LAS CRUCES – Hiba Muhyi was preparing to start her senior year at New Mexico State University when terrifying images hit the news from around the world.
Shortly before the fall semester at the NMSU, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in a riot that plunged the country into chaos and caused thousands of Afghans to flee for their lives.
When Muhyi and her mother Rajaa Shindi observed the development from a distance, they took action.
Muhyi, an English major, and Shindi, an assistant professor of accounting and information systems in the College of Business, began mobilizing students and organizations across the NMSU to assist Afghan refugees with relocation in southern New Mexico. Together, the mother-daughter duo launched the NMSU Afghan Refugee Response project.
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“As a child of immigrant parents, I’m naturally interested in these types of issues and helping communities very similar to my own,” said Muhyi.
The project originally began as a call to volunteer translators, Muhyi said, but has since grown into a more ambitious attempt to assist long-term refugees in collaboration with the Las Cruces Muslim Community, the Afghan Refugee Crisis Committee, the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Service, and Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains.
Since the end of August, says Muhyi, more than 80 volunteers have come together to support the refugee project in a variety of ways, from donations in kind to cultural mentors and translators. The group has collected more than 100 household items to set up several temporary homes for displaced Afghan families, Muhyi added, and donations are continuing.
“It was a lot more than just donating furniture,” Shindi said. “Our volunteers help these families learn English, apply for jobs, enroll their children in school and adapt to a new society. There are so many things that they need right now and our volunteers are making an important contribution to supporting Afghan refugees at a time when they need help. “
Muhyi said the support from the NMSU community exceeded her expectations.
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“We have had such a huge response from department heads, professors, presidents of student organizations, and others asking what they can do, either as individuals or as a group, to help the refugees,” she said. “We have had a multitude of people ready to go out of their way to help and help.”
Muhyi commended several campus groups for their contribution to the project, including the NMSU Chapter of the Association of Information Technology Professionals, the Pre-Pharmacy Society, the Pre-Dental Society, the Black Student Organization, the Student Social Work Association, and the English Graduate Student Organization .
Currently, Muhyi is hosting a drive-in winter coat and blanket in collaboration with the Pre-Pharmacy Society and the Pre-Dental Society. Those wishing to donate coats or blankets can drop off items in designated boxes at the Hardman and Jacobs Undergraduate Learning Center and the Aggie Lounge in the Corbett Center Student Union through Friday, December 10, Muhyi said.
Last month, Muhyi and Shindi visited an Afghan refugee camp in Fort Bliss and met other volunteers who are helping with relocation of families.
“We met some of the myriad of volunteers who help sort and support the donations at the various locations where free clothes, shoes, baby food and other items are provided and distributed to the refugees,” said Muhyi. “But the need for committed volunteers and donations is still great.”
According to Muhyi, the most urgently needed items include school supplies, closed shoes, winter clothing for children and toddlers, winter clothing for men and women, and hygiene items. To donate through the NMSU Afghan Refugee Response Project, contact Muhyi at [email protected].
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For Muhyi, overseeing the project was a time consuming but rewarding experience.
“It was a challenge, but it was worth all the effort and long hours,” she said. “But it’s a very strong team effort. I want dr Thank you Shindi, the NMSU community, and all of our volunteers for their support and help in helping these families. “
Carlos Andres López is a member of Marketing and Communications for New Mexico State University and can be reached at 575-646-1955 or by email at [email protected].
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