Students Return from India

On February 8th, FHS students Christine Lukac, Martyna Purchla , Lindsay Belvedre, and Silvia Mora will share their remarkable, four-month co-operative (Co-Op) education placement with Destiny Reflection, a charitable organization based in Kolkata, India dedicated to ending sex trafficking and slavery, and working towards the empowerment of women.  

This presentation will be of great interest to global health students and students considering international co-op. Co-op education is a program that enhances academic learning with related work experience and represents a co-operative relationship between students, the employer and the University. Co-op students benefit from practical experience in their area of study, as well as career exploration and networking opportunities. Co-op programs provide students with the opportunity to earn money and gain work experience while studying. Together, these students were charged with working on a number of different projects in cooperation with the organization:  grant writing, fair trade agreements, inventory management,  and even creating a healthy eating plan for the organization’s employees.  

Destiny Reflection recruits women from the shelter homes and brothels and provides them with a dignified employment opportunity. Its employees are the victims of trafficking or are at high risk of being trafficked, many of whom have no family. Destiny Reflection, for them, is not only their work place, but also their family.  Women employed by the organization create unique clothing and household products from locally available materials and market them to the US. In the future, they are working towards selling their goods to European and other markets.

Presentation:  “Health Sciences Co-op Returns from India”
When:  Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 12:30-1:20
Where:  10041 Saywell Hall, SFU Burnaby Campus