A Day of Service - by Andrew Stephens

     Today was the day we worked on our service project. Professor Buske incorporates this into every trip she puts together by having students raise money and then spend one of the days on the trip putting labor towards something that will have a lasting impact on the community we are visiting. This year, we raised enough money to upgrade a classroom’s dirt floor to concrete and to build 10 desks for Ilkurot Primary School outside of Arusha. It’s the same school that students from the 2023 Tanzania trip worked on as well. Ilkurot is part of a program called The Lunch Project, which is aimed at providing free food to students that might not otherwise have a meal while at school and has a huge impact on keeping kids in class instead of dropping out.

    Before arriving at Ilkurot, we made a quick stop to another public primary school made up of primarily Maasai children, that is also part of The Lunch Project, to check out how this program operates. We didn’t fully know what to expect from this visit other than Professor Buske telling us it might be a unique opportunity to see what it feels like to be a member of the Beatles during Beatlemania. She wasn’t lying.

    We made our way up a winding, bumpy dirt road off the main highway that was a 30-minute drive outside of Arusha. After turning a corner, we were greeted by hundreds of Maasai school children that swarmed our van singing and dancing as we rolled up to the school. It’s hard to describe how amazing it was. I can honestly say that I’ve never experienced anything like that. While I will never know what it felt like to be Paul McCartney back in the day, it was an amazing experience for me and my classmates. The students also seemed happy to have an excuse to pause the school day and greet us.

    After about 20 minutes of singing and jumping with the students, we got to walk around the school’s property and talk to the headmaster, teachers, and the mamas that cook the food and make the program happen. We then went to check out the food being prepared. Curious students kept coming up to the cooking area to catch a glimpse of us and say hello and give us either a fist bump or a high five. It was interesting to learn more about what the program does and how big of an impact it has on the students. Something as simple as providing lunch every day can be the difference between going to school or dropping out.

    We then hopped back in the van and headed to Ilkurot. Students greeted us when we arrived with songs, but it wasn’t nearly as intense as it was at the first school. The headmaster told us that not all of the materials had been delivered to build the desks, so we would just be working on the concrete floor. The cement had already been poured when we got there, so our job was to smooth it out and put a sealant on it.

    While it felt good to help, it was disappointing to not be able to do as much work as we were planning to do. On the other hand, we got to spend more time with the children and some of us played math games with the older students and we made the most of the visit. I’m grateful that Professor Buske makes this a part of her trips because it’s always a humbling reminder of how lucky we are as law students from America.

    It’s hard to tell how big of an impact our group’s project will have on the school and its students.  For me it felt underwhelming after looking at everything else and seeing how much help this school needed. Our project was just a drop in the bucket. I wish we had raised more money and aimed for a bigger project. But I know it’s also important to remember that change can happen in smaller increments and nothing we could do on this trip would have transformed the school overnight. I will always be grateful for the experience and memories from today and use it as a motivator to keep trying to make the world a better place.

Touching the Surface of Juvenile Justice in Tanzania - by Alexa Bascon

 Our safari adventure has finished and we are now delving fully into the international children’s rights program. Today we kicked off the program with a trip to the juvenile jail and the police station in Arusha. We had the opportunity to speak with James, one of three social workers who works at the juvenile jail, about how the jail operates. James gave our group a tour of the premises which gave us the opportunity to gain a little bit of insight into what a child may experience should they find themselves in this facility. We talked about the changes that the facility has made both structurally and fundamentally in terms of their goals for the children. This new mission, according to James, is to help the kids who come through here with rehabilitation rather than punishment.

            There are five juvenile jails in the country which are located in Dar es Salaam, Moshi, Arusha (the facility that we visited), Tanga, and Mwana. The layout in each juvenile jail is the same and each has a fifty-child maximum capacity. Typically, there are low seasons and high seasons for the number of children who occupy the jail. When the school season ends, the juvenile jail will see an increase in the number of children who are sent there. According to James, the reason why there were only two children in the juvenile jail during our group’s visit is because school is currently still in session. When children are occupied with school, it keeps them from committing crimes that would cause them to be placed in the juvenile jail. They anticipate an influx of more children in the coming weeks. Professor Buske shared her insight on the facility from her past experience when she lived in Arusha many years ago when it was typical for 300-400 children to be packed into the juvenile jail. It does seem that some progress has been made in the country regarding the awareness of the importance of child welfare. However, the facility left a lot to be desired and it is clear that there is much more work to be done to improve how the juvenile jails care for these children who find themselves in the criminal system. It also became pretty evident the more we talked to James that there were a lot of gaps in his explanation about what measures the jail takes to ensure that the children there are receiving proper care.

