When I was 8 years old I read a story about a girl who goes to Uganda on a missions trip. From the moment I read that book I was hooked on Africa.

I come from a community where your average teenage girl doesn't harbour dreams of going to 'that' continent. People around here take their vacations in Mexico, Hawaii, Europe. Unlike the rest of my peers, I never felt the need to shuttle myself off to an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean. Africa was calling me, for some strange reason, and I needed to get there.

After my first year in university I decided enough was enough. I was sick of the place I was stuck in, I was bored in my classes and doing a lot worse than the A honours student I should have been. Instead of starting my second year of university I took the next year to work, save and plan my trip to Africa. I started looking at various countries where I could be a teaching volunteer. After all, the reason I started university was to become a teacher. Not only would a trip to Africa satisfy my burning desire, but I could also rack in some volunteer points to bolster my resume.

I was torn between Ghana and Tanzania. Finally I chose Ghana, even though it was a country I had barely even heard of (or truthfully, had never heard of). I would depart from Vancouver International Airport in early March (2008) to embark upon 2 months as a teaching volunteer in rural Ghana. This trip would be my first time traveling out of Canada and my first time traveling alone. Although I had many apprehensions, I knew I was ready.

I spent the next two months 'teaching' English to primary and junior secondary students. With the language barrier I found this task extremely difficult and spent most of my mornings in the school library working on homework with some of the older kids, teaching them about Canada and reading to small children who probably didn't understand one word I was saying.

I had expected to do so much as a volunteer, but instead it was the children and the community members who did so much for me. They taught me about the way of life in rural Ghana (I lived in a town of about 2,000 people - mostly farmers), the customs, the cultures, the beliefs that make Ghanaians so uniquely special. They included me in all their activities - using a cutlass to plow fields, greeting visitors to the town, official ceremonies, 3 hour long church services, Twi (the local language) lessons and feasts. During all these activities and traveling to other regions of Ghana on weekends, I realized that this was the place for me. There's no way to describe what I love about Ghana except for saying: the people. Ghanaians are famous as the most hospitable in Africa. This constantly rings true as someone you just met goes an hour out of their way to guide you when you are lost, when someone who obviously has a lot less many that you do pays your transport fare, or through the millions of greetings received as you walk down the street to purchase bread.

The day I had to return home to Canada came too quickly. I had thought that, sitting in the airport in the capital city Accra, that I was going to forfeit my ticket for a few more weeks in Ghana and bare the costs later. Reluctantly I did return to Canada, experienced a painful reverse culture shock and decided the best way to cope would be to plan trip #2 to the country on the West African coast that I had fallen in love with. Thus, Project World Citizen was started.

Project World Citizen was started as a charity initiative between myself and two friends I had met in university. Our first project would start in Ghana, right in the village I had volunteered in. Through talks with teachers, community leaders and other Ghanaians, we determined that a computer lab was necessary for students to fulfill their educational requirements and to further their studies in secondary school. Students are required to learn about computers in their primary classes but unfortunately most students can never afford to leave their homes, let alone attend school or go to a neighbouring village to use a computer. By introducing computers into classes, students will be more inspired and excited to pursue their educations. Computers will create an incentive for children, and we know how children like incentives to do schoolwork. Here we attack Millennium Development Goal 2: achieve universal primary education.

Our second project is to finish construction of the secondary school. This will include building the last 6 classrooms so lessons can begin. It will also include drilling of a bore hole for a school well and installation of a toilet system. This project will allow not only male students, female students to continue their education right in their own community, targeting Millennium Development Goal #3: promote gender equality and empower women. The toilet and bore hole will help to target Millennium Goals 6 & 7 - combat ... other diseases, and ensure environmental health.

Currently we are working on creating an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign to be taught in this school. It is in the very beginning phases, but will focus on Millennium Goal #6: combat HIV/AIDS.

All this and I am not even 21 years of age. Start with a small dream and create something huge. Contradictory to what is commonly thought, YOU CAN make a difference. Its not only politicians who can work to tackle the Millennium Development Goals. In fact, a lot of them ignore what was promised anyways. As youth we need to become involved in international politics. After all, the future is ours.

-AS
CEO, Project World Citizen