Stories of Service Around the World

Learning and Adventure in Zambia

A recent scholarship recipient shared with us some of her experiences in Zambia, where she learned more than just how to practice medicine.

"Each trip I take abroad reminds me of the simple, yet important things in life, and that happiness can take many forms. I love the sense of adventure that comes along with these trips, but the most memorable things are always the children I get to play with at clinic or the stories told by parents and siblings." "As a result of this experience, I became more culturally savvy and educated in ways that I could help with things, but not overstep my bounds as a visitor. Through this lesson, I learned a great deal of patience and humility, and I gained admiration for my Zambian colleagues and their resilience to continue doing what they did every day despite poor conditions and a lack of basic conditions."

New Legs, New Life in Guatemala

During a humanitarian mission, one of our scholarship recipients met Domingo, a man that had suffered an industrial electrical accident years before. He lost both feet and most of his hands from the resulting burns. He was unemployable and had extreme difficulty getting around.

Through the work of dedicated humanitarian volunteers, prosthetic legs were made for both of his feet and were transported to Guatemala in a suitcase. Our scholarship recipient, Dallin, a podiatry student, was able to fit the new prostheses on both of the amputation stumps.

That day, Domingo stood and walked unaided for the first time in years, changing both Domingo’s life and Dallin’s perpective forever.

This memorable experience is typical of the service related engagement that students enjoy while giving humanitarian service. It is the kind of eye opening learning experience that happens again and again when students get the opportunity to serve.

Education Materials for Children

Humanitarian efforts often focus on health care or sanitation and such projects are of critical importance. But no less important is access to quality education. It is through education that an individual can become self-sufficient and no longer dependent upon the largesse of others.

Recipients of scholarships from the Step by Step: Scholarship Fund for Humanitarian Travel have successfully worked with students and teachers in remote communities with very limited resources.

On a recent trip to Guatemala, a team donated a considerable quantity of school supplies and other resources for use by two different primary schools in the mountainous Tecpan region.

Your support of Step by Step promotes education in developing countries, thus helping the indigenous people improve the stability of the economy and their quality of life.