First Impressions - Volunteers

Meeha Irfan, Project Coordinator

I)

Maliha’s text to me (sans inappropriate greeting): There’s this girl from Stanford who has planned this thing for girls from Swat to come in to Islamabad. I’m fuzzy on the details but will tell you when I know more! There’s a meeting today at 4pm, can you come?

So, I read that text and got all excited and jumpy - I have been volunteering for as long as I can remember and wanted to do some more! At the time, that’s exactly what I thought this would be - a volunteer experience. Go there, help out, feel awesome, improve the CV.

I didn't make it to the first few but did get to the mandatory meeting. There were over twenty students attentively listening while Shiza and Maryam explained what it was we were going to be doing. In the course of our meetings and workshops the number went down to thirteeen absolutely hyper, eager, excited volunteers ready to take over the world! All the better to have a successful retreat with, my darling…

When I dove into this adventure I had no idea I would actually become a part of an organization that I could call my own. I ended up falling in love with our girls and the whole idea of Shajar-e-Ilm.

Many children wanting to be discovered await us and we shall find them!

II)

Waiting at the lobby of Chateau Royale among other volunteers, my heart was racing. Part of me was scared and part excited. I didn’t really know what to expect.
At nearly 3pm everything fell into place. There was quite a lot of worrying for nothing! We stood outside and greeted 26 gorgeous, ambitious, confident Swati girls. In one of our workshops preceding the actual project we were taught how to not be intimidating and to ‘hide the ego’. Well, at this point I wish I could pull out some form of ego from somewhere. These girls were more than we had mentally prepared ourselves for. They walked with such presence in a place where they were unknown, talked with such pride among men and women they were unaccustomed to and most of all, oozed bravery where there was fear.