Unite For Sight: Ghana

Ghana, Africa. A cultural, happy, crazy hot country full of fun, hardworking, God-fearing people. I had the perspective-altering experience of spending six weeks there helping local eye care clinics bolster their outreach programs. I think that the best way to describe what it was like is to share the following email which I wrote about four weeks into the trip.

June 1

I have tried but I cannot even begin to organize the events, thoughts, feelings, and opportunities that make up these past couple of weeks. I wish I could record each moment and create a video to watch every day for the rest of my life. There's just not enough time to live and record life at the same time.

Recently we've been spending most of our time in villages in the Volta Region as well as the Eastern Region. When we were working an outreach on Tuesday there was a boy who was about twelve with Conjunctivitis so severe that as he waited in line he held his eyes in his hands-in a rag that he had used to collect the discharge. All he had was pink eye but because he didn't have the necessary medicine it was completely debilitating. After I tested his visual acuity I watched him wait in line and I wanted to wrap him in my arms and tell him that it will be alright! We have eye drops that will completely fix your problem in just a few days and will give you relief immediately. ...he just needed to wait a couple more hours to see the optometrist.

It's amazing to me how patient the people are here. They can wait in line to see the optometrist for hours and hours without getting angry. Ha ha unless someone cuts them in line. Then there are straight-up fights that break out.

Outreaches keep us pretty busy but we always seem to find time for fun adventures! There is so much to do in Ghana! On Wednesday we went to reggae night on Labadi Beach. Ha ha THAT was an adventure! I made a few Rasta friends who were really respectful and funny and loved to talk. Ha ha they loved my hair and I got several offers from guys who wanted to turn it into dreds. If I weren't returning to a professional job I would totally get a weave but probably not dreds.

Yesterday we drove six hours northeast to swim under west Africa's largest waterfall! Wli falls. It was absolutely gorgeous! On our way back we stopped by a monkey sanctuary and held monkeys as they peeled their own bananas! Oh Africa... so cool!

As an MMBio student I don’t feel like I was ever really encouraged to study abroad. I was too focused on doing well in my classes, doing research, working, preparing for grad school, volunteering, etc. However, I ended up having a free spring term before I started an internship in Idaho and I wanted an adventure. When I decided to go to Ghana for this Public Health internship I didn’t think that the experience would affect my future career goals to be a healthcare provider here in the States. But it did. Because of the people I got to know and the situations I saw them conquer, a part of my heart has softened in a permanent way. I want to be gentle. Kind. Understanding. I want to take care of people and help solve their problems for their sake. Out of love. I desire to help others be strong. Strong in mind, body, and spirit. The people of Ghana taught me that happiness comes from balance and selflessness. I don’t believe I could have begun to learn those lessons in a better setting than among the most balanced, selfless people I have ever known.

 

I would most definitely encourage all future physicians, nurses, dentists, lab techs, or anyone planning to take care of people to study abroad. Go to a place where you can make an immediate difference and be so abundantly appreciated. I would especially recommend having this experience in an impoverished place. I believe that to recognize how blessed we are in America is a wonderful way to gain humility and compassion for others. And the best healthcare providers that I have known are humble and compassionate.

Don’t fret about the cost of studying abroad. If you persistently apply and ask, you will find that there is always money for you and the Lord makes miracles happen. The Kennedy Center website has a long list of scholarship foundations that search for students who want to travel abroad. I received a generous grant from the College of Life Sciences for travel costs and another scholarship from The Benjamin A. Gilman Foundation which together completely covered the cost of my trip to Ghana.

If you feel like you can’t afford to study abroad, apply for the Gilman scholarship! Their goal is to help students financially who otherwise wouldn’t be able to travel. The amount they give you is based on your need and the cost of your trip.

In summary, I encourage you to leave the country, gain a more global perspective, and allow the experiences that you have studying/interning/serving abroad to affect the type of professional you plan to be. It is so absolutely worth it.

--Rachel Pyper