USK International Student Strengthens Disaster Education Through Volunteer Project
Remigius Auleus Willa, an international master’s student in Environmental Management at Universitas Syiah Kuala (USK) and an awardee of The Indonesian AID Scholarship (TIAS) batch 2025 from Tanzania, participated in the Kinabalu Volunteer International Project, an international community engagement program jointly organized by USK and University of Malaya (UM). Held in Pidie Jaya, Aceh, on 23 July 2026, the program aimed to strengthen community resilience and post-disaster recovery while promoting international education and institutional partnership.
The program brought together students from USK and Universiti Malaya to engage directly with communities affected by recent floods in Pidie Jaya. Throughout this initiative, participants took part in disaster education, psychosocial support for children, community empowerment activities, cultural exchange, and service-learning programs designed to integrate academic learning with humanitarian action.
For Remigius, the program provided an opportunity to gain firsthand experience in disaster management beyond the classroom. As a graduate student specializing in Environmental Management, he considered the field activities highly relevant to his academic background and future career in environmental sustainability.
“It was a valuable opportunity for me as a master’s student in Environmental Management to learn about the current situation in flood-affected areas and better understand what can be done to help communities become more resilient to similar disasters in the future,” he said.
As an awardee of The Indonesian AID Scholarship (TIAS), Remigius’ participation also highlights the scholarship program’s commitment to providing international students with quality educational experiences that extend beyond the classroom. Through programs such as the Kinabalu Volunteer International Project, students are encouraged to apply their academic knowledge to real-world challenges while contributing to sustainable development and disaster resilience in local communities.
