Meet Me There African Home Eco Lodge sits between the villages of Dzita and Dzita-Abledomi on the Eastern coast of Ghana. We are closely involved in the daily life of these communities, and during your stay we aim to introduce you to rural African life, culture and community.
We are deeply committed to improving life for this community, and helping its members break out of poverty. We have a strong voluntary programme which is making a significant impact on local life.
So, if you would like to get to know Africa in a way that improves daily life for Africans, then why don’t you Meet Me There.
African life is much slower than we are used to in the West, and the days stretch long, hot and unhurried. This is a great place to rest, relax and reflect. There is lots going on, but you can choose your level of participation and be as busy or as quiet as you like. You will have plenty of time to relax under the coconut palms with the cool sea breeze keeping the heat at bay!
All our activities listed are included in the prices given and once you arrive we will discuss and plan your itinerary.
Orientation
When you arrive you will be given a local orientation by our guides. They will give you a lesson on the history of the local people (which is known from the very first people who came to the area onwards). You will also be given an Ewe language lesson aimed at giving you the basic language skills to exchange greetings with local people. People here have set greetings which they use each time they meet, and being able to exchange pleasantries with the locals is much appreciated. It is very unusual to walk past someone without acknowledging them so a little local vocabulary will go a long way.
Pulling in the fishing nets on the beach with the fishermen
Most mornings on the beach in front of Meet Me There you will see, and hear, the fishermen pulling in their nets. You can join them and help pull in the nets. If you are adventurous you can join the boat crew who lay the net at dawn.
Swimming and Canoeing
In front of Meet Me There is a large salt water lagoon which is perfect for swimming. Most guests spend a lot of time in the lagoon cooling down and playing in the sun.
Cultural events, funerals and weddings
Funerals are extremely important affairs in African society. A funeral takes place over a month in a series of events aimed at mourning the departed person, honouring their life and ensuring that they are well taken care of in the afterlife. It is considered an honour to have someone from MMT visit a local funeral. You will be invited to partake in the dancing and celebrations.
Attending a Shamanic Celebration
There are a number of shamanic groups which are very active in the local area. They are based on ancient African shamanic spiritual practices from time immemorial. If we are invited to attend a ceremony we are expected to arrive on time, to stay for the duration of the ceremony, and to take part in the dancing and singing. These events are not normally open to outsiders but we are often invited to attend with our visitors and have slowly allied ourselves with these groups over the years.
Visit Mami Rastas Friday ceremony
Mama Rasta is a local shamanic diviner and her group have a particularly wild celebration every Friday. Local folklore says that she disappeared into the sea for a few years and returned with magic powers from the ocean. Her ceremonies are pretty dramatic and one part of the ritual involves a large crocodile. All attendees are expected to wear a cloth round their waist and to be naked from the waist up (male and female).
Wildlife
The turtle season is September - April and these beautiful animals come on to our beach to lay their eggs. In the season there is always a chance that you will be awoken by our staff to come and witness this breathtaking moment.
Bird watching
Our lagoon is a great place for bird watching with different species making it a common bathing spot.
Have your own clothes made, and learn how to sew with the local seamstress
There is an impressive range of material available in Ghana. We have an onsite seamstress, and an offsite tailor, and many of our visitors love to buy material at the markets and have some clothes made up for themselves. If you are interested you can join the sewing ladies and learn how to sew. This is a brilliant way of getting to know local characters of our community and see what a usual day at work is like for a Ghanaian in our locality.
Farms and local home visits
This outing is aimed at helping you get a deeper insight as to how local people live. Our guide will take you to visit local homes and farms and will introduce you to families in the community.
Basket weaving at the weavers’ house
Basket weaving is an important tradition locally. You can join a local basket weaver at their home and spend the day learning how to make baskets in the shade under the trees.
Meal out at our local guides house
Raf our local guide from our community will take you for an evening meal, cooked by his wife, at his house. This is a lovely evening spent taking in the buzz of night life in our village.
Schools tour
As you can see from our volunteer section we work closely with three local schools. These schools are very happy to show you around so you can meet the teachers and the children and get an idea of how a rural Ghanaian school runs. Be prepared for a shock though. Compared to our schools these schools have no resources or equipment what so ever.
Drumming and Music Lessons
If you are interested in learning how to play an African musical instrument, or in deepening your abilities, there are great opportunities for you to do this at Meet Me There. You will be able to work with a well known master drummer, who will work with you one on one at whatever level you are at. A one or two week workshop will give any student the basic groundwork to know and understand the instrument itself, as well as a grounding to understand and appreciate music generally. You will have a strong basis which you can build on with your own ideas.
Weekends
Weekends at Meet Me There are packed full with electric Ghanaian culture! Live bands, cultural performances and a lot of dancing!
Easter homecoming festival
At Easter each year the local community holds its annual Easter Homecoming Festival or Deba. All Dzita citizens, who may have spread all over the country or all over the world, return to their home town to celebrate their history, their community and their families. The festivities cover about five days and there is quite a program. If you want to see how communities get together and celebrate themselves then this is a great time to visit. It is the most important community event for the whole year and a great example of a very lively intense African festival. Meet Me There itself plays a big part in the festival.
