‘Obruni! Obruni!? is what the Ghanaian children would yell every day as Ali Belmonte entered the Central Regional Hospital in Ghana, Africa.
The phrase, which loosely translates to ‘white person,? would be shouted as Belmonte walked hand-in-hand down the hall with some of her youngest patients before her shift began for the day.
The 19-year-old, 2004 graduate of Oxford High School, spent two months this summer working as a volunteer nurse at the hospital through a program called Teaching and Projects Abroad.
Belmonte is in her third year of working on a nursing degree at Grand Valley State University and thought the trip would be good work experience.
‘With (the hospital) being in a developing country like Ghana, I figured my work would be more helpful there than just volunteering at the local clinic (here),? she said.
Belmonte’s days were filled with watching patient’s vital signs, passing out medication, bathing patients and feeding them. She even got to work in the neonatal intensive care unit for three weeks feeding babies and changing diapers.
But, the highlight of her trip, was getting to deliver a baby. ‘It was incredible,? she said. ‘Going over there I never thought I’d be able to do that.?
The experience that seemed to touched Belmonte the most, though, was taking care of AIDS patients; specifically, a 28-year-old woman infected with the deadly disease.
‘This woman I was around was really upbeat, but it’s still in the back of your head (that she’s got the disease) and it tugs at your heart,? she said.
Belmonte also worked with the younger victims of AIDS ? the children orphaned from the disease.
She volunteered at the New Life International Orphanage, which has many children in this circumstance, when she wasn’t at the hospital.
On a lighter note, Belmonte said the children had fun teasing her after Ghana beat the U.S. in the World Cup. ‘They are crazy about their soccer,? she joked.
When she wasn’t working as a nurse at the hospital or helping at the orphanage, Belmonte and other volunteers spent time walking in the canopies of the rainforest and visiting a stilt village located in a beautiful lagoon.
But, nothing beat the hospitality of the local Ghanaians. ‘The people there are just the most friendly people in the world,? she said.
On her 40-minute walks from the Cape Coast to the hospital every morning, something she chose to do, Belmonte would strike up conversations with many locals.
‘When they ask ‘how are you?? they really want to know how you are,? she said.
Belmonte said her host family welcomed her into their ‘middle-class? home, fit with a hole in the ground for a toilet and bucket for taking showers.
Lodging aside, Belmonte said she would go back to Ghana ‘in a heartbeat.?
‘Ghana is smelly, it has open sewers, it’s hot, sticky…but it was probably the best two months of my life,? she said.
Being in a country that has different problems than in the states gave Belmonte a new outlook on life.
‘Stuff that I used to get stressed about isn’t such a big deal anymore,? she said. ‘There are bigger problems out there.?
For anyone interested in volunteering in a foreign country, Belmonte urges them to not be nervous and to just do it. ‘You learn a lot about yourself,? she said. ‘I feel like I have the confidence now that I can do anything.?
If you’d like to donate toys, clothes or any other items to the New Life International Orphanage, Belmonte encourages you to send donations to P.O Box AD 927, Cape Coast, Ghana, West Africa.