Invest in Muslim youth volunteering for peace

Dear friends and supporters,

Our 10 current volunteers are now halfway through their placements.  This is the story of one of them

Ms Rohania Bazar is 22 years old and comes from remote town of Magsaysay which has, over the years, suffered from many armed conflicts. Her placement is with BirthDev Inc. a Christian led NGO that offers psycho-social support to victims of conflict and disaster. This is what  Rohania  had to say about her first few months as a KI volunteers

“It was a big challenge for me working with the Christian community. When I first did my community visits and facilitation, I encountered that most of the participants were not paying attention to me because they saw that I am wearing veil. Due to our cultural differences and concepts, they thought that I was there for a mission to promote Muslim Secessionism. They did not listen to me when I facilitated them. But being a volunteer, it needs deeper understanding, sense of humour and diligence towards individual works. Be more patient and be dedicated to one’s works are qualities that volunteers should have.  Over time, a common understanding and respecting one another were being shown during the activities. After several visits and conducting several activities in the respective communities, it became more fruitful and had productive results. People in the communities find me good and nice; and that, one of my participants shared what were their impressions on me on my first day of visits to them. I was surprised when someone said that “being amiable and approachable” is one of my characteristics that I had. I was full of contentment and satisfaction when you see on their faces how they were happy upon being with them and when you are untiringly and willingly supporting them. And that, I can say how lucky I am to be part of their lives  - to touch their lives for a positive change.’

Thank you for helping to support young people like Rohania