Bridge's CSV Program: immersion in local culture while partnering with local organizations

BRIDGE was founded by Peace Corps Volunteers who lived for years in the villages that we work. Our partner communities have embraced us as family, and so our volunteers are equally greeted as such.   Our program is based on the belief that immersion in local culture is one of the keys to creating real partnerships and trust. The features of the CSV program therefore aims at immersing our volunteers in the local culture of host communities:

· Ewe Language Manuals with CD accompaniments help volunteers learn the local dialect,
· Volunteer Packets provide volunteers with clear assignment objectives,
· Homestays with local families ensure that volunteers are adopted into local life,
· Counterparts collaborate with volunteers in organizing workshops and navigating the culture,
· Workshop stipends provide committees with the monetary means to collaborate regularly,
· Volta Office in the regional capital provides computer and office support for volunteers, and the Program Officer provides additional support to volunteers.
· Chieftancy Introductions provides an interesting cultural perspective and ensure volunteers are well received by communities.

A local homestay

A volunteer helps prepare lunch

The only way to get truly immersed in another culture is to be a part of the normal day-to-day activities. BRIDGE volunteers first become part of Ghanaian life by being adopted into a local family. Volunteers therefore live in homestays and have a local family care for them. Volunteers eat the local foods with their families, and can help participate in daily activities like fetching water, cooking food, or going to the farm.

Next, BRIDGE’s volunteers are given an Ewe Language Manual with a CD accompaniment (additional $30) to help learn the local dialect. Speaking the local language is a way of building friendships, respect, and mutual understandings. The Language Manual and CD provides the basics of the local dialect that will gain newcomers quick acceptance with the local citizens. Volunteers learn how to greet people properly, say many common phrases, and sing a number of popular songs. This builds important bonds between volunteers and their host communities.

But stepping into a Ghanaian village is not easy, and can be equated to arriving on another planet; it is strange, awkward, and daunting. Adding to the confusion, Volunteers arrive with the notion of assisting with projects in communities they know nothing about. We help volunteers to take action and overcome this challenge in a couple of ways.

How volunteers get immersed in local projects

To efficiently make the most of volunteers’ time and skills, BRIDGE creates individualized Volunteer Packets that provide histories of the organizations they will work with and clear work objectives to be achieved.

Next, volunteers are assigned a local Counterpart who will serve as a formal “link” to the community and organizations they work with. The Counterpart leads the volunteer for introductions with the chieftancy when first arriving, and introduces the volunteer to the organizations they will work with. The Counterpart will also work with the volunteer in crafting effective workshops and achieving their goals. Workshop stipends are also available so that commitee members can afford to miss some of their regular farming activities and devote more time to working with volunteers. This allows volunteers to make significant progress during their time in the field, and allows community organizations to make the most of volunteers' skills.

 

A volunteer and his counterpart dance at his departure ceremony.

Get involved, cross the Bridge

University students have been volunteering at BRIDGE’s sites since 2001 and have made significant contributions. We encourage those of you who want to learn about new people while making a real contribution to seriously consider becoming a part of this new era of grassroots partnerhsips. Volunteer with projects in rural villages, learn about these interesting communities, meet Ghanaians, eat fufu, drink some palm wine, stir up some concrete for a school building, teach a committee how to do accounts, and partake in an all-night drumming performance. "Cross the bridge", witness what is really happening, and learn about how you can become intimately involved with development projects for the rest of your life. Our organization is a true BRIDGE that seeks to bring different peoples together while ever focusing on bridging the development gap.


A youth committee member learns how to prepare proposal budgets.

How Do I Volunteer?

Contact us and tell us about your interests, skills, and background. Let us know what kind of projects you might want to get involved in, whether you are alone or in a group, and how long you want to stay. There are presently a number of volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups.
Volunteer@bridgingdevelopment.org

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