The

Gateway Official Newsletter OfficialOfficial NewsletterNewsletter - Projects -- Proje ProjeAbroadctscts AbroadGhanaAbroad GhanaGhana │ │ March│ April 2013February 2013 2013 │ │ │Issue Issue No.Issue 4 No.4 No. 45 43

In this edition…

Pg. 1……..Vicky May signs 95 children onto Health Insurance

Pg. 2…….. Medical Outreach

Pg. 3…….. Regional Update

Pg. 4…….. Regional Update

Pg. 5……..Microfinance Project in

Koforidua

Pg. 6……...Dirty Day in Accra

Pg. 7………Volunteer in this

Summer on a Pre-Med

Project

Pg. 8 - 10 ……..Volunteer Stories

Pg. 11…….. Social Media

Project Abroad Ghana House Number 19 Kanfla Street Asylum Down PMB 226, Accra North, Ghana. [email protected], [email protected] www.projects-abroad.net

"I promised Michiel's mother I was going to do a health insurance for him when I saw that Michiel was sick and his mother could not afford to take her to the hospital." - Vicky May, 20, British

Volunteer Vicky May signs 95 This means that anytime any of children onto health insurance. them fall sick, they only have to travel to the hospital to be Story: Joseph Quaye Amoo treated free of charge of the

Several families in the village medical conditions that the have had a significant relief after insurance will cover. Projects Abroad volunteer Vicky May signed their children on the She expressed her inner National Health Insurance satisfaction for undertaking such

Scheme. a humanitarian project. "I'm happy that the project was a In all, 95 children were registered. success and I know it will make Our Volunteer Vicky May comes Vicky May in a pose with Michiel such a huge difference for these from the UK and spent three kids," she said.

months on a midwifery and community to treat wounds, ringworms medicine project in Ghana. and other skin infections of the children in She assisted the NHIS officers by the village. taking passport-size photographs Vicky went on a medical outreach of the children to be used for in a small village in the Central She came across Michiel Hamenu who was their insurance ID cards.

Region of Ghana. She, including terribly sick. The 2-year-old boy became other medical volunteers and part of 94 other children that Vicky "I thank Richard Dugbenu our Projects Abroad medical subscribed onto the National Health medical coordinator, Emmanuel coordinator has been visiting the Insurance Scheme (NHIS). Abaaja the Projects Abroad Ghana Country Director, the

outreach team, the NHIS officials who registered the kids and more importantly AZZ-Tech - a gold mining company in Ghana for their financial support to get the kids on the scheme."

National Health Insurance Scheme officers registering the children from Benkum in the Vicky taking passport-size photographs Central Region of Ghana. for the NHIS ID cards of the children 1 Accra Medical Outreaches

James Town

The medical team of volunteers outreach to a deprived Elsewhere, the Accra medical team traveled to school on the fishing beach of historic James Town to Benkum to offer the same treatments to the children offer basic treatment to some deprived children at the of the village. Noyaa Less Privileged Academy.

Our volunteers treated their wounds, skin infections and ringworms of the children. They demonstrated to the children how to effectively clean their teeth.

Benkum Village James Town

2 Kumasi Regional Update Kumasi had quite a busy month with thirteen volunteers undertaking various projects.

The Public Health Program and Medical outreaches were held in the community markets of

Atonsu, Anloga, Esoyeboah, Tanoso , Abuakwa and Wesley College of Education and during the outreach volunteers checked patients’s blood pressure, body mass index, body fa t level, sugar level of adults and Hepatitis B. They educated the people on Hepatitis and the importance of its vaccination.

Our teaching and care Veterinary outreach in Kumasi volunteers continue to care for the children at the Kumasi

Children’s Home. Both teachers and Care volunteers spent time with Children and helped them to learn.

Ghanaian Food of the Month

Kenkey is a traditional Ghanaian food made from fermented ground corn and can be accompanied by fried fish with fried pepper called shito. Kenkey is mostly eaten in Accra. Medical Outreach in Kumasi

3 Koforidua Regional Update Projects in Koforidua have run successfully in April. We had eight volunteers working on the care and teaching project,

medical as well as the newest addition - microfinance project.

Both the teaching and care volunteers started working together at the orphanage since schools are on vacation.

Volunteers together with the coordinators painted the orphanage.

During one of the quiz nights, the volunteers participated in a cooking activity. Both

preparation and serving of the food was done by the volunteers themselves.

