The Discover True Friendship Service Tour is a service learning program that brings high school and college students from the United States to a developing country to work on a service project, learn about issues related to developing countries, and experience the culture and customs of another country. These students work side-by-side with volunteers from the local community on a project that directly and concretely impacts the children of the area.

As they invest themselves physically in the community they are serving, participants of the Service Tour also learn about the country they are in, the challenges it is facing and solutions to those problems. They meet leaders in the fields of education, health care and economic development and learn about their work. Through all of this, they are also building relationships with people from their host country – relationships that transcend boundaries of nationality, race, religion and culture. They are left with an experience that transforms the way that they perceive the world and their place in it, and often inspires them to pursue paths of social justice and development.

In 2006, the Service Tour went to Zambia with a group of young men and women from the US. There, they built an addition to a primary school that served an impoverished community. Staffed by volunteer teachers, the school was in dire need of improved facilities to allow it to serve the local children meals that they were not getting at home. The participants worked with local builders to construct a building that would meet their needs for seven days under the intense Zambian sun. They left behind a school that was more ably equipped to serve the needs of their students.

In 2007, the Service Tour went to Bangladesh, again building a school building to expand the capacity of a local primary school. This time, participants from Nepal, Japan and our host nation joined the Americans on the project, adding a dimension of diversity to the group. Working with a team of local volunteers, the participants not only increased the size of the school by 50%, but also dug and installed a water pump to bring fresh water to the school, and built a brick path connecting the school to the main road.

In 2008, IRFF ran two separate Service Tours. The first was in Peru, where participants built a multi-purpose community center and redeveloped a playground in the community of San Juan Del Alto. This multi-purpose building is now being used as a health clinic and community center for the neighborhood, allowing much-needed services to reach the village. It is also available for cultural activities and community gatherings, as well as educational programs such as microfinance training.

The second Service Tour of 2008 took place once again in the Mackenzie community of Ndola, Zambia, where participants began construction on a classroom for the fifth grade at the Mackenzie Community School. This classroom will allow the school to provide a free education to their students through the 5th grade, where previously, most of their students had dropped out of school after 4th grade because they could not afford the school fees of public schools.

In 2009, the Discover True Friendship Service Tour will travel to the community of Rasoun Village in Jordan. There, we will partner with the Jordan River Community Empowerment Program to renovate two primary schools – one boys’ school and one girls’ school. The local schools are old and in need of some substantial refurbishing. Service Tour participants will work side by side with local villagers to redevelop the schools as well as improve the surrounding playground and gardens, which are used by the community.

As always, the Service Tour program will also include opportunities for participants to meet with local and international organizations that are working to improve the quality of life in Jordan. They will learn about the challenges faced by the nation’s people and efforts that have been effective in combating these challenges. Participants will also have the opportunity to visit some of the many historical sights in and around Amman, including the ancient and spectacular Nabataean city of Petra.