King's Academy students in Ghana
In coordination with Humanity World International, the Round Square and Community Service Program sent off 34 eager King's Academy students to Ghana during spring break to volunteer for a week at the New Life Orphanage in Accra, the country's capital.
Humanity World International specializes in organizing community service opportunities for international volunteers and aims to instill leadership skills in its volunteers through having them work with orphans in Ghana.
On the way to Accra, students and chaperones Kathleen Boswell, Nart Abdi, Randa Qunsol, Sandra Hamilton and Nadine Jallad took advantage of a six-hour layover in Cairo, Egypt to visit the pyramids of Giza.
Once in Ghana, the group began working with the 37 orphans, helping them with their studies, particularly in mathematics and English.
"It was eye-opening, transformative and an awesome adventure," said George Steele '10. "My favorite experience was teaching George [an orphan] how to use pronouns in English."
The New Life Orphanage is currently working to construct its own school-the Jags Nungua School. As the building is not yet finished, with many classrooms still lacking doors, the King's volunteers devoted some of their time towards the construction effort.
Students spent a large portion of their time outside the classroom playing games with the orphans.
"It was so fun to live with people that have had different life experiences. I loved playing with the kids," said Yusra Bitar '10. She added that her trip to Ghana "made me grateful for everything I have."
Humanity World International also arranged a fun day at the beach for the King's students and the orphanage children. Some students even took the orphans on horseback rides down the beach. The volunteers also traveled to the historic Khokhom National Park where they saw and fed Mona monkeys and went to the Wi waterfall, one of the largest waterfalls in Africa.
"Ghana was a transformative experience for our students," said chaperone Randa Qunsol. "It was eye-opening for them and they came back more considerate of others and ready to make a difference in the King's community."
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