The following is a guest post written by our literacy intern this summer, Dan Doverspike. Dan spent two weeks in Humjibre assisting in the planning and implementation of the 2nd Annual Quiz Competition and Soroano Book Box Project (Part 1, Part 2). Dan also wrote a personal blog on his time in Humjibre, which you can access here.
I had two main purposes while in Ghana: the first was to help GHEI in any way possible and the second was to learn as much as possible. But, I knew I wanted to make a lasting difference during my short time in Ghana. Before I ever stepped foot in Ghana I had thought about how to best make a lasting difference in such a short period of time. Once I arrived in Ghana, specifically in Humjibre, I had conversations with a variety of people as to how I could best achieve this goal.
The answers I received varied. I heard that just by being there makes a difference. I heard that by working with GHEI achieve its goals makes a difference. I heard that by simply playing with children on a day-to-day basis makes a big enough difference because it is unlikely the children receive that attention and interaction elsewhere. I heard that my knowledge of education and different teaching strategies makes a difference. Even after doing all of the above, I still hadn’t thought that my contributions in Humjibre would be everlasting.
In fact, I still don’t think my presence in Humjibre is everlasting. However, I do know that I found my purpose in being there, in GHEI’s presence in the community, and in education. See, although I am a teacher, I was oftentimes conflicted while in Humjibre because who are we to encourage a community to learn about education and health if they can be happy without our presence? Before going to Humjibre, it was important to me that there was a local, in-country staff that was comprised of community members. I never wanted to be part of a crew of white people in a foreign land trying to sell a product, whether that product was education, religion, or lip balm.
I’m a purpose-driven person. I need a purpose to be motivated and invested. By finding this purpose, I can continue to work towards making an everlasting difference in Humjibre and elsewhere. By working with GHEI, I was able to work with many children who were hungry to learn. These children have dreams. And they needed (and still need) avenues to reach these dreams.
This is the true power of education. This is GHEI’s purpose and this is my purpose. I want to help all people obtain access to a quality education. Education is the one thing in life that can help people achieve their dreams. True, sports do that for some. True, music does that for others. There are other avenues to achieve your dreams. But for the overwhelming majority of people, education is a necessity in order to achieve dreams. With an education, you have hope. Without hope, what is there to live for?
Remember: It doesn’t always matter what dreams you chase in life, what matters is that you have the chance to dream.
GHEI is now accepting applications for our 2014 Summer Serve and Learn volunteer programs. Check out our website www.ghei.org/volunteers to learn more and don't forget to help spread the word!
I had two main purposes while in Ghana: the first was to help GHEI in any way possible and the second was to learn as much as possible. But, I knew I wanted to make a lasting difference during my short time in Ghana. Before I ever stepped foot in Ghana I had thought about how to best make a lasting difference in such a short period of time. Once I arrived in Ghana, specifically in Humjibre, I had conversations with a variety of people as to how I could best achieve this goal.
The answers I received varied. I heard that just by being there makes a difference. I heard that by working with GHEI achieve its goals makes a difference. I heard that by simply playing with children on a day-to-day basis makes a big enough difference because it is unlikely the children receive that attention and interaction elsewhere. I heard that my knowledge of education and different teaching strategies makes a difference. Even after doing all of the above, I still hadn’t thought that my contributions in Humjibre would be everlasting.
In fact, I still don’t think my presence in Humjibre is everlasting. However, I do know that I found my purpose in being there, in GHEI’s presence in the community, and in education. See, although I am a teacher, I was oftentimes conflicted while in Humjibre because who are we to encourage a community to learn about education and health if they can be happy without our presence? Before going to Humjibre, it was important to me that there was a local, in-country staff that was comprised of community members. I never wanted to be part of a crew of white people in a foreign land trying to sell a product, whether that product was education, religion, or lip balm.
I’m a purpose-driven person. I need a purpose to be motivated and invested. By finding this purpose, I can continue to work towards making an everlasting difference in Humjibre and elsewhere. By working with GHEI, I was able to work with many children who were hungry to learn. These children have dreams. And they needed (and still need) avenues to reach these dreams.
This is the true power of education. This is GHEI’s purpose and this is my purpose. I want to help all people obtain access to a quality education. Education is the one thing in life that can help people achieve their dreams. True, sports do that for some. True, music does that for others. There are other avenues to achieve your dreams. But for the overwhelming majority of people, education is a necessity in order to achieve dreams. With an education, you have hope. Without hope, what is there to live for?
Remember: It doesn’t always matter what dreams you chase in life, what matters is that you have the chance to dream.
GHEI is now accepting applications for our 2014 Summer Serve and Learn volunteer programs. Check out our website www.ghei.org/volunteers to learn more and don't forget to help spread the word!
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