            Our next stop for the day was the local police station in Arusha. We were able to get an interview with the inspector who works in the department that investigates cases of child abuse and/or sexual assault cases. We also had the chance to speak with two plain clothes women police officers who work in the department as well. The walls inside the department building were painted with different positive images of children and adults to create a more pleasant atmosphere for children. We asked the inspector which kinds of cases were most commonly seen in his department, and he shared that they are usually domestic violence cases and victim reporting cases. The inspector went on to inform us that Arushatown consists of eighteen wats, aka wards, and that each individual wat has an inspector of police. He shared his belief that Arusha is safer now than in previous years as a result of this newer wat system. However, when our group asked the inspector for more concrete data about how many of the cases that come through the police department actually lead to convictions for the perpetrators the inspector was not as willing to speak as he had been when answering our previous questions. Instead, he claimed that they do not have that number and moved the conversation quickly along.

            Another topic we discussed with the inspector was that of corporal punishment. In the past, school children have died as a result of serious injury obtained from corporal punishment in school. Now, “only” three hits are permitted by a school’s headmaster at any one instance for “misbehaving” children and a teacher must ask permission from their headmaster before each administration of corporal punishment. In theory, these three hits are only permitted to be on a child’s buttocks or on their hands to avoid more serious harm to the child although in practice I am sure a fly on the wall would see something much different. Overall, the biggest problem this department sees concerning child victims is a general fear of the legal system. Underreporting is a huge barrier for criminal justice here because oftentimes the offenders are important wage earners with a dependent family and there is a real fear for how that family will manage should a conviction come to fruition.

During both of our site visits, the social worker from the juvenile jail and the inspector from the police station avoided many of the questions our group asked when the answers would have shed a negative spotlight on the many issues facing the Tanzanian criminal system. Because of this, I am skeptical of much of what was told to our groups during both visits. I think it’s important to keep in mind that both the social worker and the inspector work for the Tanzanian government and may have ulterior motives when it comes to sharing what gaps exist that need to be filled to better protect the rights of Tanzanian children - we came into these facilities as a group of foreign law students, and they had no reason to trust us or to give us accurate information that could potentially make them look bad at doing their jobs. Moreover, the statistics regarding juvenile justice that come from the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) report in Tanzania tells a much different and much darker story than what our interviewers told us, and I am once again reminded of the overarching theme of this program which is to grapple with the theory of children’s rights versus what actually is the reality of children’s rights.

            Finally, we piled back into our van and finished off the day by heading down to the local markets to pick out fabric to bring to the tailor later in the week to make fun dresses, skirts, shirts, napkins, tote bags, and more. Our friends, Ava and Salome, helped us translate with the shop owners to purchase our fabric and make sure we bought the right kind of fabric for whatever item we wanted to have made. Each of the different shop fronts we encountered were filled with bright colors and beautiful patterns and there was something different to catch your eye every which way that you looked. The streets were filled with chaotic traffic and bustling crowds of people ready to sell their wares and snag some good deals of their own. We all enjoyed the process of selecting our fabrics and contributing to the local economy.

After a long day packed full of events, I am so ready to head to bed and mentally prepare for the next day of the trip. Tomorrow, we have the opportunity to visit a local primary school for Maasai children and see some of the barriers that prevent these children from getting a proper education.

Poa Kichizi - by Tara Zak

Final day of safari: We learned that despite its name, Ngorongoro is a caldera, not a crater. Eki, our guide, says that to be called a crater, there has to be proof of a meteorite impact. He says we’re the happiest travelers. That we make other grumpy, quiet travelers look bad.

He tells us a story about his wife: During her training as a chef, she took a final exam. One of the questions was “Which is the best rice?” The answers were:

             a) Biryani

             b) Coconut

             c) Steamed

             d) Condoleezza

The Tanzanian children learn Swahili and English. They know American presidents, geography, and colonial history. Most people in our truck didn’t know who Condoleezza Rice was.

James asks Eki if Tanzanians have superheroes. He says that a Maasai (an iconic shepherd people) superhero is the one that throws the spear into the lion first. Today, the Maasai wrestle bulls to achieve a similar feat. A Bushman superhero is the one who hits the one-inch thick snake in a tree with their spear. He says that Tanzanian academics with triple A’s are superheroes. Drivers with no accidents for many years are superheroes. But superheroes are changing, he says. To some, they are the ones with the most cows (or the most money).

