Spending time in Africa changed Howard King’s life, and he wanted other students to have the same life-altering experience.
King, an English senior, went to the West African nation of Ghana after his first year at the University in what he called a “mini-Peace Corps stint” with Cross-Cultural Solutions, a non-profit organization that takes volunteers to developing nations.
He wanted to return to Ghana without the constraints of an organization, but King’s vision was to take other students with him.
Rather than pursuing the traditional route and going overseas with Academic Programs Abroad, King started Africa Initiative — an organization designed for students to get involved in international aid on their own.
The vision became reality for King during winter break. After spending most of the fall semester raising the $20,000 needed to fund trips for nine students — including himself — and an associate professor and her husband, the group headed to Ghana for a three-week stint in the town of Anloga.
The total number of participants — 11 — was just right for King for the Dec. 29 to Jan. 17 trip.
“It ended up being the perfect number because that was how many [our] lodging held,” he said.
Some University students’ volunteer activities included painting classrooms and building playground equipment at Anloga’s early childhood center, Dedzidi.
But, Howard’s favorite aspect of the trip is that the American students did not simply go to Anloga and work — they partnered with the Ghanians.
“It’s not us by ourselves doing it,” he said. “That’s what’s great to me.”
Other volunteers, such as Tom Swayze, a biological sciences sophomore, worked in Tom Keta Hospital.
The majority of Swayze’s work took place in labs. He assisted in conducting “AIDS tests,” which he described as being similar to at-home pregnancy tests.
“You just put a drop of blood on a pad,” Swayze said.
Swayze said the Anloga hospital’s exterior appearance was nothing like American hospitals.
“It was not fancy like what we have here,” he said. “It almost looked like it could have been an abandoned building.”
But, the building’s appearance did not take away from Swayze’s positive experience. He said he plans to be a doctor and would consider practicing medicine in a foreign country.
“It made you want to see more cultures,” Swayze said. “It’s a total one-eighty [degree turnaround] from hospitals here.”
King said Africa Initiative will take another trip to Ghana this summer. Students will have the option of staying for as few as three weeks and as many as 10.
“It’s $2,500 for three weeks, and every week after is an additional $200,” King said. “If you stay for more than seven weeks, the last three are free.”
The maximum cost for a 10-week stay in Ghana will be $3,300, King said. All prices include transportation to and from Ghana, travel while in Ghana and lodging.
Africa Initiative members will attempt to raise funds together.
Joyce Jackson, the anthropology and geography associate professor who went with the group, said in a November Reveille article that she felt confident about the group’s team work in fund-raising.
Jackson could not be reached Wednesday by press time.
Interested students should contact King at [email protected].