Its Ghana Be Great
On June 21, 2016 I will be traveling to Kumasi, Ghana for two months. I can’t help but think about what this trip means to me, but since I have been home I can see how much it means to my family. This is the first of so many things and I can feel the pride radiating off of them, but that makes this trip even more nerve-racking, the feeling is even more intensified because they just dropped me off. They would be, my mom, my grand mom, my aunt, and my 2-year-old cousin. Last night I hugged my dad goodbye and this morning I stopped by my brother’s job to say bye. Now I’m sitting in the airport by my gate excited, anxious, nervous, and prideful all at the same time. I’m so excited to be working with Bernice Dapaah, and even more excited to get to know her. This phenomenal woman has been making incredible change in her community and I am inspired to learn as much as I can from her so I can so the same.
This will be my first trip out of the country, something that is very rare in my family but the overwhelming amount of support has been humbling and awe-inspiring. I haven’t been this nervous since I have started college and the fear failure to meet expectations is something that has been constantly looming in the back of my mind. With that being said, I plan to take this opportunity to learn as much as I can, and I am prepared to give 100 percent and then some. I can’t wait to not only become a part of this community, but to learn and fully immerse myself in the culture and in the work.
In Ghana, I will be working for the Bright Generation Community Foundation. This foundation does a number of things, but the most important aspect is in the title, the word community. This organization was started by a woman who is from Kumasi, Ghana who wanted to make her community better. They address poverty, electricity shortages, access to education, feminine and reproductive health through community work and social entrepreneurship. While I’m here I’ll be working on a number of things, one of the specific things that I am looking forward to working on is impact assessments for the distribution of Toms shoes. This will give me a chance to get to know the people in the community that I will be serving. Thus is truly a once in a life time opportunity and I am so incredibly grateful for and I plan to make the most of it.
Written June 21, 2016 at 3:30 pm
