This time next year I will be on my elective placement as part of my BSc Nursing course. The opportunity to go abroad for a 4-week elective placement is exclusive to second year students and so, I jumped at the chance to go with a charity. I will be arriving in Accra, Ghana, on the 29th of March, 2019 and will be returning to the UK on the 28th of April. During my time in Ghana I will be staying at the 'Meet Me There' Lodge. This is a non-profit company and is linked closely to Dream Big Ghana, the charity I will be working with.

For the first two weeks, I will be working in the local health centre, followed by two weeks in the Keta district hospital. Throughout my stay I will be immersed in the culture of this area. There is various social, cultural and community health activities that I will be taking part in as part of my stay here.I will get the chance to learn about the challenges in health, conservation, sanitation, religion, amongst many other aspects. I look forward to spending a month in surrounding by Ghanaian culture.

Dream Big Ghana is also a non-profit, non-governmental organisation which works closely with the villages of Dzita and Agbledomi in rural Ghana. This charity was set up in 2013, and is dedicated to improving sanitation, education and health care for local people. Communities in this area have limited access to sanitation facilities, forcing people to have to use the bushes or beach as a toilet. Dream Big Ghana build composting toilets as part of their sanitation programme. Each toilet which the charity help build costs around £750 and can accommodate up to 20 people.

If I manage to raise over £750, the remaining funds will go towards the community in the form of gift donations - such as encyclopaedias, paints, pens, or games etc. I am paying for the whole trip (my own expenses) out of my own pocket and savings. Therefore all donated money will reach these communities directly.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read, share and/or donate! :)

Links to the charity and lodge are as follows:

https://www.facebook.com/DreamBigGhana/

https://www.facebook.com/MeetMeThereAfricanHomeLodge/