Alumni Impact: Why we do it
Ilka Saíde, a student from Mozambique who participated the recent FIUTS Study of the U.S. Institute on Civic Engagement, is using the skills and experiences she gained during her time in the U.S. to coordinate self-defense workshops for women in Mozambique. Her project, called "Women Empower," has included three workshops so far, and they have also recently started promoting opportunities for men to learn about how to be effective allies for women.
Here is a blog post written by Ilka about her experiences with the rewards and challenges of organizing this initiative, as well as some photos from her workshops.
Someone once asked: "but why do you do it?"
So rather than just answering, we took him along to show him first, and he saw that:
Things aren't as easy as they seem. There are days where people might not show up, there are days where people won't listen.
You will have to explain time and time again, and some people still won't understand or just won't agree. There will be canceling, rescheduling, setbacks, more rescheduling!
You will expect to have support from specific people but you won't, you will expect some people to show up but they won't! You will learn the importance of firing volunteers and also how to fill in for people.
And things won't be looking so good.
But that is not all, there will also be a lot of fun and laughter along the way, there will be new friends, there will be nice surprises, there will be surprising supporters! Some of them you won't even expect to be there, but they will! There will be people calling to ask to join and to help, there will be people helping and explaining to others, there will be admirers, there will be commitment, there will be support, there will be a family.
And in the end of each day you will hear:
"After the last meeting, for the first time I stood up against someone harassing me! And I did it with confidence, repeating in my mind: WomenEmpower!"
"I feel like I found myself, like I belong."
"This is the 1st time I speak openly in front of a large group of people!"
"So I just wanted to tell you that after the last meeting, I applied for a scholarship that I didn't believe I could get!"
"I never had an opportunity to do this! Thank you!"
"I have a new passion."
"I am not weak!"
"I understand now that empowering women is empowering humanity."
So after he saw it all, finally we answered:
This is why, this is why we do it!
The Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI), sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, promote a better understanding of the people, institutions, and culture of the United States among foreign students, teachers, and scholars. Study of the U.S. Institutes are short-term academic programs for groups of undergraduate leaders, educators, and scholars from around the world.
The SUSI on Civic Engagement with students from Southern Africa is coordinated by the Foundation for International Understanding Through Students (FIUTS), a local non-profit organization affiliated with the University of Washington that promotes international friendship and cross-cultural understanding in the region.
Guest posts on the FIUTS blog represent the experiences and views of individual writers. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FIUTS or any organizations or institutions affiliated with our programs.