20 AUS students renovate house for widow, children

SHARJAH: From renovating a family house and securing new Eid clothes for orphans to group Itars and appreciation dinners, students at the American University of Sharjah (AUS) marked the month of Ramadan with a series of community services initiatives.

Held in collaboration with the Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation and the UAE Red Crescent, Hand in Hand is one of the major community services projects organised by Community Service and Outreach at AUS, providing student volunteers with an opportunity to give back to the community.

This year, 20 students took part in renovating a house for a widow and her two children in four days to ensure it was ready for Eid. Working side by side with members from the UAE Red Crescent, the students scraped and repainted the walls, took out the old windows, brought in new furniture, renovated the kitchen and helped reorganise the storage area in the house.

“The experience made me incredibly grateful for AUS Community Service and Outreach for providing me with the opportunity to help people in my community. The house we visited holds a special place in my heart as the woman reminded me of the maternal figures in my life. Standing in her house reminded me of the things that I am grateful for in my life, and I am even more grateful for helping her make the changes she wanted at her place. Volunteering is a reminder of what we are capable of doing and why we come to study in academic institutions in the first place,” said Saleha Saqib, an international studies student at AUS.

The AUS Emirati Cultural Club also took part in the Eid clothes campaign “Kiswat Al Eid” for 40 orphans in collaboration with Community Service and Outreach at AUS, Sharjah Social Services and Human Appeal International Ajman.

“Since the start of Ramadan, the Emirati Cultural Club wanted to take part in a charitable campaign. We reached out to Community Service and Outreach at AUS, which connected us to the Kiswat Al Eid initiative. We reached out to our network of students, alumni and partners to join in. Close to 35 volunteers took part with each assigned a child or two to shop for,” said Hoor Alansaari, a computer science student and the public relations coordinator of the Emirati Cultural Club at AUS.

AUS students also volunteered in the Itar Box Distribution campaign at the main gates and roads of the University City of Sharjah. Held in collaboration with UAE Red Crescent and Community Service and Outreach at AUS, 29 volunteer students distributed more than 800 Itar boxes to people who were on the road during Itar time.