 Kelly Jo Bahry (center) works to move a group of Somali Bantu refugees from one refugee camp to another in Kenya. |
International Affairs
Study Abroad Programs in Kenya, South Africa, and Ghana
While study abroad options in Europe have always been abundant, there have been few, if any, in Africa. Working to reverse that trend, AU Abroad just launched a study abroad program based in Nairobi, where this semester eight AU students are learning about international development issues.
After arriving in Kenya’s capital in January and completing a two-week orientation session, the students began a rigorous language course in Kiswahili. Academic Director Egambi Dalizu, a native of the country, is teaching their core course, History and Politics of Kenya. They are also enrolled in courses at the U.S. International University, which provides another opportunity to engage with Kenyans.
Many of the students are interning with Project Contact Africa, a non-governmental aid organization founded in 1995 by AU alumnus Kermit Washington (CAS/BA ’73). His organization sends volunteer doctors and nurses to provide health services to the people of Nairobi. Internships involve working in a community clinic and orphanages and participating in health and welfare educational projects.
Kelly Jo Bahry, an AU graduate student who previously lived in Kenya and is serving as AU Abroad’s project coordinator there, has arranged development-focused excursions. “A visit to a Maasai village, only an hour from the capital, showcases indigenous culture and the challenges of urbanization in this developing country,” explained Bahry. “In contrast, a visit to Mombasa on Kenya’s coast reveals a different language flow and enables students to witness the deterioration of critical coastal areas.”
In addition to the new program in Kenya, AU Abroad has re-designed its program in South Africa to permit students opportunities in the best and most diverse universities in South Africa, including the University of Cape Town, the University of Western Cape, the University of Witswatersrand, and Kwazulu-Natal.
Another study abroad option in Africa is the Ghana Summer Program, which was started in 2004 and directed by School of International Service professor Peter Lewis. “The experience was unique in that it focused on field research and internships as vehicles for understanding the larger economic and political issues within Ghana as well as West Africa broadly,” said Lewis. Students met with government officials and non-governmental activists, and visited sites such as the Volta Dam and Katum ecotourism park. The Ghana program will be offered again this summer.