A group of StFX students is helping firsthand with the crisis in Afghanistan as they work to support an additional student refugee from Afghanistan to join the StFX family in September.

The student-led StFX World University Service of Canada (WUSC) Society, which has been active at StFX since 1985, is responding to a call to action from WUSC Ottawa to help with the crisis in Afghanistan by supporting student refugees.

To this end, StFX WUSC is hosting a fundraising event on March 24 at 6 p.m. in Dennis Hall, Coady Institute to help bring a student to StFX. The evening will include speakers Roya Alimadad, Ateka Yaghoubi, Neda, Dr. Yousaf Sulemankhil, and Mansoor Hoshmand.

"This is an amazing example of student-led social justice. For over 37 years, the StFX WUSC Society has been helping refugee youth to start new lives in Canada by studying at StFX," says WUSC faculty advisor Dr. María Soledad Paz-Mackay. "I love working along with such a highly motivated and committed group of students. In particular, the last couple of years the society has taken on big challanges, and their members have worked hard to make them a reality."

WUSC co-president Sierra Banks, a fourth year BSc in human kinetics student from Ottawa, ON, who is taking a minor in health science, says the StFX society felt it important to take this on as it allows the community help make a difference in the world and change the lives of youth through education.

"Although this is just one student, we are still making the biggest difference in their world."

Ms. Banks, whose father was a WUSC president when he studied at the University of Toronto, says this year WUSC headquarters sent out a call to action to all local committees as a response to the state of Afghanistan.

"They requested that those who could support one specifically Afghan student above and beyond their yearly student from a larger selection of refugee camps. We responded to this as we thought it would be a wonderful cause to support. We truly believe that we need to support these individuals in Afghanistan and are hoping to assist in providing as much relief as possible!"

She says StFX WUSC hopes to raise money to assist with the costs that come with supporting another student such as a phone, laptop, clothes and overall fees.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

"WUSC is truly an amazing committee because you are making a difference and seeing it in action, interacting with the amazing Student Refugee Program (SRP) students who come to study on campus at StFX," says Lucia Mackay, WUSC co-vice-president, a fourth year BASC Health student from New Glasgow, NS.

"WUSC is such a hidden gem, I am so glad it was brought to my attention, and I was able to be a part of it."

She says it is important for her and everyone in the committee to become involved because there are lots of jobs to do. "Bringing students from refugee camps around the world is not an easy process!"

Ms. Mackay says the fundraising initiative is their committee doing its part to answer WUSC's Call to Action.

"Our committee is fundraising to bring an extra student this year from Afghanistan.

"As a group we have already made a lot of progress and the university is supporting us by providing funding for the student. Our goal is to raise money to make the student's move to Antigonish and schooling an easy transition."

She says the community of StFX and Antigonish can be involved by coming to the event they are hosting on March 24 at 6 p.m. at Dennis Hall. There will be fundraising opportunities happening at the event. They also have a link on their Instagram page @stfx_wusc to donate online, with every donation above $20 receiving a tax receipt.

The support doesn't end when students arrive on campus. Ms. Mackay says the WUSC society and the students try to do monthly gatherings and bi-weekly meetings. Checking in on the students is important, she says, as the entire process can be very overwhelming.

Currently, StFX has five refugee students on campus, all women. Two are studying nursing, two are in business and one is in English.

OPENED DOORS NEVER KNEW EXISTED

Nursing students Angelique Uwamariya and Anyich Panchol who came to StFX through the WUSC Student Refugee Program says it has helped change their lives for the better.

"It opened doors that I never thought existed," says Ms. Uwamariya, a second year nursing student. "If I wasn't part of this program, I wouldn't have been able to attend tertiary education due to different circumstances. Now, I want to make the best of it. StFX WUSC is everything to me and am grateful for the opportunity!"

Ms. Panchol, also a second year nursing student, came to StFX through WUSC from Kenya. "WUSC has allowed me to pursue my tertiary education. I cannot start to imagine what my life would be like without this opportunity. I am also glad to be part of our amazing local committee, which has worked very hard to make St. Francis Xavier University feel like home far away from home. I am thankful for WUSC here at StFX and the amazing work."

WUSC co-vice-president Chloe Vukosa, a third year BASc Health student from Mississauga, ON, says she joined WUSC as she wanted to help students from around the world get the same education she receives. "It was important for me to be involved because I wanted to make a difference for someone in a less fortunate part of the world. I have always wanted to be the reason that someone has a better life, and this committee is one of the ways that I am actively able to do that."

"As soon as I joined WUSC, I loved our mission of fostering youth centered solutions to create opportunities for young people to overcome equality," says WUSC co-president Chloe Oleksiuk, a second year BaSC Health student from Winnipeg, MB. "The main reason I fell in love with the society is the connections and relationships I have made with the other people in the society and especially with the SRP students. I am grateful to have joined the society so early so I have four years to learn and develops my skills as a leader, to continue to better and create more change through WUSC."

Ms. Mackay says it is important to have organizations like WUSC on campus as education is such "an amazing powerful thing that many of us in our society take for granted.

"However, in other places around the world education may not be as accessible and having an organization like WUSC on campus is doing a small part to help the greater problem of lack of access to education around the world. By doing a small part, bringing students and raising awareness, I'd like to think it adds up and is making a difference!"

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