Shana Miller is passionate about conservation and animal welfare and her participation in the New Colombo Plan (NCP) gave her the chance to combine both passions in a very practical way.

Travelling to Sumatra, Indonesia, Southern Cross University student Shana and her group spent two weeks working on a variety of projects at the Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) in the Way Kambas National Park. Not only was this Shana's first trip outside of Australia, it was certainly the first time Shana had drilled a water bore!

Working side-by-side with the local community in the Sumatran humidity, Shana's group installed the bore, dug trenches and built a trough so the elephants could have fresh water to drink.

Shana said, "It was hot, tiring work but so rewarding. It felt great to complete the project but what was equally satisfying was meeting and working with the Indonesian people.

"The people of Sumatra were friendly and welcoming and we were amazed by the diversity of wildlife and habitats. I learned that conservation and animal welfare issues in this region are complex-there are no easy answers. Managing these issues is a significant challenge and the small part we played in the ongoing welfare of the elephants made the NCP experience even more valuable."

Since travelling to Sumatra, Shana has stayed in touch with locals through social media and remains interested and engaged with the community. Shana's advice to other students thinking of participating in the NCP is to 'go for it!'

"The NCP is a great opportunity to work with people in our region and other Australian students while developing new skills, gain a deeper understanding of real world issues and to make friends."