From lack of education to poor health care, Ghana, along with the majority of countries in Africa, is very underdeveloped in many areas. A lot of the locals I met in Ghana live in abject poverty and only have the clothes they wear on their back and eat a hot meal every other day. Despite the hard life the locals lead, everyone has a beaming smile on their face and they are cheerful people.

The main issue the locals deal with on a daily basis is their water supply. Their houses are not near clean water supplies and they are forced to drink unreliable and less hygienic sources, which often cost more than clean supplies.

70% of the disease in Ghana are easily preventable, caused by drinking dirty water and lack of sanitation. Providing access to clean water would greatly reduce the risk of catching any of these diseases.

It is not simply the health risk which ruins these families lives, each day a member of the family has to trek for hours committed to collecting dirty water and bringing it home. The walks are long and must be done by hand, this prevents children from attending school and parents going to work and earning money.

Ghana is a special and important place to me, it is the very first place I volunteered back in 2013 and if it wasn't for this incredible country with its welcoming locals, I wouldn't have had the courage to volunteer many times since. I taught young children and built schools with the locals and they welcomed me in every aspect.

I am returning to Ghana later this year and want to thank them for how much they shaped me as a person. I plan to battle their biggest struggle head on. The locals lack time, funds and resources to improve their water supply but I can help!

Returning to the Lake Volta region with Original Volunteers , I plan to return with a suitcase overflowing with water filters. Filters remove 99.9% of all parasites, viruses and bacteria in the water and nearly eliminates the chances of catching a disease.

Original Volunteers have already donated water filters to thirty communities in the local area but there are still many more which need help.

A community water filter only costs £200 and can provide clean water to 500 people. An individual filter for a large family costs £20. Help me to thank the local communities for welcoming me as a volunteer so many years ago and return the favour by providing clean drinking water.

Useful Links:

Grifaid (https://www.grifaid.org)

Safe Water Trust

Volunteer In Africa