Tanzanians have Bongowood and Bongo music. Eki says “bongo” means “use your brain”. It’s the country's motto. It means to be smart, creative, innovative, and hardworking.

We had a brisk, misty, slow descent into the crater (caldera). In the green, tall grass there were two elephants (tembo); so big they looked large even from our vantage point hundreds of yards away. We learned that mostly males venture into Ngorongoro. The elephants were large, gray, and wrinkly with torn ears and broken tusks. Eki says they go to “retire” in the crater. I wonder about elephant graveyards. It’s a myth, he says. Poachers used the lie to explain slaughter grounds. However, it’s true that elephants become emotional when they see the bones of other elephants. They moan when they pass, recognizing lost family.

Just at the precipice of the crater floor, two lions (simba) hang lazily in a low acacia tree. Eki hears over the radio that a kill was made and so we move in search of the feast. Upon turning, a large male lion saunters up the dirt road towards us, his belly low to the ground. Eki says that after a meal, lions can stay full for up to 3 days.

We find the kill. Hyenas (Hisi) and vultures (tai) are surrounding a bloody patch of grass, popping up and peering into the distance periodically. We recognize the distinct shape of water buffalo (mbogo) horns. A large hyena drags a hoofed leg through the grass. A very small hyena waits 10 yards away in the dirt, his head perched not-so-patiently on his front paws. He skitters up to the group, chases away vultures, and starts to whimper as no one lets him into the kill. Obviously frustrated, he begins whooping a loud, low, bellowing sound that echoes between our ears. We all become quiet in the truck: buffalo bones crackling, hyena paws shuffling, the batting wings of jumping buzzards, the angsty whooping of a hungry pup.

We search for grazing gazelle (swala) and zebra (pundamilia) near the outskirts of the lake where the road has been washed away by November rains. Eki says that the Thompson gazelle (sawa tomi) are the lion equivalent of McDonald’s: fast food. Warthog (Ngiri) prance near the road, whipping their thin tails wildly (reminds me of Lord of the Flies). Eland gazelle (Pofu) stand stiff and tense in the tall grass (remines me of the forest king in Princess Mononoke). Zebra twist their necks as they stand together. By utilizing their stripes, they can disguise their true numbers from predators. An ostrich (mbuni) passes across the road, flailing its black and white wings, craning its neck into the dirt.

Fastest, in order:

1. Cheetah (Duma)

2. Ostrich

3. Topi (Nyamera)

4. Thompson gazelle

(Eki, 2024)

We search for the rare and elusive rhino (kifaru). A 400-strong herd of zebra graze in the rolling hills overgrown with sweet smelling, bright orange marigolds. Eki says they are invasive. He spots a hippo (kiboko) hundreds and hundreds of yards away, deeper down the valley, walking from pond to river’s edge. An impressive feat. We gaze through binoculars, struggling to find it.

An enormous male lion becomes startled as we barrel down the dirt road. Tail whipping in circles like an angry house cat, he quickly slinks into the tall grass. We sit silently waiting for him to reappear. He never does. Eki is incredulous. Male lions are, on average, 450 lbs. Soon after, maybe 4 miles away, we see a set of 3 lion ears in the grass. However, none were the disappeared male.

Male wildebeest (nyumbu) circle various clusters, belching a deep and onerous bleat, looking for challengers and often finding them. James mimics the sound and the nearest wildebeest become helplessly confused as to who to fight. Apparently, they are tasty meat.

Zebras roll in the same patch of dirt as their family members to drench themselves in the scent. Zebra family cologne, Eki says. They also roll to readjust their stomachs.

Ngorongoro is not Swahili. It was named by the British colonizers and is an onomatopoeia of Maasai cow bells ringing in the valley. This is the only park the Maasai can still graze their herds in.

A Swahili proverb: If you wait, the bananas will ripen.

Every truck must survive the embarrassment of a knot in a tree being mistaken for a sleeping lion.

Sodom apples were said to be the first plant to grow after Sodom and Gomorrah fell. 

RHINO: A black rhino far, far into the distance across the plains. Rangers keep a constant eye on the park rhinos from watch towers peppered throughout the park. If ever they lose sight of one, there is an immediate alert. The black market price is $500,000 for one. There are roughly 22 in the park, but the rangers never release the actual number. Some cultures use their horns to make ceremonial daggers. Others believe the horns are aphrodisiacs. At least the world can agree that poaching is bad.

