Programs

Palm trees between mountains in Columbia

Colombia

Students participating in the Mercer On Mission program in Colombia will have a meaningful service experience with a dual focus: operating an English language summer camp for K-12 students and conducting technology workshops, including robotics and coding, for Colombian students and their teachers.

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Costa Rica

This new Mercer On Mission program in Costa Rica will consist of volunteering opportunities with two main organizations: Proyecto Asís and CEPIA. Students will assist the organizations in providing mental health support in underserved areas and contribute to wildlife rehabilitation and conservation efforts in the Arenal region.

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Dominican Republic

The Mercer On Mission program in the Dominican Republic focuses on finding appropriate and sustainable solutions for community members in the El Cercado region to gain access to clean drinking water and meet the needs of residents with disabilities. It emphasizes community development, capacity building and the use of appropriate technologies.

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France

Students participating in the Mercer On Mission program in France will learn about meeting the needs of asylum seekers and children from various backgrounds by working with humanitarian organizations in Paris and Le Chambon-sur-Lignon.

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Georgia

The Mercer On Mission program in Tbilisi will focus on marginalized groups living in Georgia, including Ukrainian war refugees. The primary program focuses on a camp for children to practice English language skills, participate in STEM activities, and engage in arts and crafts while also developing coping skills. In addition to daily work with the children, Mercer students will organize bi-weekly skill development sessions in the evenings with teenagers and adults. These sessions will focus on coping with stress, using technology effectively and practicing the English language. Audiences for the evening programs include Ukrainian refugees, members of the local queer…

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A group of women raising their hands in a classroom

India

The Mercer On Mission program in India is focused on providing health care and health education to underserved populations. The program began in 2018. Join us on a three-week journey of discovery and service. Experience the richness of India’s culture, connect with incredible people, and make a lasting difference through compassionate care.

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Jordan: COPA

This Mercer On Mission program in Jordan is aimed at developing Mercer students’ knowledge, skills and multicultural competence to work with children with and without disabilities to promote positive attitudes, self-beliefs and feelings of empowerment. During a three-week period, Mercer students, along with hosting teams, will supervise a summer camp for students with special needs that will also be open to the children from the community. The camp — to be held at Al Hussein Society, Jordan Center for Training and Inclusion — will include activities such as sports, games, English instruction, music and art.

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Jordan: STEM

The Mercer On Mission program in Jordan offers students a transformative international service-learning experience that integrates STEM education — including robotics, programming, virtual reality and math — with sports-based learning to empower Syrian refugee youth and underserved rural Jordanian communities. This innovative program addresses the educational and economic challenges faced by youth in marginalized communities by using hands-on, engaging and relevant approaches to teach essential 21st century skills. Through the lens of sports, students will explore how engineering and technology can solve real-world problems while fostering resilience, leadership and hope.

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Mexico

Mercer On Mission in Izúcar de Matamoros, Mexico, partners with the Universidad Tecnológica de Izúcar de Matamoros (UTIM) to address gaps in public education and agricultural resources. Students will engage in English language workshops for UTIM undergraduates, lead a STEAM summer camp for middle school students, and collaborate on building a temporary immersion bioreactor to support sustainable agriculture.

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Rwanda

Mercerians travel to Kigali, Rwanda, each summer to work with survivors, and now second-generation children of survivors, of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. In partnership with nongovernmental organization Groupe des Ancient Etudiant Rescapees du Genocide, they teach business skills to Rwandan entrepreneurs and provide training in a group treatment model of trauma therapy.

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Senegal

The Mercer On Mission program in Senegal works to identify the presence of lead in paint and its effects on the environment. Students will learn how to sample and test paint using a variety of methods, including a Mercer-developed procedure that helps quantify lead in new paint for lower- and middle-income countries.

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South Africa: Business

Through Mercer On Mission, students and faculty play a part in combating homelessness in Cape Town, South Africa. Each summer, they spend three weeks working with nonprofit organization Izitalato (Streetscapes) to strengthen its social enterprises and the job creation and skills development opportunities that these create for Streetscapes’ clients.

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South Africa: Computer Science

This Mercer On Mission program works with K-12 learners in the South African township of Khayelitsha, about 30 miles outside of Cape Town. Students and faculty teach a variety of technical lessons, including computer coding, building and coding robots, and cybersecurity principles. A wide variety of Mercer majors are needed to bring breadth of experience to this team. In the past, the team has had engineering, computer science, information science and cybersecurity majors, as well as sociology, pre-nursing, international affairs and education majors. Faculty will prepare students prior to departure for the lessons they'll conduct in South Africa.

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South Korea

Embark on a mission that bridges cultures and builds futures. As a member of the Mercer On Mission South Korea team, you will join faculty and fellow students in a life-changing service-learning experience. You will work directly with students in grades 6-12 at Drim School and other alternative schools founded for North Korean refugees and their children. Your role will be to lead dynamic activities designed to improve their English language skills while introducing them to core concepts in engineering and science.

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Tanzania

This Mercer On Mission program is in partnership with Mwanza Youth and Children Network, a Tanzanian nongovernmental organization that inspires youth and children to participate in the development process. The program will take place in Mwanza, Tanzania’s second largest city, which is located on the shores of Lake Victoria. While Mwanza is a modern city with good infrastructure, including public transportation, paved roads, running water, and tourist hotels and restaurants, there is tremendous income disparity between rich and poor. Many residents are unable to access primary health care, education and basic municipal services. Increasingly, pollution and environmental degradation offer new…

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Dr. McMahan attending to man with prosthetic leg

Vietnam

Each summer, a Mercer On Mission team travels to Vietnam to fit amputees with prosthetic legs and hands. Developed by professor Dr. Ha Van Vo, the devices use a universal socket technology that is low cost, lightweight and durable. This Mercer On Mission program has changed the lives of more than 13,000 amputees since it began in 2009.

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