Blog Post

What does a HOPE Study Tour involve?

HOPE-JP • Jul 07, 2023

The HOPE Study Tour is called UNION, an acronym for Understanding Needs In Other Nations, and the tours include project site visits that are designed to help participants "learn about problems faced by people living in poverty in developing countries and to understand their needs".

See for yourself!

UNION trips are designed to be an opportunity to experience life where HOPE works.

Experiencing means visiting HOPE's project sites to meet local people and help with the construction of wells and schools. The incentive for participants is to see and understand the actual problems that local people face, thus view and understand the current situation in developing countries. Having the opportunity to do so with project team at HOPE allows UNION participants to think more openly about what we can do to solve those problems.

There is an old saying, "Seeing is believing”. While it is important to listen to many stories and gather information, there are some things that can only be realized by actually seeing and experiencing them.

Where does UNION go? What will we do?

Past UNION trips have taken us to Cambodia, Ethiopia, and the Philippines, and the experiences differ depending on the country that UNION visits.

In the Philippines, we spent time with indigenous youth at the Pamulaan Center, where the next generation of indigenous leaders learn, and participants are able to interact with them and learn about the current situation of indigenous peoples.

In Ethiopia, we observed the construction of a simple water system that provides clean water to thousands of households in the project area and learned about the benefits of clean water.

In Cambodia, we have learned about the history, seen the effects of comprehensive assistance starting with clean water, and actually helped build wells and schools.

Activities vary depending on the region we visit and the time of year, but we have the opportunity to visit areas that sightseeing tours do not visit and are able interact with local people.

Impressions of Cambodia Union Participants

(30 – 40 years of age)

It is possible to learn about the current situation in Cambodia through the Internet. However, there is a big difference between knowing about Cambodia and actually going there and feeling it for yourself. You can get a real feel for the climate, etc. only after you experience it for yourself.

There are things that you don't realize until you are there. You can't understand how difficult it is for local people unless you experience the distance they have to travel (to get drinking water). Photographs and videos are not enough to convey the conditions of the local people and their reactions when you actually meet them. It was heartening to actually see the curious eyes of the school children.

It was also very good to be able to exchange opinions with other participants, as the way of thinking and feeling differs depending on age, experience, upbringing, and other factors.

(20 – 30 years of age)

I am very glad that I got to go on the Cambodia UNION Study Tour before graduating university because I got to see how support is done in developing countries; something I have thought about for a long time.

I used to think that with support, a country could become more developed and advanced, but as that happened, new problems would simply arise. Thinking about that, I often to wondered, is development even a good idea?

When I went and saw what is actually happening, the people who are receiving support didn’t formerly have support for work, there were people who couldn’t even go to a hospital when they got sick, and people who did not even have the ability to get the minimal things needed for living.

When we visited families, I was shocked to see all the insects around the large, water collection jars. Families collected rainwater for drinking. Every day, there are children who can’t go to school and instead have to stay at home and work. They have no dreams for the future because they have to work desperately just to live day to day.

During my time in Cambodia, I came to realize that through this support, farming villages are not developing into towns overnight. Instead, people are gaining self-reliance which opens to the doors to many more options they can chose to take.