International Programs (IP) announced April 8 an altered Harding University in Zambia (HIZ) itinerary for fall 2021, as well as the addition of three two-week long trips to Florence, Greece and Latin America in summer 2021 intended for students whose programs were cut short or canceled.
HIZ 2021 students will spend the beginning of the semester in Zambia, as well as one week in North Africa in Egypt, and then end the semester with a visit to Greece before returning to the United States.
“The HIZ travel itinerary will look different when we go in the fall,” executive director of IP Audra Pleasant said. “For this year, since travel restrictions are more challenging in Africa, we decided to join forces with the [Harding University in Greece (HUG)] program, so the HIZ students will get to visit Egypt and see our campus in Greece.”
These new additions will allow students to learn more about the rich history of Africa, as well as the missionary efforts in this part of the world, IP said in their March newsletter. Greece serves as an immigration converging point where missionaries can minister to people migrating from Africa and the Middle East and into Europe.
Additionally, students will have the opportunity to visit numerous pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza; cruise on the Nile; and tour a variety of Egyptian temples, tombs and ruins in Egypt. In Greece, HIZ students will tour Athens, work with the local church and missionaries to minister to locals and migrants from numerous countries, and visit ancient Corinth.
Harding University in Florence, Harding University in Latin America and HUG will be offered as two-week programs in August 2021. Each program is a compact version of their respective semester-long programs. The new programs are designed to allow more students to study abroad who might not typically have the opportunity due to a lack of time or financing. They also give students whose program got cut short in spring 2020 a second chance.
“This program was buil[t] specifically for students who got their trip cut short from spring 2020, summer 2020 and some from the spring 2021, as well,” IP communication recruiting coordinator Steven Chandler said. “We saw there was a need for those who still want to go abroad but can’t go a full semester. Our Latin America, Florence, Italy and our Greece program will host those groups for a few weeks.”
Students will be able to receive a Bible credit during these two-week trips, according to Chandler, which many have already signed up to take advantage of.
“I had been planning to go abroad since I was a sophomore in high school, and I was really bummed when it didn’t happen,” sophomore Mary Frances Burch said. “Then this two-week program came up, which is a lot cheaper, and we are still going to a lot of places.”
