UMF Community Service Report

by Zainab Khaku
 
In today's lifestyle it may seem impossible to find even an extra minute in a day to just breath.  However I decided to take an entire month off and spend it in a third world country in attempt to make a difference. This past summer I volunteered in Arusha and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania, East Africa). I was placed in hospitals, clinics, schools and orphanages through the organization The World is Our Village and Can Aid Africa (both based in Canada) as well as the NYOTA foundation in Dar es Salaam.
This experience was a big step for me. I have never traveled alone for such a prolonged time period let alone to a foreign third world country. The native language was unfamiliar to me and communication back home can be nearly impossible. This challenge gave me even more motivation to follow through and although it made my parents uneasy the benefits outweighed any negatives. The moment I stepped off the plane at the Dar es Salaam International Airport I thought I was in over my head, there was no way I could do this. I did not understand a word anyone said to me and I had no idea where to go. It was a difficult transition; the life style and environment were completely different and it took time to get use to. I felt it should have been second nature to me, considering my parents were brought up and raised in East Africa and I had heard stories and seen pictures all my life. I should have been use to this culture, but I wasn't. Words do not compare to the actual experience.
I thought it would be to my benefit to be able to see a variety of settings oppose to staying at one location my entire trip; therefore, throughout the month I rotated between different placements. In my first couple weeks I was working at clinics and hospitals. Some of the situations I was able to witness were unimaginable. There was one case I will not forget. A grandmother brought her 5-year-old grandson to the hospital. When he was born he had a little lump on his neck, as he got older, it grew and his mother abandoned him. So his grandmother saved up money to bring him into the hospital, which took five years. By then the lump was almost the size of the little child's head. Patients cannot afford to come to the doctor on a regular basis; this leads them to wait till the problem affects their daily routine. Unfortunately by then, in most cases it is not treatable. Aside from these extreme situations, which were mostly seen at government hospitals, I was surprised to see the majority of the cases in the small clinics were high cholesterol and diabetes. This was mostly a result of poor nutritional habits. At the clinic in Arusha I also noticed a good portion of the patients were pregnant women. The doctor I worked with gave me the opportunity to perform an ultrasound, which was my first hands on experience.
As I rotated between several different hospitals and clinics, I realized they are very short handed and that they will allow volunteers to perform many task. This is the number one reason volunteering abroad in a third world country can be so beneficial. The other volunteer in my group got the pleasure of delivering a baby and I was able to assist in a circumcision while yet another volunteer was allowed to remove stitches. This is something I would never be able to do here in the states as just a volunteer that is not even completed her undergrad.
Once I had completed my hospital and clinical rotations I spent the last week visiting orphanages and schools where we handed out over 300 toothbrushes and toothpaste, donated by Colgate. As we gave them to the younger children we taught them proper brushing techniques. This was the most accomplishing but at the same time very difficult. I learned you can never have enough, there was obviously going to be a point when we ran out of supplies. This happened faster than I expected.
This experience was remarkable, I gained more than I expected and I could write about it for hours. It was a cross culture experience that has not only helped me grow as a person but also appreciate the diversity, ethnicity and pluralism. It benefited me in many ways, I have accomplished so much that no goal is unattainable anymore. It allowed me to look at situations from a completely different perspective and appreciate the little things we take for granted. I was even able to walk out of this with a little more knowledge of Swahili.
I believe every so often during the course of our lives we are given the "opportunity of a lifetime." It is a chance that does not come our way too often, and tends to result in a tremendous benefit. I owe a huge deal of the credit of making it possible for me to grasp this opportunity to the United Muslim Foundation. Their generosity went a long way by helping me help others. Buddha once said 'Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.' Currently I am a sophomore at Arcadia University with a Biology major, Public Health minor, and a Physician Assistant concentration. The program requires 200 or more hours of volunteer service. Working with the University and both organizations I was able to have this experience count towards my requirement and receive two credits. This solidified my choice of career path into the health field, I have never been more certain that this is what I want to do with my life.

  I recently joined a group of dedicated students on a "Business Brigade" to help low-income villagers in Panama create economic opportunities using the natural talents, assets and inspiration of the community. Panama is the 2nd poorest country in the Western hemisphere and yet it still hosts hundreds of hard working, entrepreneurial spirits. These dedicated villagers have created very small businesses, or micro-enterprises, in hopes of escaping the current cycle of poverty in Panama. Unfortunately, without seed capital and technical assistance, many of these micro-enterprises barely produce enough money to make a difference or feed one's family. This is where my fellow students and me came in.
 
On my "brigade," I worked hand-and-hand with business professionals and the community leaders to help these small business owners develop and expand their businesses. Like the famous proverb says: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." By participating in Global Business Brigades, I brought the skills, assistance and commitment to teach Panama micro-business owners "how to fish" and thus creating opportunity for sustainable economic development.

Governments and NGO's working to combat poverty in impoverished regions of the world have become accustomed to constant handouts that TEMPORARILY alleviate those in need. But say I give a family of 5 enough rice to meet their needs on a weekly basis and consistently do so for as long as I live. This family will be receiving part of the help they need but what if I suddenly cannot afford to continue sustaining this family? What happens to this family when I pass away? On the other hand, what if I finance this family so that they can attain the tools necessary to plant their own rice crop. The excess crop they produce could be sold to purchase more materials and result in more harvests that will result in even additional excess rice that could be traded for greater amounts of financial capital. This process will result in a smaller financial donation on my part but inversely cause a much GREATER effect on the receiving end. The family will not only have enough rice to eat, but greater amounts of money to repair their house, to buy their children clothing, and to send those same children to school. All of these things will temporarily alleviate the families BUT ALSO enable them to educate their children so that they can attain well paying jobs, be actively involved in governmental politics (so as to make sure the government is working on their behalf and not the other way around), and be in a position to help others that are in the position of desperation they once knew so well. Such an option of assistance is called sustainable development because of its LASTING effects. Imagine knowing that efforts on your part not only fed a family of five, but also helped them completely destroy the shackles of poverty that had been plaguing their ancestors for so long.
 
Such is the form of assistance that Muhammed Yunus, an economics professor in Bangladesh, emphasized in aiding the impoverished in his home country. Yunus is an amazing and inspirational Muslim man that created a system of lending that resulted in the essential elimination of low-level poverty in Bangladesh. He received the Nobel Peace Price not only for helping eliminate poverty, but also for empowering the Muslim women of Bangladesh to tap into their "survival capital" (as he calls it) and become an equal bread-earning partner in a part of the world where women traditionally are restricted from being involved with a family's financial affairs (a role typically reserved for men).

 My work in Panama has directly supported the system of poverty alleviation that Yunus pioneered in Bangladesh. When all of you wake up every morning the first thought that pops into your head isn't, "Will I have enough food to feed my children today?" but rather "What should I cook this morning?" Being in such a stable financial position essentially mandates that you help those in need.

Prophet Muhammad was once quoted saying, "Save yourself from hellfire by giving even half a date-fruit in charity." The lesson to take from this quotation is that even the smallest donation can help make a lasting change in the lives of many struggling just to make sure their family survives through the night. Such work is noble in nature and is, as a result, the work of Allah and the way of his beloved Ahlulbayt. The lights in your houses are lit brightly through the bounty of Allah and, as such benefactors, it is your responsibility to pass these blessings on to those in need.

 

Penn GBB would like to thank the United Muslim Foundation for it's generosity, without which many students would not have had the opportunity to partake in supporting sustainable development. Your assistance enables us to combat poverty at it's source. Rather than temporarily alleviating the strife of others, your support enables us to empower the impovershed to break free from the shackles of poverty forever.Thanks again.