Santa Clara University

We are pleased to announce both a new study abroad program, and a new step in building a global network among Jesuit universities.  

In August 2011, the highly successful Casa de la Solidaridad welcomed a new sister program, Casa Bayanihan, in Manila. Founded 10 years ago to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the UCA martyrs in El Salvador, the Casa de la Solidaridad has become, in the words of Dean Brackley, S.J., “perhaps the best program of its kind in the world.” It is a prime example of how to foster a well-educated solidarity in an academically rigorous way through direct contact with the poor. 

Now, in an effort to make this transformative educational experience available to more students, the University of San Francisco in conjunction with Santa Clara University and the Ateneo de Manila has launched a new Casa program in the Philippines. Casa Bayanihan will be modeled on the original Casa program, and it will benefit from the direct support and close guidance of the original Casa staff as well as graduates of the program. 

It is our hope that this will be the first of many such cross-university collaborations resulting in a global network of Casa programs connecting Jesuit universities around the world.