On the long ride back to Arusha, we talk about Tanzania. Eki is curious about Oregon: How far is it from New York? He’s not impressed by the cascading waterfalls, etched deep into the vine covered stone cliffs. Tall buildings with lots of glass are wow, he says. He wants to see the Nile and the Egyptian rift valley–the other side of the Tanzanian rift valley. 

We stopped at a gas station just outside the park. Men and women with jewelry, shirts, and Swahili books surround the truck, talking to us through our open windows. I let them know that I don’t have any money (a truth) and they move onto the next window. Mr. Cheap, as he calls himself, is trying to charm Andrew to no avail. He pulls out some necklaces and one catches my eye. I ask to see them and the vendors swarm my window. I ask the truck for 15,000 shillings and take it. Very happy with my purchase.

Eki says Tanzania is a rumor country. If James Mzungu (white traveler) pees on the side of the road in Kuratu, by the time we get to Arusha, Eki will hear about it.

Mto wa Mbu (Mosquito River) is my favorite town: bustling, jungle verdant, shaded, full of bushels of bananas in woven green baskets along the roadside. Women in bright patterns peddle fruit from baskets perched atop their head into dala dala (minibus taxi) windows. Teen girls walk together: one in a red flowing burka, another in a gingham red shuka (traditional Maasai clothing; a wrap), a third in a t-shirt and jeans. Eki says that all tribes live here. And in relative harmony, I see. 

Further down the highway, a man holds bushels of shining Nile perch (sangara). Eki says that if you hang them from your side mirror and drive, they’ll still be fresh when you get to Arusha. A truck soon passes with a bundle of fish hanging from their rear windshield wiper.

Maasai, Maasai, Maasai: In red, tall with staffs by the roadside looking stoic onto the passersby. Walking in twos, tall and glittering. She carries a wrapped baby on her back. Another boy draped in bright yellow, riding a shiny well-kept motorcycle. He’s ducking, arms out, his shuka whipping in the wind. Three women in three layers (3 layers means they are married) walking bent with tidy, wrapped bushels of branches on their backs.

Choose Your Adventure -- by James Dunning

Today our safari continued leaving Tarangire Park bound for Lake Manyara. Our unofficial motto has become “choose your adventure” inspired by the children’s story many of us enjoyed as youths. Shortly after our departure our guide quickly pulled off the road. His keen eye had spotted a tiny creature. Directly in our path was the iconic imagine from countless Africa documentaries. A dung beetle was slowing making its way with a fresh collection. Once everyone had check off their imaginary wildlife bingo cards our journey resumed. 

The terrain quickly changed from a mostly dry grassy plain to temperate agricultural farms. Along the way we learned about the incredible transformation taking place across the country. Half of all Tanzanians are employed in agriculture. Farmers were happy to show us the abundance of their harvest. Rice and millet field rolled by us for mile after mile. 

Tanzania is experiencing an immense boom in infrastructure as it develops hydroelectric and natural gas resources. Tanzanians access to electric supply has more than doubled in the past decade. 

Despite increases in economic prosperity, there is still a significant amount of observable poverty. Deep on a rural road we were unexpectedly greeted by a family of acrobatic performers. Our whole group cheered on the impressive demonstration of creativity and skill. 

Our main activity for the day was traveling through Lake Manyara National Park. Much of the land had been overtaken by significantly high rains from the previous season. Raising water pushed the shoreline out by nearly a kilometer making it extremely difficult to pass many of the roads. Shortly after getting on the move following lunch, we were confronted by the king of the jungle. A lioness stood square in our path. It’s difficult to know who was more startled. Without question none of us had come this close to such a magnificent beast. 

We could hardly catch our breath before coming across a family of elephants. The baby was very curious about our presence. Both adults tossed dirt over themselves while the little one rolled about frequently paused to give us suspicious glances. 

Nearing the exit of the park, a small herd of buffalo was seen lazing about the bank of a river. Knowing their propensity for aggressive behavior, we kept our distance. 

The town of Karatu was the holdover for the evening. As it happened, the timing of our visit coincided with a local bimonthly market. Vendors sell handicrafts, livestock, food, spices, clothing, household goods, pottery, and other items.

Upon arrival at our accommodations for the night, we were received by a pair of jackals. Taking in the view from our balcony of what was to come the next day (Ngorongoro Crater National Park), their presence felt like a good omen. 

