Devan Patel- CANADA, May 2008
Devan Says: My experience in Ghana was truly exquisite. Upon arrival, I immediately witnessed the vibrant atmosphere and genuine warmth amongst its people. I was easily immersed in the rich culture and festive aura of Ghana . The principle strength driving this West African country, in my view, lies with its population. Ghanaians are unparalleled when it comes to their friendly, welcoming and down to earth nature. Thus, it was very easy to make friends in Ghana , both young and old. As a volunteer in a small clinic near Kumasi , I was able to interact with numerous people. Undoubtedly, working in a medical environment could be a daunting challenge for someone who does not have a background in it. Nonetheless, the clinic staff made me feel at ease and went out of their way to shed light upon particular treatments and procedures. It was also extremely rewarding being alongside patients. Despite evident pain and apprehension towards their illnesses, the visiting patients from the surrounding villages displayed a unique strength and faith towards recovery that was greatly inspiring. Often they would speak to me about life in their country, the present challenges and aspirations for the future. I brought back with me a strong sense of human affection and generosity from Ghanaians. Naturally, the bonds that I was able to make during my stay have left an indelible mark on me and to which I hope to re-connect with by visiting the country again in the future.

Jill Caporiccio - USA, June 2007
Jill Says: My experiences in Ghana have given me a new perspective in which I understand the world as whole. Life in Ghana is truly amazing. During my time here I felt so alive and part of a community. The people I met were so genuine, compassionate and hard working. I miss the everyday life of going to the market, sharing taxis or overcrowded tro tros with many smiling faces, hearing music, meeting new people and seeing people dance everywhere. Working in two different healthcare settings I was able to learn a lot and see the differences of between a hospital setting and a clinic. All the patients and staff in the hospital were so grateful and welcoming to me. The staff at Elghana were so flexible and supportive and truly are my dear friends. I am now planning my third trip back. Ghana always will hold a special place in my heart.

Krystina Stolberg- USA, August 2007
Krystina Says: My name is Krystina and I volunteered through Elghana in the summer of 2007. Upon my arrival, I walked of the plane to the humid air and sweet smell of the fresh Ghanian air. I was picked up by a sweet girl named Nanaya and taken to our overnight hotel. I was so nervous yet so excited all at once. We traveled by bus from Accra to Kumasi to meet with the directors of Elghana, who are absolutley amazing people who gave a wonderful, warm welcome. Things in Ghana showed to be very different from America. The sounds, smells and sincerety of the people were all very different from my usual norm. I went to the house I'd be living in for the next month and was surprised at how nice it was. My "house mother" Dora was so sweet and made me feel at home. Things that I saw during my stay were chickens and goat roaming the dirt roads and lots of turning heads. Children followed me home from the clinic as I walked home and called me Obruni and touched my skin and hair. The food was different and I probably acted a bit too picky. If I were to do it all over, I would have tried the traditional Ghanian foods just to say I did. I found the street bars fun and relaxing on a weekend night and found my favorite beer, Star (which I wish was available in the U.S.!!) The clinic was an adventure in itself. Sepaase clinic was not as sanitized as U.S. Hospitals and clinics, but the nurses made me feel so welcome and we all became good friends. I spent my days at the clinic helping to circumcise babies, deliver babies and take blood pressures and even check gestation....manually! I learned so much about different cultures and my views on life have changed dramatically. I treasure the things I used to take for granted and appreciate the fact that I had taken the time to help those less fortunate. I want to take time again to go back to Ghana to visit the friends I made and help again at a different clinic this time. I will never forget mt trip to Ghana. I had my ups and downs, but I pushed through and thoroughly enjoyed every last second of it. I truly believe its a life changing experience everyone should encounter in their lives.

John Kim- USA, Aug 2006
John Says: Being my first time in Africa, the team over at Elghana helped make my stay and experience a memorable one. I was assigned to work at the Gladys Maternity Health Clinic in Kodie, a small rural village outside of Kumasi. As a volunteer, I assisted in several births, one of them being a set of twins! I also observed patients with malaria and rheumatic fever. Furthermore, I learned a lot about the Ghanaian healthcare system from the practices at the Midwife Clinic and through visits to the Komfo Anyoke Teaching Hospital in Kumasi. Finally, the most valuable experiences of my trip involved learning about the culture of the Ghanaian people, playing with the children, and eating all the various foods, like Fufu! At the end of my journey, I was able to visit Mole National Park and experience a walking safari and see elephants, antelope, monkeys, warthogs, and baboons within an arms-length reach!

