ElectraLink and its staff are involved in a number of initiatives that ‘give back’ to the community and staff have two volunteer days to spend as they wish or donate to someone else to carry out volunteer work on their behalf. Lauren Nicholls, part of our Governance Services team, returned from three rewarding weeks volunteering in Kumasi Children’s Home, Ghana. When asked to describe a day at the Children’s Home she said:
“I was based in the Home Unit, which housed 45 boys and men ranging in age from a few days old to a man in his mid-forties, all with a mixture of abilities and needs. My day started at 7am with my breakfast, which was followed by an hour’s journey to the orphanage, where I would play with the babies and toddlers, of which there were 14, until lunchtime. Feeding times consisted of feeding the toddlers their lunch, assisting with nappy changes and teaching some of the younger children how to eat independently. In the afternoons, I spent most of my time with the older children teaching them basic English phrases, as well as colours and numbers. After dinner, I would wash the younger childrens clothes. As I made a particularly strong connection with two of the children, I stayed until they both fell asleep before making my way home.
It was truly an eye-opening experience that put life into perspective, with the memory of being greeted by so many happy children every day being one that will last a lifetime.”