In the Thick of It -- by Tina Thao

 Thump, thump, thump. My heart beated faster and faster each time our truck crossed into the oncoming traffic lane to pass slower cars or when cars crossed into our lane, barely making it back into theirs, avoiding a head on collision. The driving here felt like the game of frogger and I was so thankful for Eki- our guide and driver. The driving in Tanzania is on another level and as a self proclaimed bad driver, I sighed in relief that I would never have to drive in Tanzania because I would not make it far.

The hour drive from Arusha to Tarangire National Park passed by with a blink of an eye as each inch of area we saw was new to us. My eyes widened in awe and curiosity as we passed Maasai homes, the large termite hills, a military base, communities, child workers corralling cattle and goats, and the vast beauty of the land.

As we pulled up to Tarangire National Park, I felt the tingle of excitement come over me. There was already so much to see- the colorful birds flocking around, animal skulls lining the pathway, and the hill of animal remains.  

Within minutes of passing through the safari gates, we came across a group of elephants. They were so majestic, beautiful, and slowly grazed on morning glories some distance away. However, after a few minutes they ate their way closer to our truck and to our surprise, a baby elephant had been hiding behind one of the bigger elephants. It was sooo small and looked so happy while it ran around. This is how elephants are supposed to live, free.

Eki asked if we thought the elephants were right handed or left and why. We all made failed attempts guessing. Some asked, “Was it which side of the mouth they chewed on? Was it the side of the longer tusk?” Eki explained that at the end of one of their husks was a small circle that showed if they were right or left handed. 

The animal I loved seeing the most were the lions. They reminded me of my kitty Sammi. They looked so peaceful napping on the tree with no care in the world to what was around, even us. I could’ve watched them for hours. 

We traversed through the vast safari for hours. I hung my head out the top of the truck, closed my eyes and breathed in the fresh air - hints of mint and hibiscus flowers filled my body. I was like a dog with their head out the window. Everyone’s laughter consumed the air. This was pure bliss. I was living my best life, nothing compared to this feeling.

And So It Begins -- Sarah Griffith

 The journey began months ago, almost a full year ago for me. In the summer of 2023, I took an Elder Law course with Professor Cook, and there were a handful of students, plus the professor had just returned from the International Children’s Rights class that was part of an in-country experience in Tanzania. Their stories about the experience were intriguing; everything they discussed, from the people they met to the locations they visited, had me hooked, and I knew that I had to take advantage of the opportunity provided by Professor Buske the following summer. As law students, we spend most of our time studying, reading, and learning law. However, law school offers few opportunities to experience law in the “real” world, much less internationally. Now, as a 3L beginning to see the finish line, with graduation and the bar exam looming in the not-so-distant future, the opportunity to study International Children’s Rights in Tanzania spoke to me, and I had to jump at the opportunity. The anticipation of travel has finally concluded, and we begin our trip to Tanzania at PDX. Nine thousand two hundred sixty-four miles between Salem, Oregon and Arusha, Tanzania, two, ten-hour flights and we finally arrive.

Our diverse group of 7 students ranges from new to seasoned international travelers, yet we are all equally excited. While there is an understanding that this trip is not a vacation, our goals and desires vary for each student. Yet, all of us want to take our law school curriculum and use it in an authentic world way. After spending the last week in class, reading, and discussing the challenges of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and how it is applied in some African countries, we must take our experience out of the classroom and into the real world. The United Nations CRC is an international treaty that establishes a global child and the rights that this global child should have, which the state should establish. The 54 Articles include children's economic, social, health, civil, and cultural rights. The United States is the only country that has yet to ratify the CRC, and we had interesting discussions about why that is. Taking this information into the trip was both exciting and heavy. The content is disturbing because it is difficult to understand, especially from a privileged position. It’s hard to know why children aren’t cherished, and that’s why this class is so important.

Professor Buske has been clear that while she is creating an itinerary for us, it is all subject to change. She introduced us to the phrase TIA—This is Africa, which is the phrase that lets us embrace the flexibility of a country that isn’t going to cater to us.  Our day-to-day is not set in stone, yet some of the aspects of the trip that I am most looking forward to include working directly with the children to understand how, as attorneys, we can make the world a better place. It will be interesting to see how Tanzania children are educated, how they are treated when they lose their parents, and what we can do as Americans to help these children.

After a long day of travel, we finally arrived in the evening. The air was humid, yet a distinct freshness and floral smell existed. We are greeted by Buske’s friends, Earnest and Eki; they welcome us with friendly grins and enthusiastic demeanors. Eki teaches us Swahili as we drive to the Arusha, and our group is captivated by the cutthroat driving and the dark scenery. Upon arriving at the Outpost, the staff was so kind as to stay late to provide us with a delicious dinner of curried chicken. We devour our dinner and head to our rooms, excited and exhausted about the Tanzania adventure that awaits us.

