Working in schools in Ghana

Marzena Kochanska and 10 students spent time at SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College, one of 3 IB World Schools in Ghana. The visit was the culmination of various efforts by students to collect books and organise events to raise money for library projects.

Marzena, Director of English Language, was very pleased with the whole trip. "It was exciting to arrive in Ghana as it was also the time of the elections there. I was not sure how our students would adapt to the new circumstances but in fact, everyone did very well. The school were very generous to us and also took us on a cultural tour to Elmina, one of the slave castles on the Gold Coast and to Kakum National Park, a protected rainforest area.

What most impressed me about St. Clare's students was their openness to everything and everyone. Students were very sad to leave. We enjoyed the final assembly in which HGIC students presented extracts from Shakespeare and we were presented with Kente scarves by Titi Ofei, the Principal of the school. Kente is a very colourful hand-woven material and will be a very lovely reminder of our time in Ghana.

We are continuing our efforts this term by collecting books and also organising An African Evening. In the Summer term, Students from HGIC will come for a just over a week to experience St. Clare's and Oxford and to get involved in our CAS activities too. It is visits like this which help to define the international ethos of the IB and its world view. Our students were a credit to the school."

Paulina Bockowska, a first year student from Poland reports further on the trip. "Victor, Tessa, Catarina, Mathieu, Steven, Freddie, Hannah, Nikola, Mara and I, as well as 300 kilograms of books set off to Ghana. We lamented the missing of Science Group Project Fiesta Finale, but the opportunity of spending a week in an African environment with temperature higher than 10 degrees wasn't something to turn down. However, our time in Ghana was definitely not leisure. We got involved in three different community library projects, attended lessons, waking up at 5.30 in the morning and surviving heat and humidity, got involved in sports and generally got to know the students from Hermann Gmeiner International School, some of whom we had been corresponding with by email prior to our visit.

We worked with primary school-aged children, helping them to improve their reading and language skills in Mampong village and Padmore inner-city area. We were treated to a wonderful performance at Mampong Technical College for the Deaf and Dumb by students there. We learned some sign language and communicated through writing, gestures and even dancing! We made so many new friends but because of 9.30 curfew (that's correct!) we didn't have enough time to socialise. That's why the SOS HGIC students are going to visit our school in June.