Born and raised in Malaysia, Koon Peng Ooi decided to pursue his education at UBC due to its strong Economics program and the International Leaders of Tomorrow (ILOT) scholarship. Now in his third year in Economics, Koon Peng has already participated in two International Service Learning programs in Uganda and developed a strong relationship with a local primary school for deaf children.
Coming to UBC with a background in peer mentoring and community service, Koon Peng immediately began looking for ways that he could get involved in these areas. UBC’s International Service Learning program (now ORICE) proved to be the perfect fit.
“When I first met with an ISL advisor, she was telling me about the different programs in detail, and the ISL program just captivated me,” he said. “Even though I was only in my first year, I was very interested and the advisor encouraged me to apply for the program.”
Koon Peng was accepted to the ISL placement “Literacy, Community Libraries, and Primary Universal Education” in Uganda, where he taught English and computer lessons to secondary school students in the library of Kitengesa Village. He was also introduced to other local schools and organizations, one of which was the Good Samaritan School for the Deaf, a primary school for deaf children. Reflecting back on the first time that he visited the school, Koon Peng says that he fell in love with the place and the students, and immediately knew he was going to return.
Koon Peng and a fellow ISL team member Nidhi Joseph began visiting the school during any free time they had, and began to learn Ugandan Sign Language in order to communicate with the students. In order to encourage more integration between deaf and hearing students, Koon Peng began spending the last ten minutes of his library reading sessions teaching the hearing students sign language.
“In the beginning, we would see the deaf students and the hearing students lock eyes, but they were unable to communicate. I actually saw hearing students begin to interact with the deaf students, and that really made me so happy,” he said.
When his three-month International Service Learning placement ended, Koon Peng returned to study in Vancouver, but maintained his relationship with the Good Samaritan School for the Deaf. With the help of the International Students Association (ISA), he organized a fundraising dinner for the school to help out with their financial situation.
Reflecting on his summer in Uganda, Koon Peng felt a strong desire to return and work with the school once again. He was able to do so through another ISL placement. This time, he took a course with an ISL component, Economics 492C: The Economics of Sustainability. With the help of an ISL advisor, he was able to return to Kitengesa Village to do his case study for the course at the Good Samaritan School for the Deaf and help the organization on a more administrative level.
“I think these ISL placements have helped me learn so much about myself,” Koon Peng says. “ISL has taught me to think critically about the things that you do and about creating impact.”
The following ISL courses qualify for ARA (Arts Research Abroad) funding, which means up to 70% of the program and flight costs can be covered if you’re eligible. The deadline is January 9 to apply online, see the individual courses for more details and how to apply.
Psych 417A Psychology and Developing Societies
Taught by Dr. Sunaina Assanand, 3 credits
Placements go from May – August 2014 in South Africa, Swaziland or Uganda
ECON 492C The Economics of Sustainability: Communities, Markets & Technologies
Taught by Catherine Douglas, 6 credits
Placements go from June – August 2014 in Uganda, Swaziland, Costa Rica, Mexico or Bolivia
HIST 403 NGOs and Refugees in Uganda: Regional and Global Perspectives
Taught by Dr. Steven Lee, 3 credits
Placements go from May – August 2014 and include a week-long field trip to refugee camps in Rwanda and Uganda.
SOCI 435 Partnerships for Participatory Development
Taught by Dr. Dawn Currie, 6 credits
Placements go from May – August 2014 in Uganda or countries where we have community partners
How it works: Take a Term II course (January 2014), and then relate your learning in an intensive 12-week placement with a community-based organization in Uganda, or in other countries where we have community partners.
