Have you ever wanted something so badly you weren’t sure how to resist it? Wilnet gives her take on unexpected kind of cravings that grew in her as her experience in Ghana progressed.

Volunteering in Ghana for the  Sustainable Development Goal #4: Quality Education, provided me with more than just the opportunity to deliver specific content. I went there with the space to share myself and my culture with the students. Their eagerness and excitement to learn inspired me every day I spent there.

Brave Leaders (Discover Yourself) is a project which aims to bring quality education in Ghana. Through the support of exchange participants, to help students broaden their knowledge and give guidance for them to find their dream career.

Since the moment I arrived, everyone I met shared their kindness with me, especially the people I worked with. The kids were always understanding and cooperative, which made it so much more enjoyable for me to do my job.

Throughout the course of the project I was challenged, I enjoyed, I taught, I learned, I connected. Yet, it wasn’t until the day of my program closing that I realised the impact I had on the students. The gratitude they exemplified towards me, for the time we spent together, was something that will always remain unforgettable. It is one of the factors that made this entire experience as exciting and amazing as it was!

Expectations…

When I applied to go abroad to volunteer, I had the expectation that I would feel good for investing time into something that I care about. I expected to share knowledge with the students and teach them all I could in the time I had. What I did not expect, was to learn as much from them as I did. Upon completing my experience, I felt an unrecognisable level of fulfilment and inspiration, provided by the children, to do more and to give more of what I have.

I began to feel this voice of strong belief in me speaking louder than it has ever spoken before.

The craving for more kicked in.

I began to feel that I have so much more to offer and I want to work on giving what I can to those who need it most. I choose to believe that there are people out there, that need me, and that need people like me. And for that reason decided that this will not be the last time I volunteer. I will not stop here because there is more to learn, to give, to live and to experience. It’s time for me to feed these cravings.

Live an experience like this yourself by finding an opportunity on aiesec.org.