Student Stories
IS student Che Goondiwala finds the power of travel in education
By Che Goondiwala
The pursuit of knowledge is often best paired with travel. Experiencing new environments, cultures, and ways of living is a crucial part of growing as a person. From June to August of 2024, with the aid of the Simons Foundation International Travel Grant provided by SFU’s School for International Studies, I had the opportunity to travel to Uganda where I embarked on a journey of personal and professional self-discovery.
Touching down in the capital city of Kampala, I could not help but feel a sense of nostalgia. As I stepped foot onto the familiar red earth and breathed in the distinct, cool night air, I got flashes of my childhood in Johannesburg, South Africa.
There were precisely three aspects that defined my three-month-long stay in Uganda. More than just an internship to gain work experience, my time in Uganda was a search to identify who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do. It was an opportunity to challenge myself in new ways with the hope of growing into a stronger and more established individual. Furthermore, the opportunity to work, learn, and explore parts of East Africa was one that I had been dreaming of all my life.
My internship in Uganda marked many firsts: my first time working in an office, my first time working in Africa, and my first time working in a job related to my university studies. This, coupled with the fact that I spent four days of my week dedicated to working, resulted in the job becoming my pivotal focus. I was matched with a local NGO called Sawa World, which worked with various partners to empower youth to generate their own income through skills training or to provide them with basic needs. One standout program involved urban farming, in which Sawa World would train beneficiaries to create farms in the compact urban spaces where many lived. These farms would then serve as a food source and an income generator.
My primary job within the organization was to support the outreach team in their various projects. A large portion of my work involved creating event schedules, digitizing data, conducting data analysis, and researching topics ranging from potential partners to new entrepreneurs. As time went on, I was able to work with other departments such as Sawa World’s media team and administration to draft policy reports and even apply my Geographic Information Science experience to create maps for project and general reports. Outside the office, I was able to experience the pleasure of working in the field with beneficiaries from the various communities across central Uganda. In these field visits, I was able to truly see the impact of local solutions.
Throughout my three-month stay, I had the pleasure of attending the oldest university in East Africa, Makerere University. I attended two classes at the university, one focused on conflict prevention, resolution, and transition, while the other was centered around the topic of domestic and international African relations. These classes tied together a unique learning experience in which I was able to grasp a better understanding of conflicts in Africa, as well as the historical and current factors that fuel them. I learned best through writing my essays, which allowed me to explore my curiosity about various African states, such as post-revolution Zimbabwe, Somalia, the DRC, Nigeria, and many more. The work and learning that I had the pleasure of experiencing in these classes heavily strengthened my interest in African relations and international studies.
Aside from my duties in the classroom and office, I was able to explore various areas of Uganda and East Africa. Traversing the various districts in Uganda assisted me in understanding the vast differences between the different kingdoms, tribes, and ethnic groups in the country. Often, such unique differences are brushed over by Western and neocolonial narratives that paint a distorted picture of Africa. These generalizations are far from the truth, with East Africa alone being home to over 130 different ethnic groups, each with their own unique cultures, histories, and struggles.
Through my travels across East and Southern Africa, I noticed that Africans possessed a strong bond despite the boundaries that divided them. While issues and conflicts do exist, of course, in conversations I had with individuals from around the continent, I discovered that Africans refer to one another as brothers and sisters regardless of nationality, religion, race, or background. The importance of communal bonds and the desire to uplift more than just one’s self-interest is something I have always admired about Africa and found starkly absent in the Western world.
My experience in Uganda was one that I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life. It allowed me to truly explore where a degree in International Studies could take me and pushed me to add my unique experiences and abilities to the field. The classes further added to my growing pool of knowledge and allowed me to learn about international relations from an African perspective. Working and learning in Africa further amplified my desire to have a career here, a dream I have had since I first took an interest in the broad topic of international relations.
I would like to thank my co-workers, professors, roommates, and other friends made along the way for making this experience truly unforgettable. Furthermore, I would like to thank the Simons Foundation International Travel Grant for allowing me to embark on this adventure.