The 23-year-old is jetting off to Ghana later this year to volunteer her nursing skills in the struggling African nation.

The enrolled nurse is now calling on public support to help make the work possible.

Ms Whelan has set up a Go Fund Me page and is asking for donations to help cover some of the expected $7000 it will cost to get to Ghana and volunteer.

She hopes some of the money can go towards medical supplies that she will be able to take with her.

Ms Whelan leaves for the three-week trip in June, spending two weeks in Ghana’s main hospital and one week staying with a host family in a remote village while working there.

“I’m a bit nervous, but it will be good,” she said.

“I’ve wanted to do this ever since I was a little kid.”

Ms Whelan works at Lyndoch Living and Southern Way Disability Services and said since leaving school she had a passion for working in the health industry.

Ms Whelan is volunteering with Work the World, but will head to Ghana on her own.

She said the chance to work in a hospital which specialised in HIV treatment would be one of the highlights of the three-week trip to the west African nation. 

“I’ll be buddied up with nurses and I’ll be helping with general things like wound dressing, observations and, because they don’t have the best healthcare, I’ll get to see a lot of advanced cases of diseases and get to see how a different culture works and how their healthcare works.

“I’m really interested to see how a different culture works… there will be a lot of differences, over there hygiene is not as important, I think that will be a real culture shock.”

For Ms Whelan, who was born in Ireland, it will be her first visit to a struggling nation.

“But apparently the people are just so happy with what little they have, so I’m looking forward to that,” she said.

“It should be an amazing experience.”

Ms Whelan is also running a joint trivia night with a friend on February 26 at St Pius X Hall. 

“He’s going to be raising money for the Cancer Council and I will be doing it for this,” she said.

“I’d like to raise as much as I can to go towards it. I’m obviously happy to put money in as well.”

Those interested in attending the trivia night can contact Ms Whelan on 0438 097 678.

For more information or to donate visit www.gofundme.com/8wb2z576