The YES program encourages all participants to give back to their communities. For some, this call to service extends far from home.

Originally from Libya, Rola Elbijou (YES ’14) is now living in Spain, where she exercises her willingness to help others near and far. Rola recently volunteered with the Red Cross in Spain to help raise donations for Syrian refugees.

By Rola Elbijou, Libya, YES 2013-2014, hosted by YFU in Edwardsville, IL

The Syrian refugee crisis has affected the entire world. However, it has had a huge impact on Europe specifically. The number of Syrians flowing into Europe is prodigious and most European countries find it difficult to intake all of them, which is why the Red Cross started a campaign to raise donations to try and support them. Since starting the YES program, volunteering has been a great interest of mine but this event in particular hit close to home and I knew I had to take even the smallest act to help.

The event took place in one of the main big squares in Madrid. It included live music, refreshments and live acts to illustrate the situation the Syrians go through while fleeing their country. My part was to go around and collect donations. I walked down the main streets a little further from the event to promote it and collect donations. People were more than generous, I collected so much more than I expected to. The moment people heard me say the donations were for the refugees, they would immediately stop and donate. I cannot say it was easy to approach people and ask for donations, it was defiantly hard, but it got easier by the second. It was a great experience and it felt great to know that no matter how small of an act I played, it still made a difference.