Two friends have the opportunity to give back and reignite their passion for teaching this summer with a trip to Ghana.

Natalie Street, a fourth-grade teacher at Westside at Elementary School in Isle of Wight County, and Katelyn Leitner, a fifth-grade teacher at Pioneer Elementary, will be traveling to Takoradi, Ghana, on June 23.

“I think it’s going to be an awesome experience to see what the classrooms look like and to take what I’ve learned and see what can best fit their needs,” Street said.

The pair will spend three weeks with Limited Resource Teacher Training, a European organization that brings teachers into developing countries. They bring fellows from all over the world to countries like Ghana, Nepal and Malaysia.

Street and Leitner both found the opportunity on social media and, after seeing the advertisement multiple times, they both clicked to find out more.

“I’m excited to be able to collaborate with the teachers and bring some of that back to Suffolk,” Leitner said. “It will ignite me as a teacher, realizing what I have and how much they don’t have.”

Developing countries, like Ghana, rarely have classrooms stocked with the essentials. Some of these classrooms only have a chalkboard and a desk, Street said. This is what makes the trip so special for the pair.

“When I walk into my classroom next year, I can do a lot with what I have,” Street said.

Preparing for the trip is adding more to the already-heavy teacher workload. Teachers have to be trained on a specific curriculum that fits the country’s needs. Since the company is overseas, new fellows have to take three online courses.

Street and Leitner are able to discuss the upcoming trip with the other fellows via a Facebook group as they prepare.

“We have a Facebook group. Our fellowship from Ghana, there are 30 of us are going. Some of the fellows are from Australia, Britain and the U.S.,” Street said. “LRTT has a curriculum that they want us to follow based from what the school needs. We do these online courses, and we are ready to go.”

This trip offers the chance for the two friends to give their time to a cause that’s close to their hearts, but it also gives them the ability to improve their careers.

“Every deserves a high-quality education, and I’m happy to give back and make an impact,” Leitner said.

“I think it’s a great opportunity. There’s a lot of programs out there that we could participate in that share their mission,” Street said. “Every child deserves a proper education. The opportunities are there; you just have to look.”

Street is also using this opportunity to move her career into a leadership area. She strives to help with curriculum and be an instructional specialist.

Both of the teachers have the support of their spouses to take on this endeavor. Having a husband that understands the “teacher life” makes it easier, Street said. Her family is also supportive and helping her fundraise for the trip.

“My husband was much more OK with it when I said I was going with someone I know,” Leitner said.

Neither of the two had reservations about the trip, and both are ready to dive into the work as quickly as possible.

“I told the LRTT program I set the expectations high, so I don’t want to let them down. They know that we come with a lot of knowledge of things. I think with the help of the training, it helps keeps focus,” Street said.

Leitner already had the opportunity to travel out of the country for mission work in high school. She went to Brazil, and the experience has prepared her for traveling to Ghana.

“I’ve been there, done that, and I know what to expect,” Leitner said.