NORWICH – Learning how to chop off a chicken’s head and balance a bucket of water on his own weren’t exactly the skills Norwich High School Junior Daniel Carson signed up for when he chose to volunteer in Africa this summer, but the experiences have made for colorful stories.

Carson, son of Tim and Mary Carson of Norwich, gathered family and friends recently for a video presentation of the two weeks he spent in Kumoso, Ghana as a volunteer with Projects Abroad. The organization, which began operating in 1992, is among the leading international volunteer placement organizations in the world, offering opportunities at orphanages, newspapers, schools, sports clubs, veterinary clinics, and radio stations in 27 destinations.

The chance to mentor young children, as well as live with a host family, were elements of Projects Abroad that grabbed the youth’s attention. The self-proclaimed “Peace Corps wannabe” said he began looking at service opportunities in underdeveloped countries as “something important” to do before the rigors of college and, later, career, set in.

“I really wanted to experience a different culture and I have a lot of fun playing games and sports with children,” he said, adding that most of his time with children was spent in a daycare, which provided supervision for underprivileged children aged 2 through 6.

Friends and family members pitched in sports balls and bats, bubbles, stuffed animals, jump ropes and more - filling a large suitcase that Carson carried to his home away from home. He thanked his supporters via the smiling faces on children of all ages that appeared in the video playing enthusiastically with their gifts.

Most preschool games begin on the count of five in Kumoso playyards, instead of three, and few if any of the children queue up or sit still in any organized fashion for long. Carson also learned that having night vision gave the village children an advantage, as the dark of the evening begins at 7:30 p.m., well before bed time.

“The children could see remarkably well in the dark, dodging trees during running games,” he said. “It was kind of scary to follow them.”

When they weren’t playing games and teaching children, Carson and his group of 14 other high school student volunteers from several countries built two classrooms for the village daycare center. They layed bricks with a mixture of mud and cement and then painted the walls in colorful displays depicting the days of the week, letters, numbers and animals. The volunteers also worked in an orphanage and village school, putting in about five hours every day.

A family friend asked what orphaned children could expect, whether they were ever placed in a family.

“They have a slim to no chance of ever leaving before the age of 18,” Carson said.