As the majority of Ohio University students gear up for the last three weeks of their first semester, one student will make a final push to raise money in Ghana.
Shannon Feller, a sophomore studying early childhood education, is helping to raise money for the Bakatsir Methodist Junior Secondary School after some of its computers were stolen from the school’s computer lab and library.
Feller raised more than $1,200 to help fund steel security installations that will protect technology equipment from being stolen. She estimated the project would cost about $2,500.
She said she intends to keep raising money for the school through a GoFundMe.com account — at http://gofundme.com/1cdkzw — after she returns to Ohio Dec. 7.
“Now I can be a spokesperson for a country that a lot of people know nothing about,” Feller said.
Feller and two other students left for a 14-week trip to Ghana on Aug. 26 as part of the Teach in Ghana study-abroad program. They are living with local families, teaching classes at schools and attending classes at universities in Ghana.
“This is what we call a full immersion program,” said Bose Maposa, assistant director for the African Studies program. “Students get to explore the culture of the region and interact with the locals while gaining teaching experience.”
During the first few weeks of the program, students shadowed a teacher at the local school before teaching classes on their own. Feller teaches classes Monday through Thursday to children ages 13 and 14.
Feller is also required to take a language class so that she can understand the local dialect.
“Almost all the adults speak English, but many of the children don’t, so it has been a challenge to communicate with them,” Feller said.
Feller said the program has been a great experience and that she highly recommends it.
“It has given me a new perspective; the way they do things here is a lot different than in the U.S.,” Feller said.
In order to participate in the Teach in Ghana program, students must fill out an online application, have a minimum GPA of 2.75, submit a letter of recommendation and go through an interview, Maposa said. The program is open to students of any major.
During the first week of spring semester, there will be an information session for students to learn about the Teach in Ghana program. Any students interested in the program should contact Maposa or attend the information session.
hr332511@ohiou.edu
