Village experience in Takoradi, Ghana
For many people, Ghana’s rural communities embody the true spirit of the country. As you leave the city’s outskirts the traditional clothes, festivals and food seem a world away from the buzz of Takoradi. Spending a week with a rural community is the best way to fully immerse yourself in the colourful nature of this country.
It is not just the cultures and traditions that vary from the city. Working in a community clinic will give you a fascinating insight into the delivery and understanding of primary healthcare through the limited resources of available. This is a truly unique opportunity and will add something very different, but hugely beneficial to your placement in Takoradi.
Get to know the locals
Ghana is divided up into regions and each one has its own tribal languages, customs and rituals. They vary enormously so we always provide you with a personal guide who is local to the Ghanaian community that you are visiting.
Your guide will meet you at the Work the World house on Sunday and take you by tro-tro to the village. It takes about 1 - 3 hours depending on your destination, but it’s a fascinating trip and chatting with the locals is great fun. Your guide will also travel back to the Work the World house with you on Saturday.
Tradition and village politics are taken very seriously in Ghana. Your guide will introduce you to the village Chief (to whom it is customary to present a bottle of local schnapps!) who will teach you how to wear traditional kente cloth and give you a welcome ceremony. During the week you will also spend time on a variety of local traditions, including soap making, clothes making, learning how to cook customary meals such as fu-fu or grasscutter soup as well as visiting local “Akpetashi” distilleries to learn how the villagers make money.
Read more about one students personal experience of the Ghana villagers on our blog.
Accommodation and food
While you are staying in the village you will live with a family in a traditional home. This is a fantastic opportunity to experience the legendary Ghanaian hospitality, and you are sure to be welcomed in and told to make yourself feel at home. Your local “mama” will feed you up with delicious, traditional meals, all cooked over a coal stove, and you can help her fetch water from the well for yourself and the family to use for washing.
A room to share with a fellow student, simple bed, clean sheets and fresh purified water are provided for you.
Read one students reflections on the accommodation and placement here!
Placement with a healthcare practitioner
You will spend each morning working in a local village clinic dealing with anything from general healthcare, road accidents, childbirth, malaria and many more unusual cases such as snakebites, all with incredibly limited resources. There may also be opportunity to head out on an outreach programme, visiting nearby villages to practice community midwifery and delivering general primary healthcare.
Read more about a typical day on placement here.
Benefits
Rural Ghana is very different to life in the cities and with 50% of people living in small communities, this is a fantastic way to learn about more traditional customs and culture. Understanding the dynamic between modern and traditional medicine, and how it is delivered with such primitive resources, will add a new and unique dimension to your healthcare placement.
With a maximum of two people taking part at any one time, you will be able to fully integrate yourself into the community and enjoy a very personal experience. This is great for those keen to see another side of West Africa, and a way to truly get off the beaten track in Ghana.
The Village Healthcare Experience is an invaluable experience, both professionally and personally, and will really stand out on C.V.
