Going to Ghana 'changed my life'

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By Mario Cacciottolo BBC News Heather Warrilow lived among the residents of a town in Ghana

Young adults from less advantaged backgrounds are being offered the chance to do voluntary work overseas under a British government scheme.

Heather Warrilow is one of them and she says her trip to Ghana was a life-changing experience.

"It's definitely altered my perspective. I'm more aware of environmental issues and how they can affect people in poorer countries," she said.

The 24-year-old from Sheldon in Birmingham was among the first of a group of 15 volunteers to participate in a new scheme called Platform 2.

This £10m project helps people aged 18 to 25 to do 10 weeks' work in various countries. The first volunteers went to Ghana, and further trips are also planned to South Africa and India.

Funded by the Department for International Development and run by Christian Aid, Islamic Relief and Bunac, the aim is to give young people who would not be able to afford to volunteer the chance to do some good abroad.

The Ghanaians worked long and hard to build the toilets

Ms Warrilow and her fellow volunteers took a trip to Ghana from June to August, staying in a town called Achiase, close to Kumasi, the country's second city.

They helped the community build two blocks of public toilets, containing 12 in each, complete with a 10ft deep septic tank.

"We carried a lot of bricks, moved a lot of soil, mixed some cement. They also made their own bricks, which was interesting to see," she said.

"Some of the people in the town were wealthy, but some couldn't afford their own toilets at home.

"So these were being built to encourage people not to just go in the streets."

The work was almost completed by the time the volunteers left, although there were no actual toilet thrones in place, because of a lack of funding.

Local scepticism

"The government heard what was going on and offered to pay for a set of actual toilets to sit on, because they were impressed with the project, but the elders were sceptical as to whether those promises would be kept," Ms Warrilow said.

"They don't want actual flushing toilets, because they use 10 litres of water each time, and the town often has water shortages.

"Instead there's just a drop straight down into a septic tank."

Some afternoons the volunteers would work at a local school, teaching English and other subjects to the pupils.

"The school still used the cane, and we were handed the cane once the teacher left the room.

"I would tell the class that I'm not going to use the cane, and that when I just raised my finger to my lips that was the time to be quiet."

Change of direction

Ms Warrilow says she had to provide her own funding through university, taking out student loans in the process, meaning she could not have afforded to take time off work and carry out the Ghana trip herself.

She also says her experience has, as she initially predicted, proved to be life-changing.

Highlighting the vast numbers of people around the globe living below the poverty line, she said: "I've applied for a job with Christian Aid, which is a complete change for me because I was a qualified careers advisor.

"And the group I went with are trying to promote Platform 2, because it's a great experience and helps people become more aware of issues around the world."