Students Participate in Iowa State University Program in Uganda

AMES, Iowa – On June 7, eight Iowa State University undergraduate students will be departing for a six-week program to work with Ugandan university students to create a bi-national team which assists children and communities in rural Uganda.

Participants in the program include Rebecca Chamberlin, Julie Perreault, and Hannah Darr, all juniors majoring in global resource systems; Rebecca Clay, a junior majoring in agronomy and global resource systems; Easten Lovelace, a senior majoring in agricultural engineering; Trisha Nielsen, a junior majoring in horticulture and global resource systems; Brent Sexton, a senior majoring in animal science; and Catum Whitfield, a junior majoring in agricultural engineering. The curricula for each of these majors as well as this Service Learning in Uganda project are available through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

“The service learning program allows students to experience first-hand a development project in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Gail Nonnecke, University Professor of horticulture and one of four coordinators of the service learning project. “The Iowa State students will work as a team with Makerere University students on projects that use school garden programs to improve agriculture and rural livelihoods for children, families, and communities. They also will learn more about Uganda’s resources, from soil and water to agriculture and education.”

ISU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has offered the Service Learning in Uganda program since 2006 in partnership with its Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods, which collaborates with communities in developing countries to stabilize family food and income resources to improve human health. Educational activities, research, and partnerships with community organizations and individuals play a key role in the success of programs sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods.