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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.
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 3
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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 4
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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 5
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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 6
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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 7
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.
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 8
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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 9
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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 10
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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 11
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.
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 12
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.
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 13
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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 14
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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 15
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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 16
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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 17
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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 18
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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 19
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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 20
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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 21
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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 26
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
CCS INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT 27
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
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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
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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
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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.
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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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