Rebecca in Ghana

A 19-year-old member of the Edina, Minnesota community, Rebecca Holloway-Nahum, is currently volunteering with United Planet to provide invaluable support to a community in Ghana, while immersing deeply in Ghanaian life and culture.

Rebecca Holloway-Nahum left the United States in August 2006 in order to spend six months as a nurse in a small health clinic in Wiamoase, Ghana (a village northwest of Kumasi). She works three days a week in the clinic and has created a project with her roommate to fund and paint a malnutrition ward three other days of the week.
Here is what Rebecca thinks about her experience in Ghana with United Planet:

“I think one of the most important things about volunteering anywhere whether it be the third world, or a thriving metropolis is that you cannot change the course of the world, but you can do immense amounts of good for others, but more importantly for yourself. Even though I came into this trip thinking I was doing it to change the course of existence of other people, I have come to realize that this trip is more about me. Making myself the best person I can be. I think that’s not only the first, but also the most critical, in making the world a better place.

When I was sitting in a trotro on the way to Kumasi one evening, I had an epiphany that I had changed so much, and hadn't even realized it. Here I was in the third world sitting on fatal and dirty public transportation. The best part is that I felt comfortable. If I can feel comfortable, at home, and at peace there I can do it anywhere. I realized that this experience has given me the ability to place my security within myself, not on things that surround me”

She learned during her mission that talking makes a difference in the world and that allowing yourself to be on the same level as people that would normally not be has great rewards. It is not necessarily the places you go or the things you see, but the people you meet that makes the journey worthwhile.