Jennifer Coverdale- CANADA, Feb 2007
Jennifer Says:"God is Able" is a busy clinic with varying degrees of healthcare (from prenatal to screwdriver in the head). I have had the opportunity to see a variety of cases mixed between the expectant mothers. With that being said 90% of the patients are in for prenatal care. There are no closed doors in the clinic; I am free to see anything and everything I like. This has given me a very welcome feeling that allows for a positive learning environment.

Lena Gilliland - Norway, Community project volunteer, June 2006
Lena Says:When I came to Ghana I did not know what to expect. I had no experience in social work. But in three months time my life has changed completely, and I have learned so much about what is important in life. No matter what, attitude is what improves your life. I saw how important the personal relationship to the client is to them. As a whole, the money we support with is only a fraction of the goodness we bring in to their life.

Bernardus Robinson - UK, February 2007
Berdo Says:I feel very happy that many children who never had an experience of using the internet have been introduced and those who had are now able to use the internet for more useful purposes. I hope Elghana follows up. Over the first 3 weeks we had some discussions about what is the internet. Dry-marker pens are always in short supply! so I wrote the questions once at the beginning of the week and only the answers are wiped clean/re-written for every lesson. It was a great experience. Dora, Romeo and Mercy were not my host but my true family. It was a great experience I must say, and I have no complaints about the accommodation. Jennifer (Berdo's co-volunteer and housemate) was also very nice. She is someone who presented things in a blunt and honest manner and she was a good experience. Elghana paid for the cost of taking the students to the internet cafe and that was good to have when the school could not pay.

Lena Walther - Germany, June 2007
Lena Says:My greatest moment - the day I distinguished between the identical twins I lived with in my host's home. Everything was great, the Antwi family, Elghana, the food and the community. In the first week, I was confused because Single parents could not work with the timetable I had. Then I understood the system, insufficient funds so you get to know what the organization can do the next day or week depending on what money is available. I had such a nice time with the HIV/AIDS counselling and the Orphans monitoring. The Doctors at St. Patrick's went round observing the patients and explaining things to me. Visiting the orphans in school was something I always would wish to do. The staff at Elghana was so wonderful. I am glad to come back after school. Ghana would always be my favorite destination.

Amy, Gaby & Jill - USA, July 2007
Lena Said: We spent the majority of our clinic experience at Bernice Clinic and maternity at Yeji. Much of our time was spent observing due to our inexperience and the language barrier. We believe had our stay been longer, we could have had a more "hand-on" experience. We did take blood pressures, learnt how to palpate & measure the fundal height of pregnant women, learned how to start an IV, observed vaginal deliveries, IUD implantations, Norplant removal and becaome acutely aware of the signes and symtoms of malaria. IN contrast to midwifery in the United States, Bernice helath center also catered for family medicine. Overall, we were exposed to miriad illnesses, treatments & patients we would never have seen in the States and we found the spirit of the health workers undeterred by the problems they face. The children found our light skin entertaining, chanting "obruni" everywhere we went, yet our safety was never questionable whereever we went. We appreciate the very warm and personal experience Elghana and Bernice gave us. We felt incorporated into the lives and community of Yeji and its people. 'YEJI IS A TOWN EVERY VOLUNTEER SHOULD OPT FOR!!'

Joy Dariye - UK, July 2007
Joy Says: ooo! everything was great. it was a good feeling teaching my fellows at the Daniel Vocational training school. The standard of the students is very low so I had to start from the basics. Because the books ELGHANA supplied was not enough to give to each student, I had to create smaller groups and at times had to teach them in groups. I think it is really important that this project is seriously empowered with more volunteers. Definitely the students had such a good feeling and were familiar with some of the stories in the books already, as told them in folktales by their parents. This made teaching and sharing the stories a fun for them. The town was cool. My partner Moses who was teaching introduction to computers, ended up teaching the community in the local presbytarian church block. We had this nice cottage as our host house and we really enjoyed every moment in Boaman. Thank you Elghana