A life-changing trip to India

It’s November 2024 and Lachlan Mair is among a group of ACU students on a short-term international study experience in Hyderabad, a city in south-central India. The study tour is focused on community engagement, with field trips to schools and health care facilities across the city’s most marginalised areas.

As he studies the itinerary, Lachlan notices that the group will soon visit a boarding school for children affected by HIV and AIDs.

“My first thought is, ‘This is probably going to be pretty heavy’,” recalls Lachlan, who is studying for a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy. “But what I imagined might be a tough thing to see was one of the most joyful parts of the experience … all these healthy-looking children aged from three to 18, who were really being cared for, and we danced with them for two hours. The whole trip has changed the way I view my study, as well as my future career plans.”

Funded by the Commonwealth Government’s New Colombo Plan, the two-week international study experience was organised by ACU in partnership with the Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI), which serves around 21 million patients annually.

In recent years, CHAI has hosted successive groups of ACU students from various health disciplines, building a sustainable partnership that is beneficial to both organisations. Students engage collaboratively with health professionals and local communities to provide insights into their respective disciplines, while also gaining a view of the challenges of healthcare in a developing region and how communities work together to meet them.

“It was nice to be able to build on those connections and continue the partnership,” says Dr Ros Harrington, an Associate Professor at ACU’s Brisbane Campus, who led four second-year occupational therapy students and five third-year speech pathology students on the November tour.

“A staff member from one of the organisations visited talked about how these children don’t necessarily get many visitors from their local community. For our students to go in holding no stigma, to be enthusiastic about engaging and having fun with the students in the schools, it was an empowering experience.”

Unique and special

Lachlan Mair wasn’t the only student who came away from the trip feeling like a changed person.

Others, like EmilyClare Cousins, a student at ACU’s Melbourne Campus, describe the tour as “one of the most valuable experiences of my life”.

“That’s not an exaggeration,” says EmilyClare, who will soon graduate with her Bachelor of Speech Pathology. “We visited so many communities in such a short space of time, and they were all very vibrant and very different. Everything we did really exceeded my expectations.”

She singles out a field trip to a school for children with hearing impairment as the most memorable experience.

“It was just incredible,” says EmilyClare, who was on her first-ever trip to India.

“We learned Indian sign language, and it was so beautiful and rewarding to be able to communicate with these children. It made the experience unique and special.”

While previous study experiences involving ACU nursing undergraduates have focused on clinical practice, with participants working in CHAI-affiliated hospitals and health facilities, this tour was aimed at helping students to develop person-centred practice skills. 

“Going into these communities and engaging directly with people was so valuable, because it gave our students a chance to see how an individual’s context impacts their opportunities to participate in the activities that are important to them,” says Dr Harrington, who has participated in previous study experiences in India.

“It also gives students a firsthand understanding that there are many ways of viewing the world, and that one way is not necessarily superior to another. Students need to display a level of cultural humility, where they might be asked for advice, but they need to ensure they’re not just coming in and telling people how to solve their problems. Any advice you give, even if it is sound and evidence-based, needs to be considerate of the cultural context.”

Making a contribution

The two-week study tour ended as a positive experience for all nine students who attended, though there were pre-trip nerves.

But even those who reported feeling anxious beforehand flourished during the trip.

“They all had such a great time,” says Dr Harrington, adding that the small group size helped with cohesion and harmony. “Everyone was really close and really supportive, quickly developing strong connections and a sense of a shared experience.”

Lachlan says the feeling of safety allowed him to fully immerse himself and make the most of the opportunity.

“I signed up for this as a bit of a challenge to myself, because I guess there’s a sense of excitement and adventure when you think about a place like India,” he says.

“Once we arrived, I quickly realised that the trip was really well-organised, so I could just enjoy being in a different place, taking in the culture, giving all I could and taking advantage of the learning opportunities on offer.”

EmilyClare, who was nearing the end of her degree as she arrived in Hyderabad, was also glad to contribute in a valuable way.

“I just wanted to make sure that the skills I was bringing were helpful to the people we met, and the experiences we had really gave me a lot of confidence about that,” she says. “Having the opportunity to put my knowledge into practice in a more functional setting was really wonderful.”

EmilyClare wants to visit India again to volunteer before she settles down into practice as a speech pathologist, and Lachlan has similar plans, hoping to use his skills to assist CHAI and the many communities they serve.

“Even as we were flying out, I had a strong feeling that I would be back,” Lachlan says, encouraging other ACU students to take up the opportunity of a short-term international study experience.

“Any fears or anxiety you have leading up to it just get turned into excitement and fulfillment while you’re there. I came out of it thinking it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

Keen to make a valuable contribution through a career in speech pathology or occupational therapy? Explore the options.

Find out more about the New Colombo Plan.