With the Service-Learning programme as its flagship initiative, PolyU is leading the way in integrating social responsibility and civic engagement into undergraduate education. This summer, a PolyU team embarked on an exciting mission in Rwanda, installing solar power systems and sharing clothing-making and design skills in rural villages. 

As one of PolyU's Service-Learning projects, the “Wong Tit Shing Sustainability Education Project: Habitat Green in East Africa” provides an exceptional opportunity to students from different disciplines to apply their classroom knowledge, expand their global perspectives, and embrace the true meaning of social responsibility.

This year's programme involved two main projects: solar power systems installations and a new fashion initiative. Both projects lasted two weeks and took place in rural Rwandan communities.

Illuminating minds

PolyU students collaborated with local community college students to illuminate homes from door to door. They installed solar power systems, sometimes carrying solar panels and a full set of equipment trekking up hills under the blazing sun. Their combined efforts resulted in over 400 impoverished families receiving solar power systems, providing lights and basic electricity that connect the local families to the world through radios and mobile phones.

This project is now in its 11th year. Over the years, PolyU delegations have brought light to over 1,600 families, brightening the lives of many in Rwanda.

Reflecting on her first visit to a rural village, Dr Grace Ngai, Head of PolyU’s Service-Learning and Leadership Office, shared, “City dwellers take for granted turning on the lights when they get home, but for villagers in rural areas, returning home brings fear because they cannot see in the dark.” In many remote villages, people have never experienced artificial light, describing the illumination provided by PolyU students as a “gift from the heavens”.

Designing futures

In a village school, students co-created stylish outfits and accessories with the local community using traditional Rwandan fabrics. Their mission was to enhance villagers’ clothing-making and fashion design skills by transferring knowledge and skillsets in textile arts, as well as by upcycling fabrics into sustainable fashion items. The teams showcased their work with a vibrant fashion show and celebrated the success of the project.

The PolyU team, comprising over one hundred members, included a four-member senior management delegation led by Dr Lam Tai-fai, Council Chairman; alongside Professor Jin-Guang Teng, President; Professor Kwok-yin Wong, Vice President (Education) and Professor Ben Young, Vice President (Student and Global Affairs), who showed unwavering support for staff and students on-site.

The Rwanda programme is just one of the many Service-Learning projects offered at PolyU this year. The University places great emphasis on Service-Learning, educating students about social issues and empowering them to apply their classroom knowledge to serve communities in need.

For more insights into PolyU’s Service-Learning Programme in Rwanda, read the following media coverage:
Hong Kong China News Agency: article 1, article 2, article 3, video 1