"Ayni" in the Global Village: Building Relationships of Reciprocity through International Service-Learning

Understanding and fostering reciprocity is a central aim of service-learning programs. This article highlights the indigenous Andean concept of "ayni" as a means of integrating reciprocity into a broader, holistic framework. This approach also stretches our understanding of interdependence along trajectories that extend well beyond a traditional Western framework. We present data drawn from a semester-long seminar and Alternative Spring Break spent building a school in highland Bolivia. Analysis from extensive student reflective writings and discussions provide personalized responses to core questions. Elements of ayni are applied to critique both the practice and pedagogy of service-learning, and to raise questions about the challenges of fostering reciprocity among diversely situated citizens of the global village. This article was published in the Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, Vol. 8 No. 1, Fall 2001, pages 5-17.