeful and optimistic of the future. Despite this,

however, I could not stop myself from thinking about the kids at the Hohoe Christian Orphanage.

My last day with the children of the Hohoe Christian Orphanage

Conclusions

My short five weeks in Ghana were filled with an abundance of amazing activities,

personal growth, learning, and skill development. Though the list of everything I discussed may


seem extensive, there was in fact so much more that I feel I should have included as well. From

my personal observations, reflections, meetings with supervisors, experiences in the community,

Intern and Prospective Programming Activities, weekend trips, and time spent at the Hohoe

Christian Orphanage; I learned, grew, and accomplished more than I ever could have anticipated.

Thus, to conclude, I will summarize the main things I learned and accomplished with respect to

my learning goals and development as a future human services professional. I gained much

knowledge, acquired many skills, and improved many very important dispositions. Though I

cannot begin to include everything I learned, I will discuss the key things from my experiences

that I feel will be most beneficial to myself and my clients, in my future human services career of

helping alleviate the poverty of people in developing countries.

I learned so much about the culture I Ghana. In fact, I became so immersed and

comfortable there that I experienced a significant amount of culture shock after returning back

home! I felt that my knowledge about Ghanaian culture was incredibly important, as there is

much to be learned from cultures different than your own. Most notably, I feel that Ghanaians’

flexibility to different situations, focus on relationships over material things, happiness despite

poverty, and unbelievable resilience even in terrible situations are incredibly valuable. The

perspective shift I undergo when living in another culture is also hugely beneficial in that it helps

me to remain open-minded, and increases my understanding of and empathy for all people

despite their differences. Finally, it is important for me to always be bettering my

multiculturalism and appreciation for diversity, as I want to continue working internationally as a

human services professional in the future.

I also learned so much about political, economic, and social issues facing Ghanaians, and

especially about the problems Ghanaian orphans face. These problems include gender


inequality, lack of resources due to past exploitation and inequality as well as the current global

economic crisis, child exploitation, corruption in governmental and non-governmental

organizations, rapid industrialization and corresponding cultural changes (such as the breakdown

of extended family systems and resultant orphaning of children), environmental degradation and

pollution, and more. However, I feel that the most important problem is poverty, as alleviating

poverty in a sustainable manner can help to alleviate so many other problems Ghanaians face as

well. This is especially true with regards to orphans, as the majority of these children are

economic orphans whose situation could have been prevented by poverty alleviation. Thus, what

I learned in Ghana reaffirmed and reinvigorated my passions for helping people living in poverty

in developing countries.

I also learned incredibly vital information about sustainable methods, characteristics, and

strategies of helping organizations in Ghana. I learned to be wary and have a healthy dose of

cynicism of all helping organizations, as corruption can occur in even the most seemingly well-

intentioned organizations. Other important things I learned include the importance of the

sustainability of helping methods through education and empowerment, transparency and

accountability, sustainable sources of funding, the crippling effect of resource deprivation to

organizations with such human capital, the transfer of knowledge within and amongst helping

organizations, and more. Such points are absolutely crucial in order to effectively help people

living in poverty. What I learned through the many helping organizations I worked with through

my internship in Ghana thus greatly improved my ability to better help others in the future.

Finally, my experiences in Ghana contributed immensely to personal growth,

development as a human services professional, and motivation to fulfill my career goals and

ambitions. I was truly shown the immense value of experiential learning through my internship.


I greatly developed several important skills; including interviewing, facilitation, cross cultural

communication, listening, empathizing, critical thinking and analysis, and building relationships

with diverse populations. Furthermore, I greatly developed my ability to be flexible; as my

internship required me to think on my feet, adapt quickly to different circumstances, multitask,

and be self-directed. Finally and perhaps most importantly, through my exposure to the brutal

realities of life for some in Ghana, my passions for working to help others living in poverty in

developing countries was immensely revitalized. Because of my experiences with individuals,

communities, and most of all the Hohoe Christian Orphanage children I worked with throughout

my internship in Ghana, I will forever strive to fulfill my career goals of helping such incredible

people to the absolute best of my ability.

SESA WO SUBAN

A symbol of life transformation

References

Sweitzer, H. F., & King, M. A. (2009). The successful internship: Personal, professional, and

civic development (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.


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