Global Engagement

Jan 23 2023

Monday Jan 23, 2023 Swahili class continues each morning at the church in Upanga. Today started with singing then proceeded to focus on telling time in Swahili. Students practiced converting English time to Swahili time, as 7:00 a.m. in the...

Jan 22 2023

The first week of the study portion of SST continued the daily immersion of new sights, sounds, and experiences that began in orientation last week.  The contrast between SST and many other international exchange programs is that after each day...

Jan 19 2023

Thursday Jan. 19, 2023 Wednesday after Swahili class we walked to unit house for our weekly meal and reflection/sharing time. Naomi and Ethan shared their Cultural Story Journals – both were moving stories exploring cultural competencies, similarities and differences we...

Jan 17 2023

Tuesday Jan. 17, 2023 Monday morning the students trickled in to the church from their various homes for the first Swahili class. This was significant for several reasons. It was the first time they traveled from their home to town...

Jan 15 2023

SST in Ecuador is once again in full swing and for those who have experienced it firsthand, the first few days are a whirlwind of activity; a fire hydrant blast to the face of new sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and...

Jan 15 2023

Sunday Jan. 15th The pictures say it all – today was a big day for students and their host families, as they met one another for the first time and began a 5-week chapter in their lives that will never...

Jan 14 2023

Saturday Jan 14th, 2023 The last two days have been filled with various orientation activities and settling in, while  students stay at the YMCA in downtown Dar es Salaam. Friday morning was all business: exchanging money, getting SIM cards for...

Jan 12 2023

Thursday January 12, 2023 We were delighted to welcome the SST Tanzania 2023 team this afternoon at the airport and they arrived right on time! After a brief pause for hydration and a few snacks, we rode our daladala (bus)...

Jan 10 2023

Welcome to the Tanzania 2023 Study Service Term (SST) blog! We have been preparing for the students arrival since December 21 and it feels really good to be back. We led the SST-Tanzania units in 2011 and 2014, so it...

Aug 02 2022

To our wonderful students: Friday evening you made your way back to Quito for our final retreat weekend where we had a fantastic several days of reunion and reflection! SST is a mix of challenges, accomplishments and growth moments. Sometimes...

Aug 01 2022

Returning to Thiès It has been a busy and beautiful weekend. On Thursday, students began arriving around noon in Thiès. They organized their own transportation to get back. Despite an unexpected visit to a police station (talk to Birch and...

Jul 28 2022

For this month of July, students have participated in service internship placements around the country. Here are some photo highlights!

Jul 20 2022

Ndangane is a rural village in the Fatick region of Senegal. The village resides on the Marigot de Djilor river. Access to water provides the natural landscape with lush green vegetation giving the desert vibrant color. The economy of Ndangane...

Jul 19 2022

Brandon and Bree have been working at the Djarama Association. The mission of Djarama is to “build, through culture and education, a youth that is aware of its values ​​and respectful of the environment.” Djarama Diallow is an agro-environmental intentional...

Jul 18 2022

Jonah and Ryan will be heading into their senior years at GC this fall. We are both studying biochemistry and plan to go to medical school. For service we are working at a regional health clinic to gain medical experience....

Jul 16 2022

In this post, Axel and Sam reflect on the diverse group of people that find their way into the Beer Sheba community. Axel and Sam have been serving at Beer-Sheba for four weeks. Americans Many of the Americans who come...

Jul 14 2022

Samuel and Suzanna have been working with an organization called The Humanitarian Association, Friends of the School. This organization supports the public schools with after-school classes and a holiday recreation program. Samuel and Suzanna have been teaching English in the...

Jul 13 2022

Anna and Gabe have been working with an organization called Centre de Formation Yoonu Njub (The Way of Righteous Training Center). The training center includes a trade school for girls who dropped out of school, a clinic, and some additional...

Jul 12 2022

My (Emma B) service assignment for the second six weeks of SST is at Vivre Ensemble – La Pouponnière de Mbour. La Pouponnière is an orphanage. The main purpose of the orphanage is  to serve infants through three year olds....

Jul 11 2022

For our service placement, we (Mira Yoder and Olivia Krall) have spent the past few weeks in a village called Fandène. Fandène is located just 7 kilometers east of Thiès. One thing that is unique about Fandène is that the...

Jul 06 2022

After completing 20 days in Tena we got the green light and made a move to Service this past Saturday. Yay! Some students were joking that instead of Study-Service Term SST (which is named for the two significant halves of...

Jul 01 2022

CONAIE is the Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador and it is a large organization composed of representatives of various indigenous groups in Ecuador and they advocate for more indigenous rights. They do this most often by shutting down main...

Jun 30 2022

As of today, we have been in Tena for more than a week longer than expected. This is due to the countrywide protests regarding indigenous rights and economic security, led by the organization CONAIE, which stands for the Confederación de...

Jun 30 2022

CONAIE stands for the Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador. They represent the rights of indigenous people in Ecuador, specifically including the following communities: Quichua, Shuar, Achuar, Huaorani, Siena, Secoya, Shiwiar, Záparo, Cofán, and many more. Since the 1980s this...