By Yasmeen Fadila (YES 2015 –2016, Israel Arab Communities, hosted by PAX in Berkeley Springs, WV)

Seeds of Humanity is an organization with a humanitarian goal of changing refugees’ lives by providing them with a better environment even in the worst moments. Refugees at neglected camps are visited each month by Seeds of Humanity and provided with hygiene products, foods, clothes and most importantly affection. Seeds of Humanity also provides medical care for those who have never visited a hospital or haven’t had access to medical care since the beginning of the war.

Seeds of Humanity, with their simple yet unique goal, caught my eye when I was 17-years-old; their mission made me want to become involved. There was a catch, in order to be eligible to volunteer you have to be at least 23. That never stopped me, instead it only encouraged me more. How did that happen? The 17-year-old me decided to host a Seeds of Humanity event in my small town in Tira, inviting business women and men, students, parents, teachers simply, the community in order to spread awareness that WE ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS WORLD! God created us with a goal, with a message and we should have the potential and the willing to spread it GLOBALLY! 

At that event, I showed my humanitarian as well as political awareness and knowledge about refugees, hosted Seeds of Humanity and Molham teams to speak about their goals and facts about refugees. We collected almost $4,000 in just two hours! Seeds of Humanity founders and volunteers were surely amazed and could not wait to welcome me to their team. Months later, when I became 18, I traveled for the first (and not the last!) time with Seeds of Humanity, and I can tell you A LOT about my stay in Athens in visiting the camps but I will summarize it in three words: LOVE, GRIEF and AFFECTION. 

It does not matter how much I grow, I still remain the passionate, motivated, and little Yasmeen everybody became familiar with in 2017. I am 20 now, and still the youngest volunteer in Seeds of Humanity, which has resulted in me speaking at Seeds of Humanity’s third annual refugees conference that was held last month in Haifa – there were 400 people in attendance! Last year I had another opportunity to speak to a large group at a Tira event. There I shared my experiences and advice on managing my academic success in school but finding time to engage in community service and make a difference in refugees’ lives.

At the end, it is not how I got to be the youngest volunteer in the field, nor when, it is all about WHY, and the answer is, I want to create a more humble and considerate community.