Service program is first to Tanzania
Kirkwood Community College is expanding its Study Abroad offerings thanks to a new source of funding to help students partake in a service-learning program.
Eight Kirkwood students will travel to Tanzania in June, thanks to the Harris T. Wofford Fellowship through Cross Cultural Solutions.
“Kirkwood’s Study Abroad efforts have been enhanced by this additional funding for students,” said International Programs Director Dawn Wood. “Students who do not participate in Study Abroad typically list money as the first reason why they are not able to. Eliminating the money problem is a key catalyst for getting more Kirkwood students to step up and take advantage of these opportunities.”
Students will be able to care for infants and children in orphanages, daycares and centers for street children; teach children conversational English and assist teachers with special education; participate in income-generating activities to help work toward women’s empowerment; and help with office work and other essential tasks within the hospitals.
Volunteer placements are designed to match the skills and interests of the students to the needs of the community of Bagamoyo, Tanzania.
Kirkwood is one of only six community colleges to have students awarded the fellowship.
This program to Tanzania is the second service-learning trip the college offers. “We have made an intentional effort to develop new volunteer or service-focused abroad programs at Kirkwood,” said Wood. “We have seen the impact these type of experiences have on students and faculty members who participate.”
This Study Abroad program is similar to the program the college offers to Guatemala, where students and faculty members help build houses for poor residents.
“Kirkwood’s focus on hands-on learning and learner success shows that these experiences in the local communities, with families, with societal issues, and face-to-face with real people makes the Study Abroad experience much more valuable to those who are part of it.”
All students are required to enroll in a three-credit Study Abroad academic course as part of the Tanzania experience.
For more information on Kirkwood’s Study Abroad options, visit www.kirkwood.edu/studyabroad http://www.kirkwood.edu/studyabroad.