Monday, April 22, 2013

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology comes to Sierra Leone!



A group of anticipating PhD candidates of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) arrived from all over the world to engage in service learning, fulfill a corner stone of field experience requirements and to most importantly put theory into practice. Jet lag aside, the delegation hit the ground running and took in a country vastly different from what most people call home or experience on average. There was as much diversity as similarities to be found. For example, the students could not stop laughing at the dance competition blaring until 3am showcasing Justin Bieber and Usher songs. Similarly, whilst watching children day school parades, playing familiar US band songs left the PhD candidates heart warmed. Nearly everywhere was juxtapositions of wealth and poverty: The UK High Commission side by side with corrugated tin roof huts, a Bus full of Westerners taking Kodak moment photos with shades on and children as young as five selling fruit. 

Everything that seems natural or automatic was necessarily challenged: running water, electricity, paved roads and even quantity of food. There can be no greater preparation on understanding another's life, another world and becoming International Psychologist than travel and compassion.

Speaking to LemonAid Fund's director and founder and adjunct faculty of TCSPP, Dr. Nancy Peddle, she recalls her over 15 years of experience on the ground in Africa. In the midst of strife in SL, Peddle was able to be evacuated without a second thought, with white peace flags waving from her car. This experience was deeply engraved in her heart as she wondered what the people who couldn't leave would do. Making good on the thought in her heart, she set up LemonAid fund to collaborate with people on the ground in SL to improve life from the grassroots level. The fund is involved in many areas including early education, female genital mutilation and forgiveness.

The PhD delegation is here in the capacity of consultants and will work on a variety of levels to tighten efficiency and help build capacity. After the first day, it was very evident that a whole new world exists out there, that the learning will be deep and mutual.



No comments:

Post a Comment