Volunteer Helps Ship Computers
About a year ago, Meesa Chungfat noticed a sign on the wall at her university for an organization called RESPECT International - Refugee Education Sponsorship Program: Enhancing Communities Together. Ever since then, Chungfat, a Communications student at Simon Fraser University in Canada, has been committed to contributing her time, effort, and creativity to improve the lives of refugees worldwide.
Already a volunteer with the Red Cross, World University Services Canada, and Oxfam, Meesa originally became involved with RESPECT through the letter exchange program. She later began applying her energy to the E-zine and, most recently, to fundraising efforts, particularly for RESPECT Nigeria. Among other activities, Meesa successfully collaborated with RESPECT Nigeria Country Coordinator Francis Abayomi in applying for donated computers for Oru Refugee Camp. After receiving the news that the camp had been selected as a recipient for a donated computer lab, however, she learned that the shipping cost, approximately $1000 (CAD), was not included. The raising of these funds quickly became Meesa's primary goal.
Her first idea was to apply to make RESPECT an action group in the Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG), her university's umbrella organization for people interested in social and environmental justice. Once approved, each SFPIRG action group is allotted $200 (CAD) per semester to be used in any way pertaining to the group's interests. RESPECT was quickly approved as an action group and Meesa was $200 (CAD) closer to her $1000 (CAD) goal required to ship the computers to Nigeria.
During the same period, Meesa and a university colleague Amany were occupied with the preparation of their entry for the Canadian Network for International Surgery (CNIS) "Stop Unlucky 13" contest. To meet the objective of the contest, to raise awareness about maternal death in Africa and the ways in which Canadians can help, the two students used dual tactics. They first arranged for the publication of an article on maternal death through SFU's weekly newspaper The Peak. Next, they prepared a display and presentation on the issue which was staged, along with a second-hand sale to raise funds for World Vision's 30-hour famine, on March 31st in a busy area at SFU (for more photos see www.geocities.com/meesas_album/cnis.html).
Meesa (left) and Amany with their Stop Unlucky 13 entry.
Shortly after learning that RESPECT had been approved as an SFPIRG action group, Meesa received amazing news - she and Amany had won first prize, $1000 (CAD) cash to divide between them, for their Stop Unlucky 13 project. After the initial surprise and excitement of winning the contest had passed, she realized that she had attained $500 (CAD) more for the shipping cost of the Oru Refugee Camp computers.
Now, with just $300 (CAD) standing between Oru Camp and its new computer lab, Meesa is brainstorming more than ever for fundraising ideas. Current plans include a second-hand sale or a fundraiser in a participating local pub. At any rate, Meesa says, she hopes to have all the necessary funds raised and the computers on their way by the end of the summer.