Beyond the classroom - Mal-U student lectures on experiences in Uganda

It’s not hard to figure out where Amanda Moore inherited her sense of adventure and compassion. At age 11, her parents sold everything they owned, pulled Moore and her older sister out of elementary school, and lived on a sailboat for eight months in the Caribbean.

“I realized the world was a lot bigger than I thought,” said Moore. “It was my first experience overseas, and seeing poverty and inequality at the grass roots level.”

Now a 23-year-old Malaspina University-College student in the Tourism and Recreation Management degree program, Moore is a champion for equality and human rights. She will be giving her first public lecture Thursday, November 8 at Malaspina’s Nanaimo campus about her recent internship experience in Uganda, Africa.

Moore worked for a non-governmental organization called Ainembabazi Children’s Project (ACP). Her role was to develop a framework for a micro-enterprise project that will provide rural women with small loans to expand existing businesses or start new ones. She also developed a business plan for a craft and coffee shop that ACP will operate so women from rural villages have an urban venue to sell their crafts, and fill a niche market in the local tourism industry. “The goal was to teach and empower people to create a better future for themselves,” she explained. “Even a small loan of $25 or $30 will change their lives in a big way.”

Born and raised in Alberta, Moore is still in awe over her international learning experiences since transferring to Malaspina from Red Deer College two years ago to pursue a degree in Tourism and Recreation. Last spring, she was one of four Malaspina students selected for a five-week field school in Sunyani, Ghana as part of a five-year project funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to help alleviate poverty in the region.

Two weeks before leaving for Ghana, Moore applied for the internship opportunity in Uganda through Malaspina Tourism professor Dr. Nicole Vaugeois.

“My sister, who lives in Edmonton, is the president of the ACP in Uganda and the Executive Director of the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights in Edmonton,” explained Vaugeois. “I remembered Amanda from one of my community development classes. Like so many students who enrol at Malaspina, she was interested in community development work, and was out to change the world. She was a natural choice for the internship.”

With assistance from Malaspina’s Study Abroad coordinator, Audrey Hansen, Moore submitted a proposal to CIDA, and received a $10,000 grant to cover travel and living expenses while in Uganda. “It all came together so quickly,” said Moore.  “I took this as a sign that this was something I was supposed to do.”

Moore traveled alone to Uganda, where she met Obed Aharinta, Project Director for the ACP. “I was scared but excited at the same time," she recalled. In the remote village of Mbarara, Moore began her community development work. and met a local tourism operator, who over time, became a good friend. “I became part of his family, and attended weddings, funerals and family reunions,” said Moore. “It was an enriching experience, and gave me a true sense of the culture and community in that part of the world.”

Moore plans to return to Africa in February with Malaspina student Lea Thuot to continue work in Ghana in preparation for Malaspina's next field school in April.  “We’ll work with communities, meet the chiefs and generally make Malaspina’s presence known,” said Moore. “It will be an independent studies course so I’ll earn credit towards my degree and still be able to graduate in June.”

Moore also hopes to return to Uganda and pursue her passion of helping people in that part of the world. “This comes from my sense of responsibility," she explained. "We’re so fortunate living here in Canada and have so much freedom and abundance simply because of where we were born. Eighty percent of the people in the world don’t live the way we do through no fault of their own. I feel it’s important to do my small part to counter that inequality.”

Moore’s free public lecture takes place at 7 pm, Thursday, November 8, at Malaspina’s Nanaimo campus, Building 200, Room 203. Renee Vaugeois, Director of the ACP, will also be speaking. For more information about Moore’s experiences in Uganda, visit www.amandasafricanadventures.blogspot.com and www.ainembabazi.org.