American University of Sharjah (AUS) student volunteers transformed the lives of a mother and her five children by renovating and refurbishing their home as part of the AUS Hand in Hand social initiative. Over the course of one week, more than 60 student volunteers worked tirelessly to completely overhaul the house, which now looks brand new and is fully furnished.
Working with AUS Community Service and Outreach, the student volunteers carried out various tasks such as furnishing, painting, cleaning, scraping and decorating. The AUS Operations Department provided tiles for the home, while the AUS Indian Cultural Club raised funds to support the initiative. The University City of Sharjah also contributed by planting new greenery and installing a watering system for the house’s garden.
Joudi Bilal Abdallah, a first-year industrial engineering student, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the project: “My fellow volunteers and I are extremely thankful for this opportunity. Not only was it fun, but it was also quite eye-opening. I got to witness the sense of community and gratitude this program cultivated. We all acquired a new set of practical skills as well as social skills. I can’t wait for the next one.”
Since its launch in 2009 in partnership with the Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation, the Hand in Hand initiative has successfully completed 26 renovation projects, all being funded entirely through donations from students and their families and charity accounts.
Nawal Al-Hamdi, Director of the Social Welfare Department at Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation, expressed her appreciation towards AUS.
“We appreciate the participation of AUS through its Community Service and Outreach division and the Hand-in-Hand team in Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation projects. AUS has been at the top of our list of collaborators since 2009, and we are proud of this long-standing cooperation with us which elevates the reality of social solidarity between the institutions of society,” she said.
The Hand in Hand initiative is a testament to AUS’ unwavering commitment to the community. AUS has a long-standing history of engaging with the community and partnering with organizations in numerous initiatives and programs aimed at creating a positive impact on the lives of individuals and families in the region. The success of this project is due to the dedication and hard work of the AUS volunteers, who had made a real difference in the lives of the family they helped.
