The UAB OT Study Abroad program is in South Africa from April 24 through May 7, 2023, and experience that has been just over three years in the making.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham halted all international travel on March 4, 2020, and that was the moment that our planned study abroad trip to South Africa came to a standstill.
However, 1,142 days later, we are on the cusp of our departure, and have launched this blog to record the 14-day journey. This first study abroad trip for our department is part our OT 692 course, and its itinerary is a framework through which our group of 29 students, faculty, and parents will learn about the challenges and realities of health care and occupational therapy education and practice in South Africa and experience its rich culture and stunning landscapes.
South Africa is an ideal location for our faculty and students to witness the complex socioeconomic health care challenges of a multicultural country with one the highest levels of income inequality in the world, according to a 2022 World Bank report that noted, almost 3 decades after the end of apartheid, “race remains a key driver of high inequality in South Africa, due to its impact on education and the labor market.”
