ABOUT THE PROJECT

The ESKE Project is dedicated to developing and disseminating an adaptable and effective knowledge exchange model of practice. We achieve this through immersive international experiences for students, forming the foundation of our approach.

Our project engages multiple stakeholders in the UK and Zambia, offering a range of experiential learning opportunities and fostering idea exchange. Students, staff from partner organizations, academics, and community members in both countries come together to address food security challenges and explore notions of place.

The objectives of the ESKE Project are:

Examine the impact of international exchanges on students – What’s the role of community and stakeholder engagement activities in students’ benefit accruement?
Examine best practices and identify indicators to measure the effectiveness;
Develop an innovative, sustainable, cross-disciplinary network to share KE and develop a mutual understanding of complex issues, to test and scale new solutions prototyped with locals;
The development of a visualisation tool of change, formed of both quantitative and qualitative indicators, will allow continual evaluation of activities and outcomes to improve benefits to students.

To realize its objectives, the ESKE project operates across sectors and integrates stakeholders with diverse levels of knowledge, including:

Students from Brunel University London, the University of Zambia, and The Copperbelt University.
Researchers and professional staff at Brunel University London, the University of Zambia, and The Copperbelt University.
United Nations actors include the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The Zambian government’s Department of Resettlement.
Community members of Mayukwayukwa refugee settlement.

Moreover, our project fosters a sense of global connectivity and collective purpose between the Global ‘North’ and ‘South’. We emphasize the interconnections between inequalities, structural racism, and the enduring legacy of colonialism.

Join us as we bridge divides, challenge systemic inequities, and foster meaningful connections between global communities. Together, we can create positive change and shape a more inclusive and equitable world.

BACKGROUND

The project builds on the learnings of an earlier knowledge exchange opportunity in 2019. For that project, Brunel University London students in the UK developed their understanding of the multi-dimensional challenges associated with living in the Mayukwayukwa refugee and resettlement community in Zambia. Through funding from the university, the initial project allowed students to visit the site, gain insights from locals and exchange ideas to improve the livelihood development projects that emerged from their study. What was learned from that experience was used to develop the ESKE project.