PITT HOME |FIND PEOPLE

Chantal Barr

Bio Summary
Cohort Year: 
2010
Home Institution: 
Arcadia University
Heinz Programming Area: 
Children, youth, and Families
Study Abroad Country: 
Ghana
International Experience

Chantal Barr spent 30 days over the summer volunteering in a primary school as well as a children’s home in Ghana, Africa. Chantal was joined with HardtHaven Children’s Home through Abroader View Organization, who then made the in country connection with Konda Kpando De Primary School, where Chantal taught the only fourth grade class. At HardtHaven, Chantal’s responsibilities were to care for 31 children aged 2-18 along with 2 other volunteers. The daily care for the children ranged from bathing to tutoring when the children came home from school. HardtHaven Children’s Home houses HIV/AIDS positive children born with HIV or who contracted the disease, in a society stigmatized by this ailment. Chantal along with two other volunteers worked to create Health Education in the home for the students to prevent the spread of disease and to educate the children better on common ailments in the area. During this experience, Chantal gained exposure to a conservative machismo society, where lack of education resulted in a society ignorant to outside cultures and general education subjects. While teaching in the primary school, Chantal was able to broaden her horizons in the field of education based upon the education systems being so very different. As the primary teacher in the classroom, Chantal had to quickly adapt to Ghanaian mentality in order to effectively teach the class. Chantal was responsible for teaching English, Math, History, Citizenship, and Science. In a society where corporal punishment is still allowed in the classroom, Chantal had to figure out other ways to discipline the children without the use of force. Since this intriguing experience, Chantal still maintains contact with the teachers from the school and also the children from the home, and is very interested in building a school in Ghana, where some of the teachers from the primary school are interested in working. 

Community Engagement Experience
CEE Title: 
Not In MY Backyard- Human Trafficking and Social Justice Forum

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