As a little shy girl I had only one dream. When I grow up I want to help the poor people in Africa….. During the 80’s there were numerous big television productions about poor black Africa children, covered in flies and with edema bellies, who were all hungry and thirsty. Remember Bob Geldoff and Live Aid?

Everything I did was connected to my dream, a trip to Ghana

I was completely taken by the idea. On top of that I had a friend from Benin so that’s were I needed to be when I grew up. Everything I did in High school was connected to my African dream. Sadly enough French wasn’t my cup of tea, so I needed to forget about Benin, but I figured out that there were English speaking countries in West Africa as well.

It was really difficult to choose the course I wanted to follow in college, I didn’t want to become a doctor or nurse, eventually I chose a course that stated that they had special project weeks about aid for developing countries. The course wasn’t suitable for me at all. After 3 years I finally threw in the towel and quit. One of the main reasons was the lack of special project weeks with development aid as a theme.

I started working lots of hours at our local grocery store to earn money to eventually finance my own trip to Ghana. My first trip to Ghana was a volunteering trip via a big organisation. If you want to read more about my experiences and findings during that trip click here.

I felt so excited and scared after I booked the trip. What was I thinking, going alone on a trip, to Ghana, for 6 months??

Finally the day of departure was there. The 9th of April 2001, funny how some things just stick in your mind…

I’m the kind of person who is always on time, but just on that day there was a huge traffic jam on the way to the airport, because Ajax Amsterdam was playing a soccer match. So much stress in the car, but I made it in time for the flight. And due to lack of time there wasn’t a big emotional goodbye, an additional advantage.

My trip to Ghana was like a rollercoaster, so many emotions. I have seen and experienced so many beautiful things. There were some difficult times as well, times that I really had to find myself again. I lived with a host family, the members of the family barely spoke English. The diet consisted mainly of traditional Ghanaian dishes. Phones and internet were at least at 2 hours travel distance. I didn’t help a lot of ‘poor’ African children. But I have learned so much.

I wish that you will have such a wonderful time and experience during your trip to Ghana as I had!

Sustainable volunteering with Moon&Star gives you the opportunity to experience, learn and be a part of the local community.

I know how exciting and scary it can be to take the step, at any age. Grant yourself that amazing experience, that unforgettable trip to Ghana! And I am there to guide you, together with our wonderful staff.

It is my mission to give you the best possible Ghana experience, so that when you get back home you feel that you got to know more about the beautiful country, the people and their customs.

Besides that I want you to enjoy everything that Moon&star has to offer: relaxing atmosphere, amazing food, great hospitality, breath taking surroundings and the company of other guests, the staff and me.

Read more about our volunteer program, feel free to mail us with your questions or book your trip to Ghana now!