Trinity Impact
Trinity College Dublin has connections with virtually every country in the world. The University has a long history of engagement with international development and today a vibrant community of researchers and students work on major global issues across the university’s three faculties including global health, climate change and globalisation. The establishment of the Trinity International Development Initiative (TIDI) enabled the University to coordinate research, teaching and outreach in Asia and Africa, especially Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda. The impact of Trinity research has resulted in benefits for people on every continent.
Case Study: Volunteering in India
Students from Trinity College Dublin established Suas Educational Development initiative in 2002, believing that the best way of making a difference was through education. Each year since, the Volunteer Programme has given young students an opportunity to support the education of children in schools that serve some of the most marginalised communities in India. Acting as teaching assistants in local schools the volunteers have a valuable opportunity to develop their personal and professional skills, such as teamwork, leadership and planning, while learning from this intercultural experience.
Case Study: Field Trip to Rwanda
MSc students in Environment and Development recenly spent time in Kigali, Rwanda, which gave them the opportunity to see firsthand development issues such as the rehabilitation of the Nyabugogo wetlands, part of the watershed that forms the headwater of the White Nile. Demographic pressures and industrial development have degraded the wetlands and compromised their ecosystem services in the region. Wetland rehabilitation is taken seriously in a nation where land is extremely scarce and the government treats environmental obligations with importance. The students also carried out four days of fieldwork involving communities surrounding Volcanoes National Park. One particular research group explored the consequences of the loss of access to natural resources within the park and for local communities.