Volunteering in the USA

Multicultural women health fair September 2011

Fulbright was a life changing experience for me on many levels, from the most basic aspects of life, to discovering new prospects for the future. While in the United States, I became an independent person who knows how to cook and who can take care of herself--a person who appreciates different values in this life. Volunteer work is one of these new things that I’ve come to appreciate the most. At first I didn’t have the realization of how self-satisfying this could be, but I ended up spending most of the past two years volunteering for refugee services while on my Fulbright.

It all started when I received an email from my program adviser in September 2011 (only a month after my arrival to U.S) about an annual multicultural women’s health fair where there were two lectures about women’s health followed by health screening booths and a lunch for the refugee women. I volunteered as an Arabic interpreter initially, but after the lectures were over, the health screening booths needed more volunteers because of the high number of ladies in line, so I volunteered to help with blood pressure, glucose level measurements, and counseling. It was a wonderful experience that I repeated  in 2012.

I also volunteered with another organization that has an annual dinner event for homeless shelters, where they prepare and serve dinner for about 500 homeless people. I participated in that in 2012 and 2013. Most of my volunteer time though, was  spent with a nonprofit organization called Utah Health and Human Rights (UHHR), which deals with refugees who survived torture. Most of their clients are Iraqis and Africans. I volunteered to modify the Harvard Program for Refugee Trauma (HPRT) that has been developed by another Fulbrighter, Richard Mollica, from Italy,  for Cambodian refugees, to be culturally adapted for Iraqi refugees. I modified and administered the program, and have been volunteering with UHHR for the past two years. I enjoyed every moment with them, and learned how important the feeling that you get when you create a smile on the face of a refugee who has faced death or near death, and how their life has changed partly because of your help!

Some of the ladies who participated in UHHR's first wellness group during their graduation ceremony April 2013

Finally, I would say that as much as the Fulbright experience has changed me so far, it has also equipped me with the tools to create change and a better world for others, and to put a smile on the face of those I meet. I know that this is just the start for me.

Hiking to Ensign's Peak...on the background: Salt Lake City downtown

Sarah Al-Obaydi is a Fulbright grantee from Iraq completing an MPH program in Public Health at  University of Utah.

A Summer in Peru

This summer, I am spending two months in the beautiful country of Peru, as part of a research project sponsored by the Center for International Conflict Resolution (CICR) at my school, Columbia University, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Peru. Four other students and I are investigating the socio-economic impact of the conflicts surrounding extractive industries in the country.

Cases will be researched and analyzed through fieldwork in various regions, including Madre de Dios, Cusco, Moquegua, Cajamarca, Loreto, and Piura. I just arrived in Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, which is located in the Amazon rainforest, on Sunday June 2^nd and will be collecting data on informal mining in this region of country. .  

Ruba Shweihat is a Fulbright grantee from Jordan and a Master of Public Administration candidate at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University.

Stay tuned for another post from Ruba after completing her research project!

Image of the Tambopata River and surrounding jungle in Madre de Dios

Photograph courtesy of Matilde Mader

Giving back to the community: The Blood-Donation way

Since I have come to the U.S., I was always thinking about giving back to the community that generously provided me with the Fulbright scholarship. I thought for quite a bit of time about different volunteer opportunities nearby since not having a car limited my options. Meanwhile, I remembered that the Student Union has always hosted Red Cross Blood Drives, and I immediately knew this was the best way to express my gratitude. I checked their schedule for the next blood drive so I could attend. The day of the donation, after a long, but necessary medical screening process, I finally donated one complete unit of blood. Afterwards, I felt immensely satisfied and happy that I was finally able to return the favor, at least to some degree.

Ali Alsaqqa is a Fulbright Grantee from Gaza studying Physics at the University at Buffalo.