Sweating, Singing and Studying- Students Start Service

On day three of our Ghanaian summer adventure, the Global Navigators broke into three groups and headed out into the city of Accra for their first days of service learning.

One of the service-learning sites is at the Shalom Home which houses pre-school and kindergarten children. The students have been placed in classrooms to assist the teachers and observe the learning experience. On the first day, we were met with smiling faces and bright smiles as we entered the center. The children began their day by singing worship songs and reciting the Ghanaian national anthem. The students were filled with excitement, waiting in anticipation to meet the children they would be working with. As the day went on, the smiles became bigger and brighter amongst the students as they immersed themselves with the preschool and kindergarten students.

The second day of service included an adventurous walk to a nearby sports complex at another local school. The students had the opportunity to watch sports games like the Lime Race, which the Shalom Home school children won, and interact with them by playing common hand-games. Both the students and children were enjoying themselves as laughter filled the air. I am excited and looking forward to the many more days of service as the students continue to bond and build relationships with the students of the Shalom Home.

After dropping off the Shalom Home group, we trekked to an area within Accra called Airport Hills to our next service site. Future Leaders UCC is a school created for children within a particular village in Accra that don’t attend public or private schools. The school started under a mango tree, and has grown exponentially since its origin, with the recent purchase of their own land and the foundation of their evolving school.

The students were placed in varying classrooms, ranging from pre-k to grade 6. Students were responsible for different tasks, from assisting teachers with grading to leading dictation exercises. The highlight of the day was the break in between classes, when Global Navigators were able to play soccer as well as other activities with the students to release energy. The consensus after day one was overwhelmingly positive, and we can’t wait for the rest of our time at Future Leaders!

The last group of students had the opportunity to be at Street Academy, where we worked with school age students from 7 to 14 years old. During the first week at Street Academy we were introduced to the faculty and the students. We had the privilege of sitting in the classroom and experiencing a typical Ghanaian classroom. We noticed a lot of cultural differences, for instance all of the students wore brown and yellow uniforms. A lot of singing was incorporated in the students’ learning. All of the students were so welcoming, all students greeted us with hugs and smiles. Our tasks for our stay in Ghana will include teaching students with math, English, French, dance and boxing. We are eager to return next week!

Medaase, 

Keyandra, Harriet and Kaylee