SFS-Q pupils return from Ethiopia tour

The nine-day trip, organised under the community engagement programme (CEP), also focused on the role that women play in development.

The CEP is an SFS-Q initiative that aims to provide a better context to the conventional learning that occurs in a classroom. It is built on the premise that experiential and on-site learning enhances the contextual experience of students.

In addition, it introduces students to concepts of social justice and allows them to understand and address the development challenges around the world.

Twenty-five students are selected every year for the CEP after a rigorous application process. This year the programme focused on Ethiopia as it provided a great case study for students to learn more about the economic challenges the country has faced and the efforts of the government and civil society to improve the lives of citizens.

After arriving in Addis Ababa, the students met with the Ethiopian Economics Association, the United Nations Development Programme, the Centre for National Health, the US Agency for International Development and Fortune Business Weekly.

The students applied what they learned when they interacted with a local community in Debre Birhan, where they spent four days helping building a house with Habitat for Humanity.

“It was an unforgettable and extremely rewarding experience that showed me that everyone has the capacity to lend a helping hand and have a positive influence on a person’s life,” said Georgetown student Grace Moore.

“This fieldwork gives students a chance to interact with the community,” said Uday Rosario, SFS-Q community-based learning administrator. “The students piece together what they heard in Addis Ababa with what they experience in the field.”