Mondo's volunteers in Ghana

 It's 2am and I'm in the international airport in Accra waiting to board into my first flight towards Italy.  I can't even describe all the emotions that I'm feeling right now, I feel very sad of leaving my Ghanian family but also excited to meet my family and friends again.  What I know for sure is that Ghana has a special place in my heart, and all the memories and all the people will always be with me wherever I'll be. Ghana leaves me with a lot of professional and personal skills, in this 9 months I explored a new culture, embracing any aspect of it, and I have pulled my self out of my confort zone, looking for opportunities to learn, especially at work.  What I know for sure is that Ghana made me realize how strong my values are and how much I want to advocate for them and keep them as engine for my future choices.  I think this collage represents my experience the best. Same pictures but a bit different, that's exactly how feel. The same Maria Andrea, but ...

I cannot believe I am saying this, but my time in Kongo village and Ghana in general is almost over. When I first came here, I thought 3 months and a half was plenty of time, but I could not have been more wrong. These months have passed by so quickly that it feels like I came here a week ago. I guess this just proves how amazing my life has been here, because time flies by so quickly when you are engaged in activities that are interesting and fun for you. And as much as I miss my country and my loved ones, I would love to stay in the village longer. I want to start my final blog by saying a huge thanks to a Kongo based NGO CoDA, that has been hosting me all this time. Their dedication to make me feel great in this village was incredible. Since the day I arrived in the village they treated me like a family member and helped me in every step of the way. Taking me around for sightseeing, teaching me the local language, cooking me delicious vegetarian meals, greeting me with a smile eve...

My time in Kongo has come to an end as I am leaving in a couple of days. I’m feeling more sad than when I was   leaving my home in the Netherlands. That is because I have created a new home here. A   home with new people and new surroundings.   The past few days we have been traveling in the south of Ghana. Truly experiencing the natural beauty of the country. We got a chance to visit the beautiful Kintampo waterfalls, surf at the Busua beach and visit the Cape Coast Castle. The south is also a bit colder than the north (maybe colder is not the right word, let's say less hot instead) so it has been a relief not waking up already sweating.   While traveling we met a couple who have been traveling through all of Africa by car, visiting over 10 countries. After all those experiences, they say that so far Ghana has left the biggest impression on them, because of the people and culture. And I couldn’t agree more. Ghana’s culture is ...

The 16th of July, I celebrate Fire Festival, a local festivity that symbolize resilience, strength and unity. It is celebrated at night and Dagombas gathered together to celebrate, showcase and honor their ancestors. The legend tales that many years ago the king's son got missed in the forest, the king then ordered people to go around to look for him. There was no electricity so people used grass torches. After hours of searching the king's son was found sleeping under a tree. The community used then the fire from the torches to fire the tree as they considered it as having stolen the kid.  Since then, every year, the local community commemorate this event. The day of the fire festival changes every year since it follows the lunar calendar and it marks the beginning of the Dagomba's year. It falls on the ninth day of the first month of the Dagomba lunar year, the Bugum Goli (the month of fire). The festival normally begins at night, on hour or two after the muslim evening p...

The past few weeks have been somewhat of a rollercoaster. My days shifted from being packed with a variety of activities to spending extended periods at home, grappling with how to occupy my time. This transition was intriguing and certainly taught me to be resourceful in finding ways to spend my time. As I mentioned in my first blog, Kongo village is not very large. This doesn’t mean there is nothing to do; it simply requires a bit of creativity to discover ways to spend time. It made me appreciate the small things so much more. For example, playing baseball with the kids after their ICT lesson or watching the sunset at the beautiful Pitanga rocks. As part of my role as a women's empowerment officer in Kongo village, I have been gathering information about the various groups of women in Kongo. I have been collecting details about the products they make, their backgrounds, and their biggest challenges. Over the past few days, I have been interviewing women from the basket weavers g...

Cuatro meses han pasado desde que llegué a Ghana, tengo que contaros como ha evolucionado mi trabajo y mi estancia, pero sobre todo como ha cambiado el paisaje. Uno de los aspectos más fascinantes de vivir aquí ha sido ver cómo cambia el entorno natural entre la estación seca y la temporada de lluvias. Durante la estación seca, los paisajes se tiñen de un tono dorado y ocre, con una belleza austera que resalta la resistencia de la flora y fauna local. Sin embargo, con la llegada de las lluvias, todo se transforma: el paisaje se vuelve verde y exuberante, los ríos se llenan de vida, y el aire se siente más fresco y revitalizante. Este contraste es realmente algo que hay que vivir para comprender en su totalidad. Este cambio también ha marcado el inicio de la cosecha, donde se puede ver a personas de todas las edades, azada en mano, piernas firmes y espalda curvada, labrando la tierra para sembrar desde mijo hasta arroz. Mientras los paisajes cambian con las estaciones, la minería de oro...