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| OU Team and Hosts |
CEES Professor and WaTER Center
Director David Sabatini joined an interdisciplinary team of OU colleagues on an
exploratory trip to Gulu, Uganda and Kigali, Rwanda in April. The team consisted of representatives from the
colleges of Architecture, Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering,
International Studies and Medicine and the Center for the Creation of Economic
Wealth. Sabatini represented CEES, the WaTER Center and the College of
Engineering
The
first objective of the trip was to explore options for interdisciplinary
service learning projects at St. Monica’s Vocational School in Gulu while also
connecting with the local university, local water companies and area NGO’s. The second objective, while in Kigali, was to explore similar
project opportunities with representatives of the local university, NGO’s and
government organizations.
The group was hosted by 2014 TIME 100 Most Influential and 2007 CNN Hero
Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe and the Saint Monica’s Vocational School in Gulu, which
is a six hour van ride north of the capital of Kampala. Potential
projects identified while at St Monica’s include a master plan for the school
that would include water and sanitation facilities with a
water/sanitation/health kiosk built into an exterior wall that would also serve
the community, as well as solar and biofuel potential. The team also visited Atiak, about an hour
north of Gulu, to explore potential water and sanitation projects where Sister
Rosemary is establishing a new school.
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| Sabatini and Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe |
After
five days in Gulu, four team members traveled on to Kigali where they visited
with representatives from Bridge2Rwanda, a training program to assist high
school graduates that want to attend college in the US; several University of
Rwanda faculty members from engineering, architecture and business; native
Rwandan graduates of Oklahoma Christian College that have returned to their
homeland to pursue their careers; a sanitation/biofuel startup installation initiated
by a UC-Berkley graduate; an architecture firm designing learning/health
centers in rural villages; the Minister of Infrastructure; and the Water/Sanitation
Corporation. Many needs and
opportunities for water and sanitation initiatives were identified. Certain elements look more advanced such as
roads and businesses but others show that great needs still exist in such basic
areas as wastewater treatment and availability of drinking water.
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| David Sabatini |
While in
Kigali, the team also took the opportunity to visit the Kigali Genocide
Memorial Centre and ate dinner at Hotel Des Mille Collines, the hotel featured
in the movie Hotel Rwanda.
"The trip
was very illuminating", said Sabatini. "Representatives in both countries expressed great
interest in collaborating with OU, and the team identified many opportunities
to engage our students in service learning opportunities while also meeting
needs and advancing development in these countries through capacity building,
student/faculty exchanges and training courses among others." The OU team is in the process of evaluating
the range of opportunities and developing a plan for next steps.
Stay tuned!
