COM Outlook Summer/Fall 2020

34 | DR. KIRAN C. PATEL COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE C OVID-19 has spread across the world, changing nearly every aspect of our lives. In March, the Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health estimated that about 25.6 million Afghans would be infected, and approximately 110,000 Afghans would die from COVID-19. On March 27, the Afghan government announced a country-wide lockdown, leaving millions of wage earners without any means to pay for food, water, or shelter. In order to help the Afghan people, I partnered with fellow medical students, undergraduate organizations, and the nonprofit organization WISEafghanistan to create the COVID-19 Relief for Afghanistan Initiative. The initiative’s purpose was to provide food and supplies for the Afghan people to help them prepare for self- quarantining due to COVID-19. Additionally, the funds were used to educate them on how to protect themselves from the virus. Due to our combined efforts, we were able to raise more than $6,000. This was enough to provide about 100 families in Afghanistan with a one-month supply of beans, flour, oil, rice, soap, sugar, tea, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and more. “The people in these villages were so appreciative,” wrote a representative from WISEafghanistan. “Our volunteers were telling us the kids started crying when they saw the food packages. Most of them had been hungry for days.” As an Afghan American, the diversity at NSU is one of the many things I love about being here. It was truly an honor to work with students across the nation, and within our class, to help give back to the land our parents came from. This initiative would not have been possible without the many students within the KPCOM who contributed to and supported the cause, including third-year student Morsal Osmani and second-year students Mursell Khairzada, Zara Khan, Lindsey Le, John Rozenberg, and Iman Squires. “There are people all around the world who have struggled to survive, even before COVID-19 entered their lives,” said Khairzada. “As this virus continues to turn our lives upside down, it seems unimaginable to think about how regions already lacking daily resources are coping with these changes. As an Afghan American, I feel very connected to the struggles faced in the country my parents grew up in. I am very invested in doing all I can to help make a difference.” Aneil Tawakalzada is the KPCOM class of 2023 president. BY ANEIL TAWAKALZADA KPCOM Students Provide Relief AFGHAN AMERICAN Aneil Tawakalzada “The people in these villages were so appreciative,” wrote a representative fromWISEafghanistan. “Our volunteers were telling us the kids started crying when they saw the food packages. Most of them had been hungry for days.”