Lauren Hutfield - Ghana 2019

My 7-week volunteering trip to Accra, Ghana was an incredible and thought-provoking experience.

Over 7 weeks I have personally benefited immensely, acquiring invaluable skills and knowledge that will help me in my future. I have been able to develop my communication skills during the workshops and also greatly enhanced my teamwork abilities, whilst creating special friendships by working with an amazing team for such a long period of time!

Through interacting with the women and children on the LIVELIHOOD and ECCACHILD projects, I was able to get a feel for their daily life and see the world through their eyes- which challenged my assumptions and welcomed me to new perspectives.

This experience has fuelled my passion and commitment to humanitarian aid and has pushed me forward along my career path as I am already actively looking for more opportunities to broaden my knowledge within my degree of International Relations.

It’s been amazing to see the life changing work NGO’s do and their impact within communities- something that can only truly be appreciated when you witness it first-hand.

I have also thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the culture and seeing the beautiful landscapes of Ghana that don’t get shown enough in the media, and I personally think volunteering is something everyone should think of doing as it truly is life changing!