I WAS NERVOUS AND sweaty on my first day of school. It was mid-October and I had recently arrived in Accra, the capital Ghana, in West Africa. I looked at the classroom of 30 coffee-coloured students at Stephenson's International School. They were dressed in uniform peach button-down shirts and brown shorts or skirts. Their bright eyes stared curiously at the Canadian stranger in front of their shoddy, wooden classroom.
For two months, I would be their English teacher. That teacher-student relationship became more of a cultural exchange. I helped improve their ability to speak and write in their country's official language. In turn they taught me about their culture and how to say some basic phrases in Twi, one of Ghana's indigenous languages.
My initial nervousness was quickly replaced with delight. I taught five classes of about 200 junior secondary school students that were full of aspiring doctors, nurses, lawyers, politicians and journalists. Although poor, these children weren't compromising their dreams and worked hard. Many regarded school as a privilege.
I had not volunteered overseas before and had little idea how to go about it. I started looking online at major non-profit groups, such as Oxfam and Unicef, only to be discouraged by the extensive volunteer experience that was required to apply.
The Help a School Project seemed ideal because it didn't require a teaching degree or volunteering experience. It also had flexible starting dates and short-term placements for a minimum of one month. Its US$400 fee included the first month's accommodation, three meals a day and a donation to the assigned school. The second month cost US$200.