AV俱乐部

Julia Keech loves to tell people where she鈥檚 from鈥攖iny Grand Pre in the Annapolis Valley. But since enrolling at AV俱乐部, her world keeps expanding.

Taking advantage of AV俱乐部鈥檚 study abroad opportunities, she studied Spanish in Cuba on the Cuba Study Tour in the spring of 2005. Then last year, she spent a term in Dakar, Senegal improving her French.

And now the International Development Studies student is about to embark on her biggest challenge yet: she鈥檚 one of eight undergraduate students and two faculty advisors from across Canada who will live, learn and volunteer in a refugee camp in Kenya.

The six-week trip is a learning opportunity arranged through World University Services Canada (WUSC). Each year, AV俱乐部 students support two student refugees to come and live at the university; across the country, WUSC is getting ready to welcome its 1,000th student refugee to arrive since initiating its Student Refugee Program 30 years ago.

鈥淲e鈥檒l be meeting the students in Kenya before they come to Canada and gaining a real understanding of the difficulties they鈥檝e faced,鈥� says Ms. Keech, 23, who became involved with WUSC during her first year at AV俱乐部. 鈥淎fter, we鈥檒l be able to bring our experiences overseas back to the local committee.鈥�

Julia Keech needs to raise $3,000 to participate in WUSC鈥檚 student refugee seminar. If you鈥檇 like to contribute, e-mail Julia at JL250871@DAL.CA.

She鈥檚 excited and nervous about the trip. Chosen through a national competition, Ms. Keech and the seven other volunteers will have a few days of orientation at York University and in Nairobi, before traveling to either Kakuma or Dadaab refugee camps. Ms. Keech is bound for Kakuma, a large dusty camp of some 60,000 people.

Located in the northwestern region of Kenya, life in Kakuma has been described as 鈥渉ot and difficult.鈥� Refugees stream in from Sudan, Somalia, the Congo and Ethiopia fleeing political persecution and warfare. It鈥檚 where Sudanese student Yong Jacob Deng lived before coming to Halifax via WUSC鈥檚 student refugee program last August. It鈥檚 also where Madut Majok, also from originally from Sudan, spent time before coming to AV俱乐部 in 2002.

Ms. Keech and Mr. Majok, who now works for WUSC in Ottawa, met during a first-year Spanish class and it was this friendship that spurred Ms. Keech鈥檚 interest in international development. 鈥淲e just got talking and got along so well,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I learned how he actually got here and he encouraged me to get involved.鈥�

WUSC is 鈥渁t the heart of development,鈥� she says. Her involvement staved off the cynicism that comes once students of international development learn about the seemingly insurmountable challenges facing people in Third World countries and how international development projects don鈥檛 always work.

鈥淵ou get into second year and it can get kind of depressing. You think: So, who am I? This little IDS student in Halifax, Nova Scotia. What could I ever do to help?鈥� says Ms. Keech. 鈥淏ut with WUSC, you鈥檙e on the ground; you鈥檙e helping people as they arrive and adjust to life; you feel you really can make a difference.

鈥淎nd you don鈥檛 have to go away to help either. There鈥檚 a lot to be done right here.鈥�

SEE VIDEO: , a CBC documentary about the journey of two student refugees, Nabiho and Ibrahim, from Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya.聽

GET INVOLVED: WUSC at AV俱乐部 is recruiting new members. Interested in getting involved? E-mail wusc@dal.ca.