Final Thoughts - by Francisco Luzania

 It is not very often that student like myself and the other students that went on this trip can say that they would find themselves studying law on a beach. Nor could anyone have guessed that we would have spent the first few weeks of the year in the heat of summer in the South Pacific. The law is filled with so many paradoxes and confusions, but spending winter break in the height of summer weather ranks pretty high on the list. But, that is exactly what six other law students and I did. We traveled halfway across the world, and across nearly the entirety of the Pacific Ocean, when we went on this adventure to Vanuatu with Professor Buske. When an individual goes on this type of journey, they always see something different. I know I did. Some of saw the vibrancy of a market. Another one saw the beauty and history behind something as simple as a dress. One saw the police system and how it works to protect the vulnerable. All of us saw how a bit of paint and some fresh rope can elevate a child’s educational experience. And our professor once again saw young attorneys taking the chance to widen their global perspective into something more than just a courtroom. For me, I saw something so familiar and yet something so different.

Last summer, I travelled with a different group of WUCL students to Tanzania. There we saw, learned, and immersed ourselves in many similar aspects of international rights. That experience filled me and educated me in so many ways. I came to truly love Tanzania. I came to Vanuatu with that experience building the foundations of my expectations for Vanuatu. And well, I was nothing short of awed once again. In so many ways the Vanuatu program was different from my home and different than my program in Tanzania. But in so many beautiful ways, things were exactly the same. From a government trying to develop a country that can best serve its citizens, albeit with glaring deficiencies. To the light in a child’s eye when you came from so far away just to help make a small part of their school better. You saw how the international community fails the people it strives to help the most, as much as you see people from all over the world reaping the recreational benefits of this small island nation. It was kind of an odd thing, for a country that hosts the University of South Pacific’s law school, the justice system is severely lacking in how it serves women and kids. That is what makes a visit to Vanuatu so valuable for law students like us to travel and study abroad. Even when your primary focus is to practice international law, we often forget outside of international bodies, foreign and domestic courtrooms, and law school classrooms, there are real people out there that need to be served. Need to be represented. Need someone.

The nature of law school, for students like us, is that the only answer (hopefully) about our future is that we want to be lawyers. But on a good day, if you ask any of us what type of law we would want to practice, we would list no less than five different practice areas.  And yet, here were us seven far from home seeing what international children’s rights law could mean for us and our education.  And, while it is far from known whether any of us will be on the frontlines canvassing the globe to work in international law, what is known is that everyone of my classmates gave every bit they had to share parts of themselves with the people of Vanuatu.  Elise was relied upon to ask tough questions of the legal systems and curriculum, challenging what is known to make what could be better.  Emily acted with such kindness that any person she interacted with knew that they had the pleasure of meeting someone with such empathy that they could undoubtedly trust her to represent them.  Andrew was the epitome of integrating oneself with locals, bringing immeasurable joy to all he met, a trait that will undoubtedly serve him well with his network of clients.  Jana made such strong connections with our hosts that she become more family than visitor.  Sarah lifted everyone she met and traveled with --  making me and my classmates feel light, even when the experience got tough.  Connor fearlessly went out of his comfort zone -- even after a long day of service, he still gave more, playing soccer with a dozen kids, making them enjoy life like kids should. None of those things are what are considered traditional law school skills. But every single person developed skills that will make them incredible attorneys. These are the types of people you wouldn’t just want to travel with or argue a case alongside. These are the types of people who care enough to make real change in the world.

The journey of law students from Willamette College of Law to Vanuatu is a tangible step towards understanding and advocating for international children's rights on a global scale. This initiative underscored the vital importance of immersive, real-world learning experiences that extended far beyond the confines of traditional classroom settings.  By engaging directly with the complexities and nuances of children's rights in different cultural and legal frameworks, students gained invaluable perspectives that could shape their approach to law and justice in a deeply interconnected world. Participating study abroad programs in law schools was not just about enriching academic knowledge; it was about fostering empathy, cultural sensitivity, and a commitment to global stewardship among the next generation of legal professionals. These experiences empowered students to become advocates for change, equipped with a broader understanding of the diverse challenges facing children worldwide.  As such, the school and its students should continue to champion and participate in study abroad opportunities, recognizing them as essential to the development of well-rounded, globally minded lawyers who are prepared to make meaningful contributions to international human rights.