UCM Students and Employees Lend a Hand in Tanzanian Villages Through Global Vision Program

UCM students and employees, along with community volunteers and Global Volunteers staff, are seen in Ipalamwa, Tanzania, on July 17.

 

Students and employees from the University of Central Missouri (UCM) spent two weeks volunteering in Tanzania this summer as part of the university’s Global Vision study-abroad program.

The group of 17 from UCM, joined by two community volunteers, served alongside residents of five villages — Ipalamwa, Lulindi, Mkalanga, Ukwega and Makungu — in Ukwega Ward, Kilolo District, in the Iringa Region. 

Under the guidance of Global Volunteers staff members and in collaboration with community members, participants supported the Reaching Children’s Potential (RCP) program, designed to eliminate childhood stunting and ensure quality education for all children. UCM volunteers served in one of five roles, based on their experience, major and interests: 

Classroom teacher: Teams of two served as head teachers for two to three hours each day. Volunteers served in preschool, primary and secondary school. 

Technology laborer: Rotating teams of five to six volunteers implemented two technologies designed to address the root causes of childhood stunting. During the first week, to reduce disease transmission, volunteers installed handwashing stations outside family homes and taught proper handwashing techniques. In week two, they built chicken coops at family homes to provide a reliable source of protein and income. 

Food distribution and baby measurement support: Two to four volunteers helped distribute fortified grain packets to RCP families and measured the head circumference, weight and length of children under 2 years old to track growth. 

Medical clinic assistant: One to three volunteers per day entered data, organized inventory and, if qualified, assisted clinic staff with patient appointments. 

Home visitor: Four to five volunteers per day accompanied Global Volunteer RCP caregivers on weekly home visits to reinforce prior learning from parent workshops, including child development, breastfeeding, childhood disease prevention, and nutrition. An important role of the home visitor is to affirm parents’ efforts to improve their children's well-being. 

The Global Vision experience brought UCM’s new mission — “We empower individuals to learn deeply, grow confidently, and navigate change with purpose” — to life. Students deepened their academic learning through hands-on service, gained confidence in unfamiliar cultural and professional settings, and learned to adapt thoughtfully while working under local leadership. Their experiences also reflected UCM’s vision, “Where curiosity enables every learner to impact the world,” as students transformed questions and classroom knowledge into meaningful action. 

“This trip truly changed my perspective on life, making me incredibly grateful for even the small things,” said Calissa Brothers, a junior Speech Language Pathology major. 

Caleb Phillips, a senior Aviation major, reflected, “This trip showed me what is really important in life: the people I care about, the love I am able to show and the lives I am able to impact. Service-learning with Global Volunteers opened the door to learning life lessons from a culture unlike any I have experienced before.”

Students also connected their volunteer assignments to their academic and professional goals. McKenzie Holmer, a junior Nursing major, assisted at the clinic and said the experience allowed her to apply classroom learning while working alongside Tanzanian doctors and nurses. 

“Working in the clinic in Tanzania put into perspective for me that not all clinics have unlimited resources like we do in the United States,” she said. “This strengthened my compassion, my understanding of cultural differences in healthcare and my love of nursing.” 

Thanks to an anonymous donor who supports international education, an endowed Global Vision scholarship covers all program fees, airfare, in-country transportation and room and board for participants. Three to four Global Vision trips to various countries are scheduled each year, and the program is open to all majors. 

Students interested in upcoming Global Vision opportunities can visit ucmo.edu/globalvision or stop by the UCM Study Abroad Fair from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, in the Elliott Student Union Atrium.