Christmas and New Year Celebrations
At Meet Me There we arrange a program of events for our visitors, and for all of us running our home lodge. These include a talent show, a beauty contest, canoe races, swimming races, an early morning run (with singing and dancing), the Christmas feast, and numerous parties over this period with reggae nights, d’s, etc. So, if you would like a really different Christmas, why not meet us there.
Perhaps everyone's favourite outing, this boat trip down to Volta river to the sea is really good fun. Most of us from MMT, plus all our drums and a couple of cool boxes of drinks head for the boat on the Volta River. We drum and sing our way down the river to the sea, where we hop off the boat and look around the spit of land where the river and the sea meet. We spend some time here exploring, looking for shells, playing football, having a meal, and generally mucking about. From there we cruise around the lagoon behind Ada, and then continue back up the river.
Local Markets
The markets run in rotation, and take place in different villages on specific days. They all have their own particular character and are a very important part of local life. We get most of what we need for MMT at these markets and all our visitors love to explore these bustling, colourful, lively marketplaces.
Kata slave fort
There are slave forts along the coast of Ghana, and the fort in Keta is the closest to MMT. This is a difficult and sad trip, but it is a chance for us to show our respect and remember those who were taken from Africa as slaves not so long ago.
Kente Weaving
Kente weaving is an important local craft. On this trip we visit a Kente weaving co-operative where some outstandingly beautiful cloth is woven on hand made looms.
Keta Lagoon
The coastal road up to Keta is very beautiful and this trip gives you a good look at the wider area. We take a look at the Keta Lagoon, and at the salt works in the lagoon if they are operating.
This is a great three day trip into the mountains. The journey will take you through some amazing scenery. It is half a day’s drive to get there and you will stay for a night in the lovely Mountain Paradise Guest House. When there you can book onto an organised hike along the mountain trails to the waterfalls, and to see cocoa trees. Walking boots are necessary.
On the second day we will travel to Tafi Adome monkey sanctuary. This a community project, and you will stay and eat in the local community. This is an opportunity to get very close indeed to the monkeys. All proceeds from staying here go into the local community.
On the third day we will visit a pottery run by a local women’s group. After this we will slowly make our way back to Meet Me There.
Our main focus is on education and sanitation, both areas crucial to community development. We promote a number of volunteering opportunities which enable us to provide practical support in these two important areas.
We are based between two fishing villages called Dzita and Agbladomi. The combined population of the villages is around 10,000. "Dream Big Ghana" is our NGO which now runs alongside Meet Me There. The communities we serve contain 3 schools of around 800 students each. As you might expect, the facilities are very basic indeed. There are no libraries, computers or any facilities where students can go to study after school.
Our goal is to build a Community Learning Centre in order to support local education. As well as enhancing the life chances of young people in the locality such a Centre would make a valuable contribution to tackling a number of pressing community issues - especially in the areas of adult literacy, health awareness and employment. The proposed Learning Centre would also act as a central hub for other activities and initiatives deemed important to the community - such as agricultural classes, jewellery making and cultural studies.
En suite double rooms with private veranda. Full Board.
Own room £385
2 persons sharing a room -Per Person £350
Own room £770
2 persons sharing -Per Person £700
Own room £1155
2 persons sharing -Per Person £1071
En suite Double Rooms Full Board
The bedrooms and veranda's are completely screened off so they are safe from mosquitos. All have a cold shower, toilet and wash basin. All the bedrooms have a fan. Each veranda has a comfortable seating area and a table.
Food
We have 2 great chefs. Ghanaian food is delicious and healthy. We use mostly fresh local ingredients which we buy in the surrounding markets. We also have our own vegetable garden, and we raise chicken and fish. Ghanaian cuisine is traditionally pretty hot so we have a lot of dishes that have been attuned to a more Western pallet ( much milder ). We often manage to buy large fresh fish, shrimps and lobster just caught by the fishermen pulling in the nets from the beach. Ghanaian food uses no dairy or sugar, so is very healthy and slimming. All the vegetables are grown to full ripeness and are full of the sun and energy. There is a great selection for vegetarians and we have lots of special dishes for children. It is hard not to lose weight here, though some manage not to as they love the food so much
Drinks
We have a very good bar at Meet Me There catering for all.
Additional Costs
Please note that these prices include airport pickup, airport drop-off, 3 meals per day, our local guide and all activities listed.
Meet Me There African Home Lodge sits close to Dzita Village in the Volta Region on the Eastern Coast of Ghana. Our closest larger town is Anloga.
We have lots of visitors from within Ghana. If you would like to stay with us please call us to book a room.
Contacts
Meet Me There office Number:
00233 (0)54 1838387
Our office manager is called Kerry
Volunteer Coordinator: Dougal Croudace Tel:
00233 (0)54 367 0194
Director Hugh Newton UK Tel: 07966613214
Info and Bookings Email: hugh_meetmethereghana.com
