World of Difference Case Studies 2010
See the Other Side by Mohammed Kamal
Mohammed Kamal is a 21-year-old Qatar student who decided to spend his gap year on a community service project in the poor areas in Qatar. Mohammed's project, 'See the Other Side' aimed to raise awareness on the poor conditions of migrant workers in the Doha district of Abouh Hamour. People in Qatar often do not realise that there are people in the country living below the poverty line, and Mohammed's project included several photo exhibitions about the children who live in this disadvantaged area. Today, 'See the Other Side' has become a permanent Youth Service Club through the local charity Reach out to Asia.
Impacting lives by Giovanni Espinal
Giovanni Espinal was a Colombian American teacher at Qatar University. He was inspired to apply after seeing labour workers arriving at Doha airport having trouble due to their lack of English and inability to understand rules and regulations in Qatar. 'Impacting Lives' is a program that works with labourers and workers to give them all the information necessary for living in Qatar, such as Qatari laws, embassy Information, traffic law and healthcare. Blue collar workers were also explained their rights in conjunction with the National Human Rights Committee, and shown methods to resolve any problems. Eight teachers from Qatar University volunteered to lead these classes, making a real difference to hundreds of lives. Today, Giovanni has returned to his home country but has left his legacy by making a Qatar a better country for labour and service workers.
Girls on the Go! by Margaret Gigliotti
Margaret is an American fitness teacher passionate about healthy lifestyle. Margaret's project, 'Girls on the Go!' aims to educate, motivate and inspire preteen girls aged 8-12 to live a healthy lifestyle. It is dedicated to reach out to all young girls in Qatar to inspire them to reach their full potential and to feel good about themselves. In year one, 183 teenagers from eight schools in Doha participated to the program and learned about fitness, nutrition and character building. Ten trainers and 15 volunteers worked with parents, coaches and the community to provide positive, focused lessons that were interactive and fun. The programme is continuing and Girls on the Go! is looking for corporate or private partners willing to support the project.
Language Bridges by Julie Zawadzki
Julie is a British Human Resources Director who has previously volunteered as an English teacher for underprivileged people. Julie's project, 'Language Bridges', aimed to provide free basic English language skills courses to migrant workers in Qatar. The classes, held in labour camps and site offices, were taught by a team of 30 young, enthusiastic volunteers from several Qatar universities including Carnegie Mellon University and Weill Cornell Medical College. At the closing ceremony held at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, certificates were presented to 100 students from six nationalities that had successfully completed the programme. Sir Lankan, Nepali, Filipino, Indian, Bangladeshi and Egyptian migrant workers were among the students who completed the course. Language Bridges is still very active in 2011 and looking for new partners to help support the project.
