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HONORS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROJECT PROPOSAL FORM


Complete this proposal prior to your projects start date and upload it in the UHP Database
(https://webapps.uc.edu/uchonorsstudent). Create a project (Add a new record) in the Tracking Project tab
and then upload your proposal document as an attachment. The deadline for submitting proposals is on the 5th of
each month.
While the quality of the proposal is most important, strong proposals are typically 3-4 pages in length (singlespaced). Please maintain the proposal format.
Basic Information
Full Name: Christopher
UC Email: krebscm@mail.uc.edu
College: Engineering and Applied Sciences
Major: Aerospace Engineering
Title of Project: Malawi: Orphans and Vulnerable Children Project
Thematic Area (choose only one): Community Engagement
Expected Project Start Date: May 8, 2015
Expected Project End Date: May 17, 2015
Project Information
1. Provide a detailed abstract of your proposed honors experiential learning project.
During the days from May 8, 2015 and May 17, 2015 I will be heading to Malawi through the Habitat for
Humanity Global Villages Program. This trip focuses on serving those less fortunate than myself. Specifically,
this program focuses on a group of volunteers building a home for orphans and their caretaker in a small village
in Malawi. This will be my first time on such a trip and I feel like it will be a great experience. This project
will contain a huge amount of time serving others and learning about the culture of Malawi. This trip is very
important to me because I want to do something meaningful and beneficial to others to start my last summer off.
I feel as though this is the best option I have to dedicate my time to serving others who are much less fortunate
than myself. Below is the itinerary for the trip.

Day 1, Friday: Most volunteers will depart from North America on this day.
Day 2, Saturday: Arrive in Lilongwe, Malawi, where Habitat picks you up at the airport. Meet your team
at dinner.
Day 3, Sunday: Habitat staff will share about our innovative work in Malawi and brief the team on your
project. Travel to the community where youll build.
Days 4-7, Monday-Thursday: Build, with free time and team activities in the evenings.
Day 8, Friday: Build, then enjoy the house dedication ceremony. Return to Lilongwe.
Day 9, Saturday: Explore Lilongwe, Malawis capital city.
Day 10, Sunday: Continue your journey in Africa independently or depart for home.

Clearly and thoroughly address how each of the following elements will be exhibited in your work:
2. Connection to Learning Outcomes within the Honors Thematic Area (identified above)
A. Relates, communicates, and works effectively with others towards sustainable social change.

One of the major aspects of this mission trip to Malawi is teamwork. This trip has you working
in a team to build a home for orphans. When we are building the home for the orphans, I will be forced
to work with complete strangers. This experience will force us to work together in order to complete a
common goal of helping others. Through this cooperation, we will succeed in our goal of helping others
in order to make a sustainable social change in a rural village in Malawi. I hope this trip will leave me
with the skills to work in a team to better the world around me.
B. Participates in community and understands own role as citizen of community.

This trip involves a large amount of volunteering of time in order to serve the community in
Malawi. My trip will show me how the people in the village live and what life is like for the citizens of
this community. Through working with and meeting the citizens of this community, I will gain an
insight into the day to day lives of the Malawi natives. Overall, I hope to take a better understanding of
what it means to be a citizen of Malawi through this experience of service.
3. Connection to Goals and Academic Theories (include reference list, as appropriate)
A. This trip relates to my academic goals because I am an Engineering major, and I will be building
a home. Through this trip I will be able to see how the structures of Malawi are built and
engineered. This will allow me to see how structures can be built and adapted to different
situations, when there is a lack of funds or materials. This would help me in the future by
learning different ways to improvise when designing a structure in my future career endeavors.
B. This trip relates to my personal goal and passion of serving others. I feel that it is my duty as a
privileged human to do my best to support and help those other human beings who are not lucky
enough to have what I do. These orphans we will be helping do not have parents, a home, or any
of the other luxuries that I am blessed with. This is how this trip connects to my current goals of
helping others both near and far.
4. Initiative, Independence, and/or Creativity
What I bring to the team for this trip is my building experience and ability to work well with a team. In
the past I have had a good amount of experience working with various tools including both hand and power
tools. I have gained this experience through completing various home improvement projects at home and
from my summer jobs. Over the summers, I have worked for the city where I lived. This job entailed a lot
of maintenance of city buildings including electrical and plumbing work. In addition to this experience, I
am also very much a team player. I have been a part of various teams since I was very young. I have played
on countless sports teams, been a part of a team at work, and completed many service projects as a team.
This trip focuses on teamwork to build a home, and my sense of cooperation and teamwork will be a great
asset for the group as a whole.
5. Reflection
During this trip, I will be keeping a journal in which I will record my daily interactions. I will also keep
track of my thoughts and feelings each day. I will reflect on how this experience is helping me grow as a
better person. Upon the completion of this experiment, I will put the journal and all of its writings on my
Honors Portfolio for anyone else to read.
6. Dissemination

Upon my return from my trip, I will share my story with various learning communities. I will go around
and share my experience and answer questions about my days in Malawi building a home for orphans and
their caretaker. This audience is relevant to me because hopefully I will be able to convince the students to
complete similar service projects and trips to help better the society in which we live.
7. Project Advisor(s)
Blake Oelke
Project Team Leader
bkoelke@hotmail.com
8. Budget (if applicable)
The program costs $2280 which includes a donation to Habitat for Humanity, accommodations, meals, incountry transportation, and travel medical insurance.

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