A program which takes students from the University of Notre Dame Australia to different parts of the world to experience how other people live led students to launch a book based on their 2012 visit to Peru last week.
Holistic Development in Action; Changing Lives in Peru, was launched by the Caritas CEO, Jack de Groot, at the Fremantle campus of the university last week.
Last year’s trip was made available through the university’s Experience the World program, originally developed in 2005 in collaboration with Caritas Australia and UNDA’s School of Arts & Sciences.
The book details the students’ experiences as they travelled with members of Caritas through the Andes mountains, visiting remote schools and communities in 2012.
Arts student, Vicky Burrows, said she witnessed firsthand how effectively Caritas workers engaged with the communities to deliver change and improve the quality of life for Peruvian people.
“As a result of the experience, I gained a deeper understanding of how Caritas adopts a framework of holistic development in order to further its mission of creating thriving communities around the world,” Ms Burrows said.
“I learnt a lot about the political and economic realities and the importance of advocacy in the area of social justice which can help bring about change in people’s lives.”
The Experience the World program is designed to expose students to the real world of poverty, trauma, enterprise and the human spirit in ways that will ultimately enrich their academic learning.
Over the past eight years, Notre Dame students have visited communities in Uganda, Cambodia and India, witnessing the challenges of social and environmental issues, including water and sanitation, food security, education and health care.
Global Education Coordinator for Caritas WA, Janeen Murphy, is also a sessional lecturer in Social Justice at the University.
“The program is part of Caritas Australia’s strategic plan to develop partnerships with Catholic agencies to further the social mission of the Church … It is an excellent example of how we can develop a greater awareness in Australia of social justice issues around the world.”