David Kuhn
April 2010

June 2000
The plane touched down at Kotoka International Airport, and the finely dressed passengers on the plane clapped. I admit I sat awe-struck at this gesture, but it was genuine, pleasant and left me with a good feeling. That sentiment pretty much stuck with me throughout my 8 weeks in Ghana, and for me represented this astonishing country and its citizens.

An tall and gravelly voiced guy named Pastor picked me up from the airport and we drove a rumbling road to a small hotel where my travelling partner Jill was staying, having arrived a day earlier. Yes, there were mosquitoes and no running water, but there were also mosquito nets, a generous bucket and showering room. I quickly learned that these items would become my friends. In fact, I preferred to use them even after I left West Africa.

A couple days later, Jill and I were driven to the town of Ho in the Volta Region. We stayed at Philip’s house – a beautiful but modest home with two brick buildings. Jill and I met his wife and children, who would become close with us over the weeks. It was real comforting to have friendly kids to drink chocolate Milo with in the mornings, and to have a ‘host mom’ looking after us. 

Days later I would meet Spyke, Wallace, King, Jug Brown, Morrison and others, each a singular character; we were in good spirits, and quickly got to know each other. We drove up the adjacent mountain pass to the small village of Akome, which would become our adopted home for a few weeks. Akome was densely forested, with a creek and a few fields close by. There was a school, a small boutique store, two pounding machines, several fields of citrus fruit trees, and a health hut which would become our sleeping quarters. Others joined our group, and soon we were 20 young men (and Jill), often singing and teasing.

As a volunteer tourist with PHFS, I was eager to observe how our money was being spent, how well-integrated Jill and I would become with the group, and how helpful our group’s project would be to the village of Akome. One day, Philip took a quiet moment to sit down with Jill and I, poured some tea, and discussed PHFS with us. Philip clearly explained that the money was spent in three capacities: to pay local women to cook for the group, finance a couple day trips for the group, and help with some administration costs. (In total, Jill and I paid $650USD each for the 4 weeks, not counting air fare). Philip conducted a health and safety orientation, and discussed a few social rules and traditions that would help us to become integrated cross-culturally. He also explained that village leaders had developed a strategic plan for social improvements, and that our participation would help to implement that plan. Jill and I openly shared our personal expectations for privacy and commitment. The nature of our partnership began to sink in, and that was a very significant moment for us.

Our enthusiastic group was to build a hostel in Akome so that girls attending school from surrounding villages would not need to commute, but could stay at the hostel instead. A U.S. Peace Corps volunteer was helping to coordinate the hostel project, acting as a facilitator and project manager.

When work began, we designated roles for the first few days and agreed to rotate. Everything was done by hand: there were brickmakers, cement mixers, loaders, masons and scaffolding builders. Groups of girls would gracefully bring water and lunch, and the group would sit together, laugh and tell stories.

The project lasted for most of 4 weeks, with a couple of weekend breaks. During the breaks, we spent time together on field trips, soccer games with the village boys, visiting neighbouring villages. Jill and I took time to teach at the school and visited villagers. In the evenings, we showcased our individual talents, sang songs, told stories, discussed our two cultures, played games and even created songs and games. Jill and I learned Twi, the native regional language. We became a tight-knit group, daily bridging cultural gaps.

In the end, village elders found problems financing the project, and we were forced to leave before we’d finished. It was disappointing to leave; not only had we left the hostel half-done, but also it was difficult to watch a village waste the positivity and enthusiasm of young volunteer labourers, and the planning resources needed to get things done. Philip was also disappointed, but vowed to work there again in following years.

Overall, the experience was unforgettable. We were fortunate to be with this group of guys, and were very sad to leave. I would highly recommend PHFS to anyone interested in immersing in Ghanaian culture, discovering the lifestyle and sharing openly with people face to face.

I would also recommend PHFS over other volunteer tourism experiences, which are not as transparent and not as tied to the host culture. Philip and other group leaders were very professional, working hard to alleviate concerns and develop cross-cultural sensitivity training for foreign volunteers.

Philip made a very concentrated effort to work within the village to determine and implement projects that the village wanted. Too many organisations are preoccupied with volunteer accommodation, developing projects that are not part of a participatory community development process. Ignoring or avoiding community input produces unsustainable projects, and could lead to distrust between two well-meaning cultures.

You can contact me further about my experiences at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it