The Lens
4
Service Learning in Uganda will Expand Lasell's Global Community
Lena Berc, study abroad advisor at Lasell College, passes out Lasell Bandanas to students at the Bulobi School in Bumwalukani, Uganda. This year will be the first Lasell students visit Uganda to mentor 7th grade students in preparation for the high school placement test.
This May, Tom Sullivan, the Director of Spiritual Life at Lasell and Lena Berc, the Director of International Services, are collaborating to ignite the first Shoulder to Shoulder trip to Bumwalukami, Uganda. According to Sullivan, The focus of this trip is to address the educational challenges within Uganda. This venture will also expand and diversify student’s understanding and relationship of the global community.
Making Uganda the next site for a service learning trip was an easy decision for Sullivan and Berc. “We were in Uganda for two hours before we decided this is the place to go,” stated Sullivan. “In Uganda, the average age for educational attainment is grade three and a half. The average per capita family income is $200.00 a year, so clearly education is a ticket out for people.” This country’s social problems overlap to compound the nation’s poverty. Lasell is working with the Arlington Academy of Hope which helps coordinate volunteer work in the area to ensure that the service work benefits the community’s needs… such as education.
For two weeks, a dozen Lasell students will be mentoring the 7th graders at the Bulobi elementary school to enhance the children’s abilities in english, math, and science so they are prepared for the high school entrance exam. Aside from assisting in the classroom, Lasell students will also have the opportunity to experience organic Uganda. “We’ll really be immersing our students in the community,” Berc comments. “We will be living and breathing the culture.”
In Bumwalukami there is nearly no running water, electricity is on half of the time, there are no paved roads for an hour, and only two flushing toilets. Sullivan says, “This is not Auburndale; it’s rural Uganda. Be ready for a rustic travel experience, the people are lovely and thrilled that we’re coming [but] be ready to work hard.”
This venture will likely affect the local’s perception of Americans. “Folks in Uganda will experience Americans who are respectful, helpful, and genuinely interested in their culture… American’s who don’t look like T.V. stars,” Sullivan comments. Berc added: “They’re some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met.” She adds, “I feel strongly about service learning and international travel. [It] is a two way exchange.”
“We should be preparing our students for a more global world. Increasingly, this generation will meet people from all over the world and travel [everywhere.] Educationally, [this] is a solid step to encourage students to encounter other cultures,” Sullivan added.
Liz Haela