Serving the World

By Sam Chafe

Many students travel home over the holidays. For Bethany Lowe, traveling over the winter break meant giving up time she could have spent with her family back in New Zealand. Instead, she gave the gift of service to others.

Lowe was part of the group of 13 students that traveled to Sokode, Ghana, as part of the ASUI Alternative Service Break earlier this year.

When she first arrived in the city of Accra, Ghana’s largest city with a population of nearly 2 million people, she said she was a bit overwhelmed. “It was so busy and there were so many people,” says Lowe about her initial reactions to the group’s arrival to Africa.

But the group, which included nine women and four men, soon left the big city and traveled to the village of Sokode in the Volta region of the country, where their mission would be to help build a kindergarten.

“When we got there, the chief of the community split up the village into four groups. Those groups would work with us on different days,” said Lowe “We had work sites during the first week of about 100 people.”

The chief of the village was surprised at the number of women compared to men that came to help in the physical work. The first day, he asked the Alternative Service Break adviser Romuald Afatchao why he brought so many girls. After the first day however, he was so pleased with the groups work ethic he asked the entire community to emulate them.

The group laid mortar and bricks for the kindergarten that they were building. Lowe enjoyed this because she got to meet many of the villagers and the kids.

“It was fun meeting the kids,” said Lowe “We were able to better understand their culture.”

Much of their days was spent leveling ground and hauling dirt. Since there were no tractors or machines to haul dirt for them, the work group had to level the ground themselves by filling buckets and hauling the dirt on their heads.

For the most part, everything went smoothly, says Lowe, even though there were some frustrating times.

“We would work until noon, then have stop because of the heat,” says Lowe. “We had to understand their culture; it wasn’t like ours where we have an agenda and always have to do something.”

Lowe learned a lot when she was in Ghana. Like how to live life to the fullest.

“We let life pass us by,” says Lowe “It is important to get out and spend time with people.”

On the other side of the world, Nick Bonner participated in an Alternative Service Break trip to Cobquecoiza, Chile, to help build sustainable housing. Upon arriving in Santiago, Chile’s capitol and largest city, he noticed the infrastructure of the city.

“It wasn’t a terribly hurting city, but in some of the nicer parts of town you could see the holes in the buildings,” says Bonner. “But when we got to Cobquecoiza, it was like going back to the medieval days.”

Cobquecoiza has no mechanical tools and used oxen for transport and for work. “It was cool to see this,” says Bonner “They do the same we do without a John Deer.”

Bonner and his ASB group helped build sustainable housing. They packed installation in a house and built two stucco houses. Stucco houses are adobe style houses made from sand that is mixed with straw and water. It is applied wet and dries to a hard solid.

“We did everything by hand because they had no mechanical tools,” says Bonner. “It was frustrating at times, but it was cool and self-fulfilling.”

Bonner said the people of the village were excited to have the help there and were friendly and happy people. “The people are hard workers,” says Bonner. “Most of us thought we’d see more strife, but the people were all happy.”

Overall, his experience gave Bonner a new and better outlook on life.

“Things don’t have to be stressful and complex,” said Bonner “Life is simple for them, they just live life.”

Lowe and Bonner recommend an Alternative Service Break for all students.

“Go out and help people – meet new people,” says Bonner “It is hard to explain this trip to people; it’s something people need to experience.”

Lowe concurs. “Go into it with an open mind and no expectations,” she says. “You have to develop yourself and realize it is about selflessness and service yet also your own development, not just one or the other.”