Emmanuelle Lipski – Ghana

Names of staff involved in your programme:

Frederic, Richard and Rebecca

What members of staff do you remember the most and why? Fred took us around on our first day and was always available to answer our questions.

What were your impressions of the accommodation?
The house was very nice!

Why did you want to volunteer?
I have always wanted to visit a country “differently”, not as a tourist. Working with the local people helped me to feel like one of them and taught me a lot.

Do you feel you made a difference, how?
Everyone makes a difference. I was teaching in a school that had been built by previous volunteers. If they hadn’t been there to make the difference, the school wouldn’t have been there

What did you do for fun?
We used to travel at weekends, and on week days go to the market and the nearest towns.

Who did you make friends with and for what reasons?
Mainly the people I was sharing my house with because we were together all the time, but people I was working with as well. Teamwork strengthens friendship

Other than the project places, we used to go to Vibe’s café, Sam’s café to have a drink or a meal

Maybe go to a different place, to experience something new. For a first time it was great but I would hope to do something a bit more “active” next time

You don’t need to have any experience to go volunteering, for a first time Original Volunteers is very relaxed

What items would you suggest future volunteers pack? Mosquito nets, snacks, sun cream and a camera!