What the experience was:
In this experience, we visited Mokhamal, Dang, where we stayed for a week and engaged in a variety of meaningful activities. These included small treks in the wild, visiting local schools and hospitals, observing folk dances and music, and interacting closely with the community. We served the villagers by cooking food for them and donating books and sports equipment to local children. Additionally, our Group 4 project was based on this trip, where we created solutions to address the challenges faced by the villagers, such as lack of water, inadequate healthcare, and absence of basic services like banks. This experience allowed me to empathize with the villagers by understanding their struggles and putting myself in their shoes.

Connection to Sustainable Development Goal:
This experience connects to multiple global concerns, but it most strongly relates to SDG 10: Reducing Inequalities, as it emphasized addressing the disparities faced by rural communities in accessing essential services like water, healthcare, and education. Our contributions aimed at reducing this gap by both serving the community directly and raising awareness of their issues.

Connection to Learning Outcomes:

• LO3 (Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience): I was actively involved in planning and organizing service activities during the trip. For example, deciding what resources (books, sports equipment) would benefit the children most and planning the meal we cooked for the villagers required initiative and foresight. Working collaboratively with my peers to ensure these contributions were meaningful helped me realize the importance of preparation and structured planning in service projects.
• LO6 (Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance): The immersion gave me firsthand exposure to issues of global importance, such as poverty, lack of healthcare access, and rural underdevelopment. These are not only problems in Mokhamal but also challenges faced by many communities around the world. Understanding these issues on a personal level made me more aware of my responsibility as a global citizen to work toward reducing such inequalities in the future.
• LO7 (Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions): This experience required me to reflect on the ethical aspect of service. For example, while donating books and sports equipment, I realized the importance of giving resources that were genuinely useful rather than just symbolic. Similarly, cooking meals for the villagers had to be done respectfully, ensuring we weren’t imposing but instead sharing in a way that fostered dignity and mutual respect. These reflections helped me consider how service can either empower or unintentionally create dependency, teaching me the value of thoughtful and ethical action.