1: Interview with Cal Poly student on project: 1

Q: What did you learn from the project?

A: I learned a lot of valuable lessons from the project, but probably most importantly was that building is unifying. We are constantly told and reminded that you get into construction management to make money, have money, then make more money. But the other key takeaway I always have, is that you are building a space for people. In this case, we were volunteering our time and got to see the beautiful and rugged country of Ghana, while providing resources to people who did not have them before. And we were building a unifying space for people to gather. It feels good to be building with a purpose greater than yourself.

Q: What did you learn about international development from the project?

A: I learned that, quite simply, international development is hard. It requires a lot of preparation, a lot of time, and a lot of recovering from your mistakes. Coming into this project, I did not know a lick about international development, I still do not know that much, but I do feel a lot more comfortable in knowing what the necessary requirements for building in another country are. (Proper scheduling, shipping, getting the proper materials and communicating with the people where you are developing are all vital.)

Q: What do you currently know about the project? / what follow up research have you done?

A: I currently know that there was recently a festival in Agbokpa and the villagers were able to utilize the community center we built for the party afterward, so that looks promising that they are still using the space after we left! However, I definitely need to do some more follow-up research.

Q: Do you think that the project will be used by the community long term? Why or why not?

A: I really hope the project will be used by the community long term, but I honestly do not know. There is no real guarantee with this sort of project. I am optimistic it will be because the people seemed really grateful for what we were able to provide, but I also am hesitant because it is possible that they were not as invested in it as we were.