Anthropology major Deborah Leter '15 is interning at Titagya Schools in Dalun, Ghana, with support from the CPGC.
As an anthropology major, Deborah Leter '15 has developed the desire to immerse herself in unfamiliar communities and experience new cultures. The rising junior, whose studies at Haverford include a concentration in peace, justice, and human rights, is spending the summer turning these academic interests into first-hand experience through an internship sponsored by the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship at Titagya Schools in Dalun, Ghana.
The organization was founded by Andrew Garza '08 as one of the only preschools in northern Ghana, where the literacy rate is just 22 percent. Leter is actively supporting Titagya Schools' mission by working with students, ages three to six, as a teaching assistant. She has been creating an art project focused on language and is also working on updating and expanding the school's curriculum.
Communicating with students was the first challenge faced by Leter, who is currently learning the village's language, Dagbani. In the meantime, she is determined to overcome the language barrier by "focusing on things that are universal, such as a smile and laughter." Leter's interactions with the people of Dalun have served as an opportunity to practice cross-cultural communication, a skill that will benefit her future anthropological studies.
