From Sweden to Kenya - globally networked studies

"My horizons have broadened," sums up Theresa Aschaber, a bachelor's student of Social Work at the FHV - Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences. The 21-year-old has just returned from an internship abroad in Nairobi, Kenya. She spent four months working at the Mukuru Promotion Centre, a rehabilitation center for boys who have been living on the streets. "I accompanied them on home visits in the slums, was responsible for the office work and accompanied the boys on clinic visits. I also worked with the social worker to set up business start-ups with some of the children's parents. We bought food or clothes with them at the markets, which they could then sell on. The aim was to improve the families' financial situation. Our organization provided 20,000 Kenyan shillings, which is around 145 euros, as support for setting up the business," she explains.

Good-humored people
Theresa immersed herself in a different culture during her stay abroad. "Unemployment is a big problem, as is corruption and the huge gap between rich and poor. There were preparatory seminars that were helpful. Nevertheless, none of this was really tangible for me until I had lived there for a while," says the Salzburg native. She found it exciting how creative unemployment made people. "They used every free space on the sidewalk and at the side of the road as a sales area. They sold clothes and even beds, but also services such as sewing or repairing bicycles. Despite the poverty, people seemed cheerful and very open," she recalls.

Completing her studies
She sees her return home with both tears and laughter. "I was looking forward to the snow and skiing and, of course, to seeing my family. On the other hand, I was sad to leave the country, the people from the organization and my friends and not know if and when I would be back." She is now about to complete her studies and will be devoting the next few months to her bachelor's thesis at the FHV. Originally, however, she wanted to study medicine. Looking back, she is now happy with her decision to study at the FHV, which has enabled her to experience cultural encounters around the globe.

Semester in Sweden
In addition to the work placement in Nairobi, Theresa spent a semester abroad at Jönköping University in Sweden and a short stay abroad in Ostrava in the Czech Republic. Two more study programs in Finland and Lithuania are planned for the near future. The FHV is a member of the European University (RUN-EU) and makes it easy to organize stays abroad. "I can only encourage (future) students to take advantage of the international opportunities. For me, studying at the FHV was worthwhile. I had to face many challenges, but I have grown."

More about studying Social Work: www.fhv.at/en/studies