Providing Care for Challenged Kids
Destination: Asakore Mampong, Ghana
You will have your fill of rewarding work in a beautiful environment working with mentally challenged children in the town of Asakore Mampong, Ghana.
Asakore Mampong,
Ghana has created a special school for children facing mental challenges. One hundred and fifty students between the ages of eight and 20 are given a better chance for success here after they were floundering from lack of personal attention in the larger public schools. Kids are transferred here for the school's more nuanced teaching methods, personal attention, and much lower student-to-teacher ratio. In this new, specifically catered environment, students are learning to excel.
Working in partnership with the 22-member school staff, you'll teach small groups of students English through discussion groups and one-on-one dialogue. Math is also on your plate, as you work with individuals or a few students at a time. You'll have great fun during game time as you pursue new activities -- some physical, some cerebral -- that encourage cooperation, sharing, and socializing. Come armed with some ideas of your own -- would you enjoy teaching rhythmic music or singing groups? How about dance or soccer? All of it is put to great use in creating new learning opportunities and challenges with plenty of room for expression.
You'll stay with a host family, who will support you in your work and provide meals (twice daily on weekdays, three daily meals on weekends) as you learn the cultural specifics of village life by being immersed in their home. The first 6 days of your stay are spent in cultural orientation programs in the capital city of Accra, so by the time you get to Asakore Mampong, you'll have genuine insight into Ghanaian life -- only to be solidified by living and working in the village.
Your Next Step: Center for Cultural Interchange (tel.
312/944-2544;
www.cci-exchange.com). A 4-week program, $1,530, includes 6 days of cultural orientation in Accra, host family accommodations, all meals, and full project training and support.
Don't Miss: For an incredible look at life under difficult circumstances and ingenious ways to thrive, visit the
Village on Stilts of Nzulezu. The name Nzulezo means "surface of the water," which is where life here takes place. Built just above the waters of Lake Tadane, the village homes, schools, and community spaces are all on platforms that extend out of the water. You take a canoe to the village, which welcomes visitors every day except holy Thursdays. If your timing is lucky, you may see a birth ceremony -- every child is baptized in the lake to protect them from drowning.
Official Tourism Website: www.touringghana.com
