Lessons from the People – Joseph in Ghana

by Joseph Mensah, volunteer in Ghana 2018

 

This reflection seeks to recount the moments I encountered, and the knowledge I gained during the M2H mission in Ghana.

My motivation to be part of the Mission, besides the kind invitation of Dr. Glenn to be involved, was to have the incredible opportunity of working in Ghana with M2H, gain deep insight into its work and see the tangible impact of its activities on the lives of the people.

During the Mission, I had the chance to help with a broad range of tasks, all of which I absolutely loved.

What did I gain from the experience? Quite a bit and below are a few:

• – The priceless opportunity to work with experienced health specialists and the ability to subjugate myself and learn a lot from them;
• – A much-improved knowledge of the health infrastructure in Ghana;
• – In-depth understanding of the logistical arrangements required for missions of this magnitude;
• – Exposure to basic surgical procedures;
• – Experience working in a linguistically and culturally diverse environment;
• – Real experience with working graciously and respectfully with patients, and serving people from different backgrounds, with diverse attitudes.

 

The whole experience for me was moving. Not only do I think M2H is taking a lot of people out pain, but also turning the lives of families around.

Though there were challenges from the word go, the collateral beauty of the Mission in Ghana, which encapsulates all the little and big efforts made by the entire team in and out of the operating room is what I will fondly remember and share.

I would like to sincerely thank the M2H Team for the incredible opportunity to be part of this, with particular acknowledgement for the massive and generous support of Dr. Glenn, in making this experience memorable and interesting.

In the words of H. Jackson Jr., ‘the best preparation for tomorrow is doing our best today’. I hope it can be said that we did our best to serve the people of Ghana.