Ecological Activities at Universidad Catolica Silva Henríquez, Chile

The following activities of Universidad Catolica Silva Henríquez, Chile show the the round about progress made by the school in the Health and Ecology line by the Faculty of Health Sciences:

Nursing students create medicinal garden at Valdivia school

 A group of students from Universidad Catolica Silva Henríquez, Chile traveled to the city of Valdivia, together with the director of the School of Nursing Daniela Espinoza and the academic Valeska Leiva, to carry out a pedagogical intervention that focused on the creation of a medicinal garden and vermicompost bins, in collaboration with students from the Laura Vicuña school.

 This ecological space allows the cultivation of medicinal herbs for the production of natural products. The seeds, medicinal plants and Californian worms to generate fertilizer were transported from Santiago, cultivated and harvested during the semester by the students in the “Weliwen” Ecological space located on the Lo Cañas campus, belonging to the Faculty of Sciences of the Health.

 The day was divided into a first stage of interaction with each course separately, and then carrying out the collective work of the new ecological space, loaded with environmental awareness with the 5th basics. The creation of a medicinal garden at the Laura Vicuña school in Valdivia can be understood in light of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) , especially with regard to health and well-being, quality education, sustainable cities and communities and the protection of terrestrial ecosystems.

 The WHO promotes the idea that health goes beyond the traditional health care system, also seeking to prevent disease and strengthen the well-being of the community. A medicinal garden at school would represent a practical approach aligned with this vision, empowering students and families to take care of their health through natural resources and ancestral methods, in line with the WHO perspective.

 “The creation of the medicinal garden at the Laura Vicuña school is positioned as an initiative that promotes quality education, health, well-being and environmental sustainability, by actively involving the community in caring for its health and natural environment,” says academic Valeska Leiva.

 The idea arose after identifying educational and community needs at the Laura Vicuña school in Valdivia. The objectives were for university students to acquire practical skills in phytotherapy and self-care, providing a comprehensive ecological educational space to develop and reflect on the care of the environment , the role of humanity in preserving it in solidarity, providing a health service. quality aligned with the mission and vision of our University. 

 The fourth year Nursing students lived a transformative experience, many of them did not know Valdivia and after the intervention at school and visiting the UACH Botanical Garden they contemplated the flora of this region, complementing the theoretical knowledge acquired in "Phytotherapy". and Nursing.

 These activities encourage collaborative work and project-based learning, since they self-managed a large part of the resources to complete this trip. On the other hand, the AS methodology was used, with reflection and evaluation as its main activity in each of its stages.

 From the Kinesiology degree

We build terraces (boxes of orchard) obtaining the raw material to make Phyto-therapeutic products that were shared with the community.

The technique used was "living soil" being able to control some external agents such as pests, and lack of water, this ancient technique is organic in nature, not producing erosion in the cultivated land, thus we contribute to the care of our common home and link with the community territorially through collaborative and informed work.

 From the Speech Therapy career

We carry out herbal product workshops using the harvest of plants from the ecological space called Weliwen, which means New Dawn in Mapudungun, this place on the Lo Cañas Campus was named with this name by the students who work hard independently maintaining the place.

The Faculty of Health Sciences has carried out powerful work that has had an impact on the entire university and associated communities.