Rachel – GOLD in Ghana

‘I promise that I will do my best … to help other people’: a memorable part of the Girlguiding promise that I first made as a Rainbow, aged five.

The range of opportunities Girlguiding has offered me over the years, particularly internationally, has been astounding and I’ve made life-long friendships. Having had so many amazing experiences, I wanted to share my excitement and enthusiasm for Girlguiding and give something back to this fantastic charity.

Thanks to generous support from Emmanuel’s Charities Committee and help from the porters with my fundraising, for three weeks last summer I and five other leaders from the UK were able to take part in a Girlguiding Overseas Linked with Development (GOLD) project in Ghana. This was one of eight sustainable community-based development projects run by Girlguiding in 2017 in partnership with other Guide Associations around the world.

Traditionally, Guiding in Ghana has been based in schools and led by teachers. But through our interactive training sessions, we were able to introduce new Guiding techniques to encourage young girls to take the lead themselves and to help recruit new leaders from outside the education system.

Visiting Ghana was an amazing experience that I will never forget. We learned to work as a team and think quickly on our feet when plans changed at the last minute, skills that I’m continuing to find useful as I lead the 19th Cambridge Brownies unit alongside my veterinary studies. Whether we’re learning first aid or exploring the outdoors, helping to empower, inspire and educate girls is fun and exciting!