Going to Ghana gave me a grasp of what Google’s endless search options never can.” -Muryem Quadri
A group of high school and college students from the USA embarked on a service-immersion trip to Ghana West Africa with the Zakat Foundation of America. The trip was held June 23, 2013 to July 7, 2013. .
The student travelers joined hands with Ghanaian villagers to construct a water-well while learning about the global water crisis. The community in which the well was built did not have enough water to drink, and the water they did have was so contaminated that it caused them to develop poor vision and in some cases blindness, as is the case with the imam of their mosque.
The students also worked at a Zakat Foundation of America sponsored cassava farm co-op for agricultural development and economic empowerment of women. There the students rolled up their sleeves with the village women and harvested, peeled and processed cassava vegetables so that the villagers can take it to the local market for profit.
At an Ivorian refugee camp in Berekum Ghana, the Zakat Foundation of America students sat with the village chiefs to plan a community fair. Tug o’ war, carnival games, bubbles, poetry, team challenges – these were just some of the activities the Zakat Foundation of America students offered to the children at the camp. The Zakat Foundation of America youth were regarded so highly by the village elders who listened carefully to their ideas, offering feedback and support with such graceful deliberation.
At a Sunyani village Islamic school, the Zakat Foundation of America students ran educational and recreational programs that shared unique aspects of the Muslim American cultural experience. In exchange, the Ghanaian school children had prepared their own dynamic cultural performances to share with the Zakat Foundation of America students including drumming, traditional dance, drama, and Quran recitation.
Historic museums and ecological tourism helped to wind down an intense service immersion in the last days of the trip. The students hiked through the Kakum national rainforest reserve. They visited slave forts used in the tragic transatlantic slave trade where they walked the same steps taken by at least 12 million Africans forced off the Cape Coast shore to be enslaved on America’s plantations. They visited several national museums, tried some kente cloth weaving, and more.
Each day began with the early dawn prayer and a brief spiritual talk to foster a meaningful context for our work; and each day concluded with a language lesson in Twi, and a group reflection to help process the intense but incredible experience.
Contact us to stay informed of future student service trips with Zakat Foundation of America.
Youth Reflections From Ghana
Zakat Foundation of America’s student travelers share thoughts on their service-immersion experience in Ghana, West Africa:
