Humanitarianism - Aiding Darfur

Since her trip to Nueva Vida, Nicaragua, with the Bucknell Brigade more than seven years ago, Sweta Shah '99 has been dedicated to making a difference. From hurricane-devastated Nicaragua to the most desperate regions of Chad, her humanitarian work brings hope to people in hopeless situations.

Arriving at Bucknell with a desire to find a job that would allow her to help people, Shah considered becoming a doctor.

"When I went to Nicaragua, I realized I didn't have to be a doctor to make a difference in people's lives - that I could travel, learn about cultures, and help communities rather than just individuals. It opened up a different world for me." Her psychology degree was the perfect preparation for a career of service to society.

For the past year, Shah worked to assist refugee children from Darfur in the harsh deserts of Chad as the Child Protection Program Coordinator for Christian Children's Fund (CCF). She led a survey to assess the quality of life of children living in refugee camps. Based on the results of the survey, Shah and her coworkers designed and implemented a variety of services for the children.

These services supported CCF's main goal - "to build the capacity of the local population to care for themselves" - and included providing education to children, young mothers, and married girls; establishing mobile libraries; and creating appropriate jobs in the camps for children who must work to support their families.

Shah's chief responsibility was to design, plan, and prepare her staff - both Chadians and Darfurian refugees - to implement these programs, but she often went into the camps to ensure the quality of her programs, support her staff in implementing the activities, and co-facilitate trainings.

Her influence on the people living in the camps is evidenced by the success of these programs, which have provided the refugees with important tools, a sense of community, and hope.

Shah finished her work in Chad at the end of August 2006 and has joined her husband in Nepal to pursue her next mission of compassion.

"Not everyone needs to live and work in harsh conditions to make a difference," says Shah. "Everyone can contribute to making a difference in some small way. Whether you're raising awareness, advocating changing laws and policies, or giving money, something always can be done. As Americans, we are more fortunate than most of the world. We should think of giving back."