Returning to Melusi as a team member instead of a visitor

Returning to Melusi for a second time made me realize how much a partnership can evolve over time. During my first visit, I felt like a visitor. People looked at us, while we looked at them. We spent much of our time driving through the community, observing what was happening around us. It was very valuable since Prof. C (Prof. Carin Combrinck) was able to open my eyes for things I wasn’t seeing in the beginning , but I mainly felt like I was there to ‘see’.

This year was fundamentally different. Instead of entering the community as outsiders, we became part of an existing collaboration. Working alongside the University of Pretoria students and the community field researchers created a completely different dynamic. We were not simply visiting a project; we were contributing to a shared purpose. Conversations happened naturally, people recognized us as part of the team, and I felt that I belonged to something bigger than myself. It no longer felt like a visit but like a genuine partnership.

One of the strongest impressions I will take home is the strength of the community itself. What stood out most was not only people's creativity but also their openness and willingness to contribute. Community members actively shared their ideas, challenged assumptions, and helped shape the activities. Even those who appeared shy during the first days gradually found their voice and confidently participated in discussions. Compared to other collaborations I have experienced, where partners sometimes remained hesitant, this level of ownership was remarkable.

A key reason for this was undoubtedly the role of the community field researchers. They were not facilitators standing on the sidelines but essential partners in the entire process. They know the community, create trust and even reminded our students when necessary to stay focused on the collaborative process. Without them, I honestly believe this project would not have achieved the same depth or impact.

Watching them also raised many questions for me. How are community field researchers selected? How are they trained? How are expectations communicated, and how is such strong ownership created? These are questions I would love to explore further because I believe there are valuable lessons for future international collaborations.

I was equally inspired by the way the University of Pretoria has embedded community engagement into its work. The long-term investment in relationships, the collaboration with local youth, and the recognition given to the community field researchers create much more than a project, they create a community of people working towards a shared vision. You could clearly see how proud people felt to contribute and how much they appreciated being acknowledged as equal partners.

Another meaningful observation was the transformation of our own students. During the first week, many were still searching for their place within the group and within the community. Around the second week, I noticed a clear shift. The community was no longer perceived as a group to help but as partners with valuable expertise. Students started listening differently, asking better questions, and co-creating rather than proposing solutions. It reminded me that meaningful collaboration takes time. Trust cannot be rushed.

This experience has also reinforced my belief that preparing students for international experiences should not only focus on logistics, intercultural awareness, or project content. We should deliberately prepare them for collaborating with local communities as equal partners. I would like to translate these insights into an inspiration guide for Global Partnerships and integrate sessions on community collaboration into the preparation programme for future INT³ students.

The collaboration with the University of Pretoria also demonstrated the importance of investing in relationships before mobility begins. Because students and lecturers had already met in person in Belgium and during weekly online meetings. They already collaborated beforehand, and got to know one another, because of that they were able to start working together from day one. Instead of spending valuable time getting acquainted, they immediately continued building on existing relationships. Their excitement to meet again and the friendships they had already developed created a strong foundation for collaboration.

Finally, this experience reminded me that partnerships are also built between colleagues. Working closely with Carin, Jason, and John (my colleagues from UHasselt who I only met during this project) gave me energy, inspiration and new ideas.

Carin's leadership, humility and deep understanding of community engagement are qualities I greatly admire, while Jason's PhD research on the approach of engaging students in the informal settlements to instil a deep understanding of the multifaceted nature of socio-spatial challenges, has sparked my curiosity to learn more about the theoretical foundations behind this. Their dedication reinforced my belief that sustainable partnerships are driven by people who genuinely believe in learning with, rather than working for, communities.

The Biggest Takeaway

My biggest takeaway from Melusi is simple but powerful: real collaboration begins when expertise is shared rather than transferred. You cannot work for a community; you have to work with a community. Bringing together the expertise of the local community, the local university, and the international university creates something that none of the partners could achieve alone. This is the kind of partnership I hope to continue building through Global Partnerships at UHasselt

By Sara Schaeken