4 Microfinance Project in Koforidua!

After a series of meetings and Like any new project the discussions between staff initial stages have been members, volunteers and positively challenging. The potential business partners, first loans have being granted Projects Abroad is proud to to a small group of farmers announce our newest project in and food traders and we see Ghana - Micro Finance. a lot of hope in the coming months. With the aid of volunteers and local insight, the objective is to Efforts are now being made secure funding for to canvass for new ventures underprivileged entrepreneurs and in order to scale up the with marketable ideas and project. This will require new

businesses. volunteers with fresh ideas. Frankie Bates from Ireland is This is achieved through direct the first volunteer to start up contact with locals of Koforidua this project and he is doing and the surrounding tremendously well at it. He communities and towns. The hopes to train new aim of the project is to kick start volunteers before he ends

small enterprises and making this project and goes back them self-sustaining. home.

The first beneficiaries of the microfinance project recently launched in Koforidua with Projects Abroad Irish volunteer Franki Bates and staff Michael Tetteh (sitting)

5 Dirty DAccraay !

A number of volunteers in Accra visit the Cantonments Football Academy, a Projects Abroad placement to clean the training grounds and its surrounding areas. They painted the poles on the pitch. Boys from the academy assisted the volunteers to make the pitch clean one.

Volunteer with us!

Ghana is an exciting and popular place to spend some time on a volunteer project or work

experience placement.

Projects Abroad has many projects available to volunteer in Ghana, based in Accra, , Koforidua, Kumasi and the Akuapem Hills. Volunteers in

Ghana work on a wide range of projects including Teaching, Care, Community – including Building and IT Projects, Medical & Healthcare Projects – including

Medicine, Physiotherapy, Nursing, Midwifery and Dentistry, plus Journalism, Veterinary Medicine, Sports, and Human Rights.

6 News Volunteer in Ghana this Summer on a Pre-Med Project Projects Abroad is launching a brand new project aimed at providing experience to young volunteers planning on working in the medical field.

The Pre-Med project consists of 3 days medical outreach work per week and 2 days observation in a local hospital or clinic in

Ghana. During the outreach work, volunteers will learn how to treat minor injuries and ailments, check vital signs, test blood glucose, and carry out malaria testing. You will also take part in awareness campaigns in schools and communities to highlight particular health issues.

This project, based in Cape Coast, starts in July this year and offers volunteers lacking medical experience the chance to get hands-on work, whilst helping those who really need it.

This is the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in a Places are limited so call us on 01903 708300 or email different culture and offers a fantastic insight into how local [email protected] to find out how you can procedures and patient support are carried out in a developing join this project. country compared to back home.

Cape Coast Weekend Trips?

The Kakum National Park is located is a reserve located in Cape Coast. It is about 375 square

kilometers and it is covered with tropical rainforest. Swedish volunteers Alexandra Gass Vinberg and Elin Sparrnäs playing It is the only park with a canopy walkway in Africa. with children from the Children’s Home of Hope in Asebu – Cape Coast. The walkway connects seven big trees and that provides a unique access and view of the rainforest.

7 Volunteer Stories

Eerste Christelӯk Lyceum graduate Myrthe Bussink

gathers tremendous experience while volunteering in Ghana.

Nineteen-year-old Myrthe Teaching Hospital on an HIV “The first time, I didn’t know Being there and giving

Bussink from the Netherlands project. what medicine to use for them something is what travelled to Ghana to work as what but now I know exactly makes such a huge The experience, she believes, a medical and HIV volunteer what to do at the medical difference.” will deepen her chances of with Projects Abroad in Accra. outreach.” reaching her dream. Myrthe believes that She studied biology, chemistry, The Projects Abroad medical her experience is “At the Police Hospital, I French, German and Dutch, team travels to rural something no one can would arrive at 8:30 in the but medicine has always been communities regularly to take away from her. morning every day. I take her dream. Prior to her coming provide basic treatment for “No one can take the patients’ vital signs and I to Ghana, she applied to a children who have wounds, experience away from interact with them. At the medical school but her cuts, ringworm and other me. I’ve experienced a labour ward, I bathe and take application was not successful skin infections and they different context in care of the babies,” she so she decided to spend her provide vitamin which medical recounted. time judiciously and to figure supplements for the procedures are done.” out if indeed she wanted to go Myrthe is convinced that she children. Myrthe believes “Come here open- to medical school in the first has learnt more about that these outreaches minded. Don’t expect place. medicine. According to her, enable volunteers like her to anything. Give yourself she faced a few challenges give the children some She worked at the Ghana time to get used to the the first time she went on a attention and loving care. “A Police Hospital on a medical new culture,” she medical outreach. wound can prevent an project and at the country’s concluded. infection. biggest hospital; Korle-Bu

