One of the challenges of any modern university is to make itself responsive to the needs of its community and, by extension, society while at the same time maintaining high academic standards.

To this end, three years ago, the St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies began hosting a Christmas party for children from three Orphanages and Children’s Homes in Trinidad.

The homes were selected based on their proximity to the Campus and include Amica House, St. Mary’s Home and the Jaya Lakshmi Home.

Faculties were asked to raise funds, purchase gift items for various categories of children, and organize and manage games on the day of the party. All other costs were met by the Principal’s office. This has grown to be quite successful with widespread participation from the entire Campus.

However, realizing that the homes need sustained attention and resources, the St Augustine Campus embarked on a second project.

This initiative is now being developed to periodically provide much needed basic health care services to the children of these Homes. This will include dental care, eye examinations and medical check-ups with the intention that the children will be provided with some of the medicines and other required supplies. This project will also involve volunteer faculty together with students from the Medical Sciences, and the Social Work Unit of the Faculty of Social Sciences, with support from the Health Clinic of the University.

It is hoped that eventually the Campus will “adopt” these three Homes and make them part of the internship programme for some students, co-curricular for others and possibly a base for clinical research as well.

Faculty members have already started visiting the homes and it is expected that by the middle of 2007 the project will be in full swing.

The Community Outreach Project was introduced by the Office of the Campus Principal.