April 2, 2015
Project for Peace success targets Illawarra’s disadvantaged
International House students win peace prize for seventh time in past eight years.
International House team leaders behind the Projects for Peace grant Emma Hart and Chu Kei Kwok
Students from UOW’s International House have achieved an unparalleled success in Australia winning the US-based Davis Projects for Peace grant for the seventh time over the past eight years.
The US$10,000 grant was bequeathed by Dr Kathryn Wasserman Davis on her 100th birthday when she donated $1 million to be divided up into $US10,000 grants for students who were working on projects which explicitly aim to foster peace within society. Dr Davis died in April 2013 at age 106.
The International Houses Worldwide Association (of which International House in Wollongong is a member) were offered the opportunity to submit proposals to be considered for this highly-competitive funding back in 2006.
This year the International House team headed by Chu Kei Kwok (Resident Program Co-ordinator) and Emma Hart (Resident Life Co-ordinator) were successful in gaining the grant for their project titled ‘Planting The Seed for Peace’. Other team members are Mia Donaldson, Courtney Gorman, Sarah Godman, Brooke Thomas, Brendon Hearndon and Andrew Wurf.
The award-winning project aims to contribute towards the establishment of sustainable produce and education programs to support disadvantaged groups within the Illawarra’s local community.
The team leaders pointed out: Food is a basic building block of life and health, a part of social interaction and a link to community.
However, a significant disadvantage in the Illawarra region is the substantial percentage of people who are affected by food insecurity with the level stated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as 6.8% of the region’s population which is more than 18, 000 people.
“We want to directly address this challenge through the education of community groups in the Illawarra in the benefits of local, sustainable produce and through supplying these groups with the resources to make this a sustainable vision,” according to the team leaders.
They said the team hoped to fulfil the mission statement of International House Wollongong which was Global Wellbeing -- so important in such a diverse and dynamic world.
“I really look forward to watching this project take influence over the International House residents and the broader Illawarra community,” Student Residence Manager Alison Hemsley said.
UOW’s International House boasts more than 30 different cultures each year.