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Volunteer Stories Middlesex University

graduate Shanelle Nwanaebi gains experience in journalism while volunteering in

Ghana

Shanelle Nwanaebi, a twenty- After only a short time working at “I had the opportunity to people. “I have put most three year -old British student the radio station, Shanelle became work on some really of the skills I have already with Nigerian heritage, travelled the entertainment correspondent interesting stories, such as a learnt into practice. to Ghan a for one month to and took charge of the prostate cancer documentary. volunteer at the Journalism entertainment news. We went to the Korle-Bu The one thing that Project offered by Projects Teaching Hospital and Shanelle loved about Abroad. Shanelle had a lot responsibility at interviewed doctors on what Ghana is the warmth of

the radio station; “I assisted the can be done to make men the people. “You can walk to the store and people After completing a degree in journalists here to produce their aware of prostate cancer. I Journalism and Media at documentaries; I co-hosted the also worked on the Bojo will ask you how you are Middlesex University, Shanelle Drive Time Show every afternoon; Beach Island documentary on doing; they’ll greet you. had always wanted to come to and I assisted the host of our Shanelle encourages Ghana to work in the field of requests and dedication shows.” were not allowed to give birth future volunteers to journalism and lend a helping hand on the women who were not realise their dreams: at the s ame time Shanelle was In addition to this, Shanelle would allowed to give birth on the “Come to Ghana! Enjoy placed at Radio XYZ, a popular also general news and political island because it’s a taboo. Ghana because it’s a great radio station based in the stories on the radio stat io n ’ s This was an unforgettable atmosphere. It’s a buzzing cosmopolitan district of Osu in website and even wrote some of experience.” feeling living here.” Ghana’s capital city Accra. Radio the stories herself. Every evening at Shanelle is convinced that she XYZ airs political, social, business, nine o’clock, listeners could tune in has improved on her health and Entertainment to hear Shanelle present the Radio commitment to deadlines as programmes. XYZ African News programme. well as working with different 9

Volunteer Stories

Werenfridus Tabor College graduate Wendy Zwarthoed gathers experience in a Teaching and Care project in Ghana.

Eighteen-year-old Dutch volunteer presence, as well as that of the other the luxuries of life. There is no racism volunteers, helps the children against white people in Ghana.” Wendy Zwarthoed travelled to the Ghana’s Eastern Regional Capital appreciate other cultures aside their One of the most memorable Koforidua to work as a Projects own. “Our presence here tells the experiences for Wendy was on Easter Abroad volunteer in a care and staff that one can teach children day when the teachers, other staff teaching placement – Anointed without hitting them. We are happy and volunteers threw a big Royal Day Care. that we share our knowledge with celebration for the children in the the staff of the school. The kids smile school. Other memorable times Wendy had always had the desire more and they have fun with us,” she according to her was whenever she to help children and she already added. has volunteering experience in her was traveling with other volunteers to home country, Holland. Every day, Wendy assists the staff all the interesting places they visited + during the morning assembly of the in Ghana. “Whenever I am with them, Prior to her coming to Ghana, she we laugh together, do whatever we children. She checks their homework had plans of traveling to and gives them daily tasks to do. “I want and say whatever we want,” she experience how life out of her let the children do activities as well as recalled with intermittent laughter. country is and how she can live work on the black board and then “Julie Laursen is one crazy friend and

independently for the first time in before the day ends; I give them roomie – friends forever,” she added. her life. some new home work. I have the “I love the people, the beautiful green feeling I get a lot of responsibilities. I Projects Abroad offers volunteer landscape, the beaches, the waterfalls can teach the kids on their own when placements in many projects and of course my roommates,” the teachers are not there.” including Care and Teaching in Wendy concluded. Koforidua and that is what Wendy Wendy compared her home country

spent her time learning how to and Ghana: “They are two different communicate with younger countries. Ghanaians are really nice children. She believes that her people even though they don’t have 10

Social

Media

Our social media platforms An opportunity to relive remains a powerful tool that connects volunteers, friends For many of our volunteers, our social media and family of Projects platforms provide the opportunity to Abroad though status continuously relive the valuable moments they updates, tweets, pictures, once had in Ghana and it becomes their space for blogs and videos. Our expressing the heartwarming satisfaction they

Facebook groups were as gained from volunteering to affect the lives of active as always in providing people in need. information on volunteer Visit us: experiences and that informs

the expectations of volunteers who are coming to Ghana and prospective volunteers as well. Our different Facebook groups –

The Hills, Koforidua, Accra,

Cape Coast, Kumasi and the Projects Abroad Human Rights Office were active throughout the month of

April.

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