“To really know Africa, you need to feel it, smell it, taste it”

17 Jul 2023

“We only truly became Humanitarian Action students when coming to Ethiopia…. It felt like a discovery,” says Regina Ikramova, speaking of a recent trip to Addis Ababa organised for students of the MSc in Humanitarian Action at UCD.

Regina was one of seven Humanitarian Action students who, accompanied by Dr Pat Gibbons, Director of the UCD Centre for Humanitarian Action, spent ten days in the Ethiopian capital. Before returning home to Dublin, Regina delivered a heartfelt speech on behalf of the student delegation to assembled guests at the Irish Embassy in Addis Ababa on May 25th. “Few words are truly apt to express the appreciation we feel for the experience we were granted,” she told guests.   

“Equipped with curiosity, a healthy dose of humanitarian naiveté, as well as an unhealthy amount of mosquito repellent, we embarked on a great adventure,” she said. “We stepped out of the plane in Arba Minch and were immediately welcomed by the warm and humid embrace of the Continent. We got the bus into Sodo. Every goat, donkey or false banana tree coming our way made us exude excitement.” The false banana plant – or enset – is a unique crop little known outside Ethiopia that has been hailed for its potential to enhance food security in the broader Africa region.

Academia brought to life

The UCD delegation was hosted by colleagues from Wolaita Sodo University, southwest of Addis Ababa, and over the course of the trip students visited a local primary school, met with NGO staff and spent time with aid workers in the local community.

The visit offered a chance for the Humanitarian Action students to put their academic learning into practice after a year of studies at UCD. Regina described it as “an experience that will shape the trajectory of our careers. It brought the reality of humanitarian action closer than any academic paper we have ever read.” 

She explained to Embassy guests how no amount of academic investigation from the comfort of home could compete with the real-world experience of a visit to the African continent. “To really know Africa, you need to feel it, smell it, taste it. Fully embrace its unlimited potential to teach you.”

Engaging with local NGO workers, university staff and local schoolchildren brought a depth of understanding not possible through purely academic pursuit, bringing new life and meaning to humanitarian concepts such as localisation, capacity development, and contextualisation.

“One conversation with a young and brilliant health officer - who shed light on the daily challenges he faces and the solutions he develops for caring for his community - brought us closer to the intricacies of public health than any WHO report,” said Regina.

A meeting with the Wolaita Development Association brought the concept of localisation to life for the visiting delegation of students, exemplifying what it means to “work with” rather than “work for” a local community. The UCD students were both “humbled and excited” to place their trust in local knowledge. 

A noted highlight was a visit to a local community school. “We read a lot about the link between education and development before coming here. But it was only upon arrival that we for the first time felt the link,” she said.

Safety and comfort

The strong partnership between UCD and Wolaita Sodo University was key to the success of the trip. “The staff of Wolaita Sodo granted us unmatched insights. Their kindness, patience, and benevolence nurtured our engagement and curiosity,” said Regina, who also praised both sets of university staff for creating “an atmosphere of safety and comfort”.

Regina spoke of how her and her fellow students were changed by the visit and would carry their experiences back home with them. “We sincerely hope that all students coming after us get a taste of what we were fortunate to experience,” she said.

The visit was part of a larger, ongoing partnership between the UCD Centre for Humanitarian Action, Wolaita Sodo University and Addis Ababa University. Centre director Pat Gibbons has further plans to kick off an Erasmus+ KA171-funded project to support UCD staff and student mobility to and from Addis Ababa University.

To learn more about how Erasmus+ KA171 funding can support and complement academic and research partnerships, contact erasmusicm@ucd.ie 

Image captions:

Top - Regina Ikramova and Dr Pat Gibbons, pictured second and last from right, at the Irish Embassy in Addis Ababa.

Above – The UCD delegation met with members of the local community in Addis Ababa.