A university program is empowering young people from around the world to build a sustainable future for all.
For Barnaba Buhombe of Tanzania in East Africa, coming to Taiwan for further study was one of the best choices he has made. He is now a third year student in the International Program for Sustainable Development (IPSD) at Chang Jung Christian University (CJCU) in the southern city of Tainan. “Taiwan offers a wealth of enriching educational experiences unlike anywhere else,” the 25-year-old said. “To top it all off, the country is extremely safe and the people are incredibly welcoming.”
According to Buhombe, field trips, hands-on learning and volunteer opportunities set IPSD apart from other programs. The depth of community engagement allows students to become more effective citizens by teaching them how to identify and act on important local issues. “Activities outside of the classroom have helped me better understand how community groups function,” he said. “Plus participation enhances creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.”
CJCU as a whole has taken societal development and environmental sustainability to heart. Over the past 20 years, the school has engaged in an intensive cleanup of the adjacent Erren River, establishing a river restoration center in 2002 in partnership with the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration to promote public awareness and participation.
British primatologist and environmentalist Jane Goodall collaborates with CJCU to establish a Roots & Shoots Eco-Center on campus. (Photo courtesy of Chang Jung Christian University)
Efforts received a boost in 2012 when world-renowned British primatologist and environmentalist Jane Goodall visited the site and learned of the university’s involvement. On her second visit two years later, she instructed Taipei City-based Jane Goodall Institute Taiwan (JGIT) to collaborate with CJCU to establish a Roots & Shoots Eco-Center on campus. The facility, part of a network incorporating tens of thousands of youths from around the globe, works with educational institutions to equip students with knowledge and skills for developing comprehensive, long-term conservation practices.
The eco-center has allowed CJCU to expand its environmental endeavors beyond the river project to pursuit of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. Major initiatives to date have included establishment of the International College of Practice and Education for the Environment and the IPSD bachelor’s degree.
Community Engagement
Since its launch in 2017, IPSD has enrolled more than 80 students, with the bulk coming from African countries such as Burundi, Eswatini, Tanzania and Uganda. The curriculum encompasses three modules—climate change adaptation, community building and watershed management—and all courses are taught in English.
“Our program emphasizes interactive instruction, community action and fieldwork, allowing students to get practical training and real-world experience,” IPSD Director Huang Chao-hsing (黃肇新) said. “We aim to turn students into global citizens who take the responsibility to create a more ecologically, environmentally and socially aware world.”
IPSD students learn how to harvest water chestnuts and process their shells into biochar, a form of charcoal used to enrich soil. Such hands-on training is a key component of the program. (Photos courtesy of CJCU)
Sustainable development is one of the most pressing issues of this century, Huang said, adding that it requires practical solutions backed by sound theoretical knowledge. In partnership with JGIT, his school has devised a professional development program that engages students in active learning. Coursework is supplemented by a mandatory semesterlong internship, which students can complete at a number of organizations at home and abroad.
Collaboration between IPSD students, local residents and nongovernmental organizations (NGO) delivers win-win outcomes, according to Huang. “Community-based learning offers an important avenue for simultaneously building student capacity, boosting school resources and improving quality of life in target areas,” he said. “This approach also enhances social connection and encourages volunteering.”
Huang Xi-chia (黃錫家), chairman of Tainan-based Datan Community Development Association, said in recent years his organization has worked closely with IPSD on cooperative projects such as recycling station operation, architectural restoration and solar panel installation.
“I’m glad to see universities like CJCU getting out of the ivory tower and into the public square,” the chairman said. “Community engagement has many potential benefits.” As an example, Huang cited his own small rural town, where in the past residents rarely got the chance to interact with foreigners. That dynamic completely changed once IPSD students began teaching environmentally themed English lessons at elementary schools and helping with the harvest at nearby farms.
Volunteers also get the opportunity to observe local recycling practices, such as trash classification and conversion of food waste into organic fertilizers, as well as flex their creative muscles by turning recycled materials into art installations and useful products. “Exchanges with foreign students have greatly improved mutual understanding of our respective countries and cultures,” Huang said.
Students evaluate the effectiveness of a floating island they created to support aquatic vegetation. (Photo courtesy of CJCU)
International Influence
According to the director, IPSD students provide welcome diversity on campus as well. “When international students take courses alongside domestic peers, it helps cultivate cultural awareness,” he said. Seeking to recruit promising students of all nationalities and socioeconomic statuses, CJCU utilizes Jane Goodall Institute’s (JGI) worldwide network to promote the program, Huang said, adding that inquiries and applications have increased every year since its launch.
The university ensures equal opportunity by providing flight tickets, monthly stipends, tuition waivers and free accommodation to students from nations on the U.N. list of least developed countries. Others can apply for scholarships offered by JGI and the Ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs. One such beneficiary is 22-year-old Raha Nila from Bangladesh, now in her second year at IPSD.
An active member of Roots & Shoots since 2015, Nila is determined to dedicate her life to safeguarding the planet. “I developed an interest in environmental activities at an early age because animals and nature have always fascinated me,” she said. “I want to continue pursuing my passion for conservation, and IPSD is exactly what I was looking for.”
According to Nila, IPSD’s expansive curriculum covers all essential areas for creating a sustainable future. She is eager to glean knowledge and skills to bring back to Bangladesh, where environmental education has not been integrated into the mainstream curriculum despite the country’s vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters. “I feel fortunate to have the chance to study sustainability in Taiwan,” she said. “My goal is to promote environmental awareness by making such education accessible to all and establishing a Roots & Shoots branch in my country. One day I even hope to become the representative of Bangladesh to the U.N.”
IPSD students wear traditional outfits as they participate in Migrants Day organized by the Ministry of the Interior and Tainan City Government in the southern Taiwan city. (Photo courtesy of CJCU)
The world needs experts in environmental science now more than ever given the acceleration of climate change and environmental degradation. “IPSD is doing its part, with students from around the world enrolled in the program who can implement what they’ve learned after returning home,” Nila said. “As for me, I’ll utilize my know-how to inspire more people in my country to join the fight against climate change and the effort to create sustainable competitiveness.”
Likewise, director Huang has high expectations of IPSD students. “While studying in Taiwan, these young adults can gain a deeper understanding of best practices in sustainability,” he said. “After going back to their home countries, they must become the change our world needs.”
Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw