Staying Safe, Wildcats Make a Difference Worldwide

REPORTING FROM BAGHDAD

Iraq

Amina Ismail ’05 MS was named Reuters’ Reporter of the Year in March 2020, along with Angus Berwick, a correspondent in Venezuela. She won the award for her reporting on Egyptian president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s authoritarian rule. Ismail joined Reuters in 2016 and is currently a senior correspondent based in Baghdad, where her coverage centers on human rights and politics. Prior to joining Reuters, Ismail worked at the New York Times as a reporter.

FOCUS ON CHILDREN’S RIGHTS

Argentina

Last fall Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Kelly Bates interned with Fundación por Nuestros Niños through the virtual Global Engagement Studies Institute. The Salta, Argentina–based program advocates for children’s rights, with a focus on violence prevention, health and education. Bates, whose family is from Argentina, appreciates the opportunity to immerse herself in Argentine culture while making a positive impact in a “country that gave so much to me and my family.”

MAKE A MASK

Pakistan

In April, Northwestern University in Qatar junior Adan Ali helped launch the student-led Mask Banao campaign, which shares information about making masks at home and promotes mask usage and awareness. Ali and his colleagues also work with factories to produce and distribute cloth masks to Pakistani communities, including people living in poverty. The multinational team has seen Pakistani attitudes toward masks grow more positive.

HALTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Ghana

Sophomore Bengi Rwabuhemba is passionate about advocacy for children’s and women’s rights. Through the virtual Global Engagement Studies Institute, Rwabuhemba is working with the Center for Initiatives Against Human Trafficking in Tamale, Ghana. The organization aims to empower women and children while educating the public about child labor and child marriages.

SUSTAINABLE ART

Vietnam

Through the virtual Global Engagement Studies Institute, sophomore journalism major Quan Pham has worked with Vun Art, a Hanoi-based social enterprise that trains people with disabilities to make sustainable clothing and accessories, featuring traditional Vietnamese motifs and recycled materials. Pham has worked on projects to expand Vun Art’s market into the U.S. and develop a tour of Vun Art’s facilities. Pham, a Hanoi native, plans to work in Asia in the future.