One of the most moving events I've attended at Rutgers is the “From Wasteland to Homeland” art exhibit and program. The art exhibit was designed as a house with artwork made by the children living in Pakistan landfills; they drew what their dream home would look like. The program was hosted by the em[POWER] organization, which is a student group that works to transform the lives of those living in landfills in Karachi, Pakistan. Some of their goals include trying to engineer power plants that use trash as fuel and to purify the region's water by using duckweed plants. Another important of their mission is to raise awareness among our community, so we can open up communication and assist these areas stricken with overwhelming poverty.
The guest speaker that evening was Phymean Noun, the founder of People Improvement Organization (PIO). PIO is a non-profit organization that serves 800 children every day through its schools, community centers and vocation training programs in Cambodia. She saves children who live in landfills, especially young girls who hide there to escape from sex trafficking, by allowing them to live in the community centers and attend the PIO schools at no charge. When she showed us the photos of the children's transformation, I realized how fortunate we are to have people like Noun in the world and making positive changes through education.
Read more about Rutgers student and emPOWER here.
Location: SinglePost