Fir Vale School go to Ghana

Story: Fir Vale Ghana Team 2014

After ten months of preparation and fundraising, students from Fir Vale School eventually topped our £28,000 target. Fir Vale were off to Ghana!

Final preparations completed, bags packed and malaria tablets taken, a full day's travelling and we arrived in Accra. As we stepped off the plane into the humid air, we knew we had made it to sub-Saharan Africa with a bang.

We arrived in the hostel to no electricity. Attempting to assemble 20 mosquito nets in the dark with nothing more than palm leaves and a head torch, Fir Vale students showed what they were made of. Not one of the team of 18 moaned or complained as they became accustomed to their first few hours of Ghanaian life.

As the sun rose on day two, we saw an expanse of urban Ghana, with corrugated iron roofs and not a Diet Coke in sight for Miss Cassy. We were filled with excitement as we drove out of the city and along uncomfortable roads, through lush vegetation and small terracotta villages on the roadside. We were greeted by the Prince of the village and the local drumming troop as we settled into our home for the following week.

The next few days were full of laughter, excitement, positivity and challenges, from walking through the rainforest to dancing in the streets, from feeding monkeys to swimming under waterfalls. But we were not just here to have fun. We had an important job to do, helping build an orphanage. We mixed cement, by hand. We made, carried and laid bricks and carried endless litres of water. We never faltered under the Ghanaian sun. Mr Power felt most proud to lead a group of Fir Vale students.

After ten days had flown by, it was, unfortunately, time to pack our bags and say our goodbyes. This was the most incredible experience from start to end, a project the whole school community should feel proud of, a project that has made a difference to our students, staff and governors and to the lives of children in Ghana.

Congratulations to all involved!