PTPI Blog


Archive for October, 2010

A Note from Kampala, Uganda (Angels of Humanity)

Friday, October 29th, 2010
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An update from our friends in Uganda on their recent chapter activities:

The members of PTPI’s Kampala, Uganda (Angels of Humanity) Student Chapter have been sensitized about drinking safe water and we have embarked on sensitizing the community about safe water drinking.  The members of the chapter have been encouraging the community members to treat their water with Aqua Safe tablets which are cheap and affordable.

The club is also providing free tablets for a primary school and ten families that can’t afford it, and are raising money to provide them with 120 liter tanks for drinking water since many have been falling sick because of drinking unsafe water.

We have also sensitized the pupils in the community about the importance of trees and we have launched the “one tree per child” project.  We provide a tree seedling to every child to be planted at their home.

Nyonyozi Ivy Freda Igunduura
President, Kampala, Uganda (Angels of Humanity) Student Chapter

Discussion Question 4 for The Alchemist

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010
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Question answered by Verena Denk, Director of European Youth Programs at PTPI.

4. Do you believe that the universe will conspire (along with perseverance on your part) to help you achieve your dreams?

Personally, I would like to believe that the universe indeed conspires to help me achieve my dreams. This concept is very reassuring. It helps to overcome fear. However, I ask myself what does Paulo Coelho mean by universe? Is this God or is it some other kind of conscious presence with powers that are beyond our understanding? No matter what you call it, what is essential is: if you don’t really believe it’s there, you will not be reassured and the fear of failure will persist.

Did I ever have unusually good luck when I pursued my dreams? Yes, I definitely did at times, but not always. If you agree with Paulo Coelho, you could argue that maybe I wasn’t pursuing the ONE dream, which is why there was not always extra support from the universe/God/fate or whatever else. You could also add that maybe I was getting too close to achieving my dreams, which is why I experienced severe obstacles. In the end, it comes down to deciding if you believe in the universe conspiracy theory or rather not. Do we receive help from an invisible almighty power to realize our dearest goal or ambition? No matter what we experience in life, we will always find arguments that can support the theory and others that will rebut it. The question remains interesting and the answer personal. What do you believe?

The opinions expressed by PTPI staff and other book club members are entirely their own and are not necessarily the views of  People to People International or that of PTPI’s Officers, Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.

PTPI Student Chapter Initiatives: Ramadan Projects in Morocco

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
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During Ramadan (the holy Islamic month of fasting), PTPI’s Tangier, Morocco Chapter agreed to do something unusual and memorable.  The chapter was looking for a new and different idea which would bring many benefits for those who are in need.

After thinking wisely we came to the conclusion that we would work on two projects rather than one in the holy month.  Ramadan is a month of generosity and humility, and we couldn’t have found a better time to do humanitarian activities!

The first project consisted of distributing fifty boxes of daily food for homeless people, in order to help them break their fasting during eight days in Ramadan.  This activity has had a tremendous impact on us, it somehow made us experiment a mixture of contradictory feelings such as joy and sadness, enthusiasm and disappointment…etc.  It was remarkable to know that an ordinary box containing basic nutrition – that every single human should have- could bring that much happiness to these people. Maybe they weren’t happy because of that food; maybe the true reason behind their happiness was the fact of knowing that they are not forgotten!  When we started this project, we knew that loneliness is one of the hardest things that could happen to a person, especially during religious festivals. This is why we tried to provide them with a modest and familiar atmosphere.

We needed to concentrate also on the Eid project, our second project. This was a challenge for PTPI members. We had to afford money, candies and new clothes for over 60 children; what was even more challenging was to find sponsors ready to contribute to the success of our project, in a very short time.

While distributing these gifts in deeply poor areas over Tangier, we were astonished!  We couldn’t believe that there still exists such poverty and deprivation.  Thanks to this experience we became more grateful and realized that we don’t necessarily need to lose a precious thing in order to know how valuable it is.

Overall, these two activities required huge efforts and total commitments from all collaborating sides. PTPI Tangier gives a special thanks to Khalid El Ouahabi- the Manager-, Siham Youyou, Siham Akouh, Rajae Akouh, and Mouhsine Guenfoud, who contributed the most on the achievement of these amazing projects.

General Secretary,
Soumaya Ghomari