Hello! My name is Marlene,
My sign language name is this:
(birthmark at the chin) and I am from Hamburg.
I am here through the 'worldwards' volunteering programme.
That is an umbrella association for many other organizations.
I am a member of one of them:
The organization BEZEV (Disability and Development Cooperation).
What does the organization do, or rather, which responsibilities does it have?
It is a contact point for volunteers
who want to support development and work in developing countries in Asia, Africa or Latin America.
Surely you have noticed that I am not in Germany?!
Where could I be, then?...
Yes, right, in Africa!
And where exactly?
In Ghana!
How long do I stay in Ghana?
For eight months.
And where do I stay here?
I live with a native host family, in the small city of Swedru.
And what do I do here in Swedru?
There is a deaf school here in Swedru
where I work together with the teachers.
Do I teach in German Sign Language, my native language?
No. The deaf people here have their own sign language,
which is different from the one in Germany.
By the way, the Ghanaian sign language
is more closely related to American sign language.
The children ask a lot of questions and want to know
how it is to live in Germany and how our world there looks like.
I am having a lot of fun teaching them.
But I don't only teach, I am on the other hand also learning many new things from them.
I am very fascinated to experience the different culture,
the other life styles and the other eating habits in Ghana.
It is also amazing for me to see how smoothly I am being accepted
and able to integrate myself into the surrounding as a white person.
It is very nice to have gathered such experiences.
I will take these enriching experiences with me back to Germany.
However, I do not at all want to remain the only deaf volunteer!
Hence, if you have a big interest and it is your goal or dream
to support the developing countries, but you do not know
to whom to turn:
The organization BEZEV would like to continue working together with deaf volunteers!
You are VERY WELCOME there!!!
I can really highly recommend joining the 'worldwards' programme to you and
daring the great adventure- like I did- where you will gather so many precious experiences.
In this spirit: ILY!!! ('All the best')