ABOUT US
Seeing the extent of need in the rest of the world has given me the capacity to truly appreciate and value what we have. There are varying degrees of simplicity in the way people live, as Dickensian simplicity can quickly turn into abject poverty. This poverty can be desolate and inexplicable, and for the vast majority of us, it is unfathomable and far removed in reasoning. Once you have visited a particular place, the name on the map transforms into something much more meaningful. Seeing the extent of poverty first hand has given me a greater appreciation for what I have. I came away from my travels questioning our seemingly insatiable consumption against our responsibility towards the rest of humanity. After having seen starving children in one country, and children slightly frayed at the edges in another, I have learned to cherish what I have. There is nothing more sobering than looking into the eyes of a suffering woman, our fates separated only by chance.
Shafiya was a young woman that stayed with our family in Comilla, a small, non-descript town in Bangladesh. I always wondered why she was living with us, until I overheard her talking to my aunt. I sat in silence as I heard her story. She had been abused. Beaten. Everything had been taken away from her- her child, her home, her life. That memory never left me. I vowed to myself that I would do everything I could to help women like her.
Years later, I became the only freshman to be accepted into the Engaged Learning program at SMU. I created the Nari kit— a transitional kit that would address the immediate needs of a domestic abuse victim. The kit includes everything from basic necessities like money, food, and clothing to a copy of The Human Declaration of Rights. In 2012, I went back to Comilla to implement the initial stage of my project. I began by distributing kits in Bangladesh, a developing country, and later compared the results to the performance of the kits in a developed country. This cross analysis would confirm that the kit could be implemented globally. The word Nari means woman in Sanskrit.
While I have countless cherished memories from Nari, one is particularly striking. One afternoon, a woman at the shelter told me her story. She was just like Shafiya. After I offered her a kit, she peered inside and began to cry. She looked at me with the most sincere look I had ever seen. She told me that I would never know how much I had helped her. She leaned in, but quickly pulled back and asked if it was okay to hug me. Her situation had taken everything from her- even the capacity to hug someone. I instantly embraced her. As she left, she looked at me and said, “It’s nice to know that someone cares.”
After committing to extend Nari to Dallas through the Clinton Global Initiative University, I partnered with Genesis Women’s Shelter and distributed ten kits as a test run. My results were surprisingly positive, but one response was especially unique. A question on my survey asked ‘How helpful was the kit overall?” One response was “It was nice, it felt like someone cared. It was like getting a gift. Being sad and going through a bad situation it was nice to know someone took the time to put together a kit with care.”
My travels, which have afforded me to see and experience more than most adolescents, have allowed me to value the freedoms and opportunities that I have. While there are countries where a girl cannot play soccer, drive a car, or even attend school, there are countries where a girl cannot realize her full potential. I have come to realize that I live in a society that supports the aspirations of any individual. We are limited only by our lack of imagination. Nari has provided me with a sense of self-actualization that has helped me better realize my place in the world. As strange as it seems, you have to go around the world to understand the thing that is closest to you— yourself. Through Nari, I now have clarity as to what my strengths, weaknesses, and passions are. I know my place in this world, I know where I am.
Here is my original Engaged Learning proposal: Nari Project Proposal
Shafiya was a young woman that stayed with our family in Comilla, a small, non-descript town in Bangladesh. I always wondered why she was living with us, until I overheard her talking to my aunt. I sat in silence as I heard her story. She had been abused. Beaten. Everything had been taken away from her- her child, her home, her life. That memory never left me. I vowed to myself that I would do everything I could to help women like her.
Years later, I became the only freshman to be accepted into the Engaged Learning program at SMU. I created the Nari kit— a transitional kit that would address the immediate needs of a domestic abuse victim. The kit includes everything from basic necessities like money, food, and clothing to a copy of The Human Declaration of Rights. In 2012, I went back to Comilla to implement the initial stage of my project. I began by distributing kits in Bangladesh, a developing country, and later compared the results to the performance of the kits in a developed country. This cross analysis would confirm that the kit could be implemented globally. The word Nari means woman in Sanskrit.
While I have countless cherished memories from Nari, one is particularly striking. One afternoon, a woman at the shelter told me her story. She was just like Shafiya. After I offered her a kit, she peered inside and began to cry. She looked at me with the most sincere look I had ever seen. She told me that I would never know how much I had helped her. She leaned in, but quickly pulled back and asked if it was okay to hug me. Her situation had taken everything from her- even the capacity to hug someone. I instantly embraced her. As she left, she looked at me and said, “It’s nice to know that someone cares.”
After committing to extend Nari to Dallas through the Clinton Global Initiative University, I partnered with Genesis Women’s Shelter and distributed ten kits as a test run. My results were surprisingly positive, but one response was especially unique. A question on my survey asked ‘How helpful was the kit overall?” One response was “It was nice, it felt like someone cared. It was like getting a gift. Being sad and going through a bad situation it was nice to know someone took the time to put together a kit with care.”
My travels, which have afforded me to see and experience more than most adolescents, have allowed me to value the freedoms and opportunities that I have. While there are countries where a girl cannot play soccer, drive a car, or even attend school, there are countries where a girl cannot realize her full potential. I have come to realize that I live in a society that supports the aspirations of any individual. We are limited only by our lack of imagination. Nari has provided me with a sense of self-actualization that has helped me better realize my place in the world. As strange as it seems, you have to go around the world to understand the thing that is closest to you— yourself. Through Nari, I now have clarity as to what my strengths, weaknesses, and passions are. I know my place in this world, I know where I am.
Here is my original Engaged Learning proposal: Nari Project Proposal