Émilie, Conflict and Human Rights Studies
AFS Interculture Canada
Ghana,
Human Rights Advocacy Center,
Program Support Officer.
Wow, everything happened so fast. I can hardly believe that it's already been three months since I left for Accra, Ghana. I had the opportunity to work for an organization called the Human Rights Advocacy Center. My role within this organization was in the research and project development department. My tasks were very diverse, but all related to human rights. Thanks to the fluidity of my role, I had the opportunity to attend press conferences, participate in workshops to advance gay rights, work in high schools on mental health issues, and more. I was able to gain a lot of hands-on experience by traveling and participating in projects outside of Accra. When I am in the office, I conduct various research projects to advance our future projects and write reports on the projects or activities we have carried out. Given my keen interest in human rights, I am extremely satisfied with the tasks I have been assigned here and the knowledge I have gained.
In my last blog, I mentioned that I had become quite accustomed to the Accra area and felt it was time for me to explore the country. Well, that's exactly what I did. Each of my little getaways has been an incredible experience, and I'm glad I was able to travel throughout Ghana. However, I feel tired because I work all week and explore on the weekends. On the other hand, since time is running out, I feel that I need to take advantage of every moment and every opportunity to discover something new. During my travels, I have seen that Ghana is undoubtedly a beautiful country with extremely diverse landscapes, depending on the region. Ghana has everything: beaches, lakes, mountains, open spaces, jungle, forest, cities, etc. Despite everything, I feel a little out of breath and I can't wait to rest and get back to a more stable pace of life.
What I will miss most about Ghana are the incredible people I met. I quickly formed strong friendships with Ghanaians whom I see several times a week. It will be a big change not to see them at all. Also, during my internship, I had the opportunity to live with a Ghanaian family. Living with a host family is a challenging but rewarding experience. On the one hand, you have to quickly adapt to being around new people and integrate into a new environment. On the other hand, being in a host family is a huge advantage in terms of immersing yourself in the new culture and forming bonds with the host country.
In short, when I think about all the positive aspects of my internship, including the people I met, the country, my host family, and my work organization, I realize that this experience was totally worth it. I have mixed feelings because I am sad to leave, but happy to go home. I would like to stay longer, but now that the time is approaching, I am looking forward to returning to Canada.